Howl' Film Review: London Film Festival Celebrates Beat Writers

Titled after beat writer Allen Ginsberg's 1955 poem 'Howl,' the film centers on the obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg faced after the publication of his poem.

The film stars James Franco as Allen Ginsberis. It's directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and its screenplay penned by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman.

Beat Writers

Allen Ginsberg and William S Burroughs are two writers whose names will forever be inextricably linked to one another. Alongside Jack Kerouac, they are credited as the godfathers of the 'beat generation', a group of writers who radicalized American literature by tackling subjects, such as sex and drugs, that their elders felt improper.

Ginsberg kicked off the movement in 1956 when he published Howl and Other Poems, while Burroughs delivered his landmark novel Naked Lunch in 1959. Both depicted gay sex and drug taking and subsequently became the focus of obscenity trials.

More than fifty years later, the writers are celebrated in two movies at the London Film Festival.

Howl (2010)

Howl explores the events which led the poet to write his seminal work and documents the aftermath, including the obscenity trial.

Through a collage of courtroom scenes, flashbacks and interviews the audience is transported to 1957, the year of the obscenity hearing, and allowed to watch Ginsberg as he battles depression, falls in and out of love and answers criticism of his work.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Festival, Howl has garnered significant acclaim and Franco is tipped by some to receive a nod when the Oscar nominations are revealed.

Howl is a visual feast, encompassing animation, documentary style footage, atmospheric grayscale and vivid color. Flashbacks to Ginsberg's earlier life are shown in black & white while segments of the eponymous poem are represented by sleek animated sequences. Commentary is delivered by Franco as Ginsberg in documentary style interviews while the courtroom scenes are vibrant if understated.

Reading the publicity materials, one could be forgiven for walking into Howl expecting a courtroom drama to rival Inherit the Wind. In truth the trial is subdued and less prominent in the movie than one might expect. There are no fiery exchanges or smoking gun revelations.

In the role of defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, Mad Men's Jon Hamm spends much of his screen time arguing semantic points and debating linguistic terminology with a procession of sour-faced literary snobs. Light relief comes in the form of perpetually baffled prosecutor Ralph McIntosh, played by David Straithairn as a self-righteous buffoon, almost farcically enraged by the content of Ginsberg's work.

Ginsberg comes across variously as a hopeless romantic, an insufferable beard-stroker and a genius social commentator. As he chain smokes his way through an interview in his apartment he offers profound insights into the American literary scene in the mid-20th century, but he also spends significant screen time doing little more than contemplating his navel.

Interview footage combined with flashbacks offer tantalizing glimpses of Ginsberg's troubled early years. His mother was a mental health patient, repeatedly institutionalized. At just 21 years of age, Ginsberg had to sign permission for his mother's lobotomy operation. Ginsberg himself spent eight months in a mental institution and was only released after he assured doctors that he would cease his homosexual activity.

However, these aspects of Ginsberg's life aren't explored in great depth so while Franco is perfectly convincing as the late poet, his performance lacks emotional depth. In fact, Ginsberg comes over occasionally as somewhat of a bore, particularly during copious scenes in which he recites 'Howl' in a loud, dreary monotone.

The animation is gorgeous and much of the film's humor derives from the colorful illustrations of Ginsberg's verse. But while the film is visually rich, the constant switching between grayscale, color, animation and documentary style footage can be jarring and it feels as though the pudding has perhaps been over-egged. The lack of chronology will divide audiences and at times one wishes we could spend longer in the courtroom or exploring Ginsberg's back story, rather than listening to more of the poet's slightly self-indulgent interview.

Howl is an ambitious project, far removed from your average biopic – and for that it must be praised. While occasionally frustrating, the narrative structure is at least not formulaic or predictable. Franco and Hamm turn in decent performances and there are some nice cameos from the likes of Jeff Daniels and Mary Louise Parker, but the real star of the show is Ginsberg's poem, given new life by Monk Studios' dazzling animation.