HOWL

6/10 Dropps
Genre: Drama, Animation, Special Interest
Rated: R
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
In Theaters: Sep 24, 2010 Limited / Oct 29, 2010 WIDE
Box Office:$0.4M
Directed By: Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
Written By: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

“There is no Beat Generation. Just a bunch of guys trying to get published”
– Allen Ginsberg

There have been several movements in art and literature throughout the years that have defined generations. Arguably, none of these movements have had more of an impact than that of the Beat Generation, a movement created by a group of writers in the 1950’s that included experimentation with drugs, sexuality, religion and writing.
HOWL focuses on the trial of Howl, a controversial poem, along the young life of Allen Ginsberg, one of the original and most prominent writers of the Beat Generation. HOWL follows several storylines all attempting to depict the life and times of Ginsberg and the Beat Generation. In 1955, shortly after the poems publication Ginsberg’s publisher is put on trial for mass-producing either, a work of genius or something of vulgar, inappropriate material. The film also follows Ginsberg in his young life and interactions with other influential Beat leaders like Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.

The trial of Ginsberg’s most prominent work “Howl, and other poems” is admittedly the factor that drove Ginsberg to his highest point of prominence. The film stars James Franco (Milk, Pineapple Express) as Allen Ginsberg, and was written and directed by both Rob Epstien and Jeffery Friedman. Franco gives a strong performance as the young Ginsberg, capturing the essence of a struggling young writer who is unsure of himself and his sexuality. HOWL also stars Jon Hamm (Mad Men, The Town) as Jake Ehrlich, lead defense lawyer for Ginsberg’s publisher. Hamm too gives an understated but strong performance.

While the cast does a fine job in their portrayals, writers and directors Rob Epsien and Jeffery Friedman made some interesting choices in their visual aesthetics. The film is broken into three visions: a black and white portrayal of Ginsberg performing and writing his masterpiece, a colored vision of Ginsberg’s life within the Beat generation, and an odd choice of animation for the poems writing sequences. While all three aspects give the film a sense of originality, at times they feel to cheapen what could have been a beautifully executed idea.

Howl (the poem) was a movement in the Beat Generation and defined Ginsberg’s career as a young Beatnick. The film portrays Ginsberg’s life with famous writers and Beat leaders like Cassady and Kerouac, but at times misses its mark with the viewer. HOWL will be a film for those who love the work of Ginsberg and the Beat Generation, but, unfortunately, will fail to impress all its viewers.
-Hunter Freiburg