"Howl"

[Guest alanm]

"Howl" the new film about Allen Ginsberg and his famous poem is playing this weekend (July 8-11) at film festivals in LA and Philadelphia. "Howl" has a great cast, with James Franco as Ginsberg, also Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Ginsberg (archival footage) and Aaron Tveit from Broadway's "Next to Normal."

 

Has anyone seen it yet? If so what did you think?

 

I believe it will open officially in Sept.

[+ purplekow]

I once did some business for one of Ginsburg's confidantes and he was the one to send the check for payment. It was hand signed and I think I should have kept the check as the signature is probably now worth more than the check was worth.

When I was in Junior High School, Ginsburg was brought in by one of the teachers to read Howl for us. I imagine he had a passing acquaintance with Ginsburg because I can't imagine NYC schools paying for a visit to a Junior High for such a controversial poet.

[+ ArVaGuy]

Last weekend friends and I visited the National Gallery of Art and by chance there's an exhibit of Ginsberg's photos on display for the next several weeks. It's comprised of mainly candid shots of many of his Beat Generation contemporaries including Burroughs and Kerouac. What's most interesting to me is that the collection covers several decades and reveals how these guys aged over the years. Many of them did not age well at all so to speak. The subjects appear tired, worn, and haggard as well as emotionally drained, especially Kerouac. It’s kind of haunting in some respects and well worth seeing.

[+ Charlie]

When I was in Junior High School, Ginsburg was brought in by one of the teachers to read Howl for us. I imagine he had a passing acquaintance with Ginsburg because I can't imagine NYC schools paying for a visit to a Junior High for such a controversial poet.

 

I am amazed that someone would use "Howl" in a junior high class. When I assigned it in an "American Lit. Survey" college course, many years after it had become a classic, several of the students objected; only one student was willing to admit that he thought it was pretty good.

[Guest alanm]

Seeing "Howl" on Film

 

I saw "Howl" on Friday night. The poem is still powerful and shocking even today. But, many people have said that Ginsberg was such a force of life when he read the poem aloud, people really listened and loved what they heard. James Franco (Ginsberg) reads much of the poem to an enthusiastic audience in SF in the film. His words are often in the background as very good animation tries to make sense of the poem. Good idea.

 

"Howl" is also a court room drama based on the 1957 obscenity trial. Even with Jon Hamm as the lawyer for the defense (the publisher of "Howl"), the trial scenes were the least effective part of the movie for me.

 

Franco (as Ginsberg, circa 1957) often speaks directly to the audience about his eight months in a mental hospital and his relationships with Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy and his long-time partner, Peter Orlovsky. All three men are played by handsome and charmimg actors, especially Aaron Tveit, who is almost naked in one scene, as Orlovsky. I wanted to see more of these relationships, which seems reasonable since the film runs for only 90 minutes.

 

Tviet is a Broadway ("Next to Normal") and TV actor ("Gossip Girl").

 

I posted briefly on Data Lounge: 'Tviet - almost naked in "Howl"' and received quite a few responses. Hey, I would have responded as well.

 

I doubt anyone would have responded if I posted just about the court room scenes.

 

Seen at the Philadelphia QFest. Five films so far, hope to see six or seven more before it ends on July 19.

[+ purplekow]

When I was in Junior High School, Ginsburg was brought in by one of the teachers to read Howl for us. I imagine he had a passing acquaintance with Ginsburg because I can't imagine NYC schools paying for a visit to a Junior High for such a controversial poet.

 

I am amazed that someone would use "Howl" in a junior high class. When I assigned it in an "American Lit. Survey" college course, many years after it had become a classic, several of the students objected; only one student was willing to admit that he thought it was pretty good.

 

It was 9th grade, my junior high in nyc went up to 9th grade as the new high school was not completed on time. It was the 60s at a time when no one really knew what the teachers were doing in school. i agree it was a controversial poem as I mentioned in my original post and quite odd to have a poet come and read to 14 year olds. But this was hardly the oddest thing to occur in nyc in the 1960s.