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Howl
Howl
Release Date
25 Feb 2011
TBA
- User rating
-
Currently
3/5 Stars.
- Critic rating
- Currently 4/5 Stars.
62% of raters want to see this movie
Certificate:
15A
Genre:
Young Allen Ginsberg recounts in his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem "Howl." Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, "Howl" is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while defense attorney Jake Ehrlich argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the fervently passionate. "Howl" mashes up genres and rides wild emotions as it reveals all the ways a fearless work of art impacted its creator and the world.
Cast:
James Franco
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David Strathairn
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Jon Hamm
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Treat Williams
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Bob Balaban
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Alessandro Nivola
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Mary-Louise Parker
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Jeff Daniels
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Aaron Tveit
Writers:
Rob Epstein
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Jeffrey Friedman
Producers:
Elizabeth Redleaf
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Christine K. Walker
Directors:
Rob Epstein
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Jeffrey Friedman
- Critic rating
-
Currently
4/5 Stars.
Movies.ie Critic Review
Over three narratives, we witness poet Allen Ginsberg (Franco) reading his Howl poem for the very first time, in San Francisco’s Six Gallery bookshop on October 7th, 1955, and then we jump to two years later, and a court case against City Lights for publishing this ‘obscene material’. We also see Ginsberg giving a freewheelin’ interview, based on true-life transcripts…
THE VERDICT: Co-director Friedman’s 1984 documentary The Times Of Harvey Milk received a much-deserved boost in profile through Gus Van Zant’s 2008 fictional account, and here he turns to another icon of the American counter-culture. With animation of the poem (by Ginsberg collaborator Eric Drooker) also running throughout, this is a feast for anyone interested in the Beat generation. Far out. Man.
Review by Paul Byrne
- Avg User rating
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Currently
3/5 Stars.
User Reviews