Howl Annotated Bibliography

528 Words3 Pages
Justin Hsu Howl. Dir. Rob Epstein, Jeffery Friedman. 2010. Film The film, Howl, is based on and titled after Allen Ginsberg’s first major work that was performed and published to the public, a poem also titled “Howl”. Ginsberg’s poem was written during the Beatnik age in 1955 and finished in 1956. He wrote Howl in a way he perceived the world to be through his own eyes. The publisher of the poem was put on trial, accused of obscenity for sexual, homosexual, and pornographic references; the film is about this trial and the interview of Ginsberg, who James Franco takes the role of in the film. Howl, the poem, mentions issues of society of almost all aspects during the Beats generation with out any restraint on words. The film is about a trial in 1957 to determine whether Ginsberg’s poem is considered obscene or not. Ginsberg is also interviewed outside of the trial about his life and the inspirations that led him to write the poem. Through out the film, scenes of Ginsberg performing his poem at a 1955 Six Gallery Reading are interspersed with animated scenes that portray the words of his poem as he reads it aloud to the audience. During the interview he talks about his first thoughts before starting the poem, thoughts such as: who would be his audience, how openly could he express his mind, and if no one reads it he would not have to hold back. Ginsberg also talks about Carl Solomon, whom he dedicated the poem to. He met Solomon in a mental institute where Solomon was receiving different types of medication and therapy. Ginsberg tells about his love affairs and how open and comfortable he is about his sexuality. During the trial the publisher of Howl, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is accused of publishing obscene material. Several literary experts are brought to the stand and asked whether they considered the poem to have any literary merit by the prosecutor. Some
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