Post-screening HOWL Happening: discussion about the film, Ginsberg and poetry. It’s San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. The film recounts this moment using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist; society’s reaction to the poem (the obscenity trial); and mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself. Starring James Franco as the young Allen Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture adventurer, and chronicler of the Beat Generation. 85 minutes, unrated.
Join us afterward to discuss the film, the poem, and Allen Ginsberg. Maria Mazziotti Gillian, renowned poet, educator and editor of the Patterson Literary Review, is administrator of the annual Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. Carole Stone, Professor Emerita at Montclair State University, is a published poet who has engaged university students and others with the work of Allen Ginsberg throughout her career. Moderator Ellyn Rabinowitz is a Rivertown Film member and poet.
Five Stars. “Undeniably brave, committed and inventive. . . .Moments of soaring brilliance, with an elegant performance by Franco that should redefine his career.” – Los Angeles Times
“As exuberant and free-wheeling as the poem itself. . . .Seldom has a motion picture bestowed such splendor on the written/spoken word.” – Newsday
“A great film. Franco disappears into Ginsberg’s sexy earthiness.”
– Jennie Yabroff, Newsweek
Official film site: http://howlthemovie.com/
