Howl (2010), Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
4/5
This excellent film explores the poetry of Allen Ginsberg (James Franco), his life and experiences, as well as notions of insanity, sexuality, existentialism, literature and censorship. At first I found the use of animation sequences paired with the poetry rather pretentious, but they grew on me and Franco's performance of the rhythm of the poems are brilliant. The style generally of the film gels with the subject matter switching between black and white and colour sequences as well as the animation sequences. The film beautifully covers the inspiration and life of Allen Ginsberg. Examining the influences on his poetry using the conduit of the trial of obscenity for the book "Howl" and this works effectively. The cast is really strong and in particular James Franco gives an excellent portrayal of Ginsberg. Overall a really interesting and dynamic film to watch and not just of interest to those who are passionate about poetry and literature as it is quite emotional and accessible.
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