The Film, Howl
Shot in a mere fourteen days on a tiny budget, Howl was released in 2010, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. This is an artsy film. By artsy, I mean, it is not chronological, it is portrayed in both black and white and color, and there is even animation. This film was not a Hollywood hit, most likely because it is a smart film and it deals with what many people deem as unpleasant subjects, like homosexuality and censorship. This film does have star power - James Franco, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels - but it centers on something many people do not know or care about.
This is a true film. This film was made from the court transcripts from the Obscenity Trial, and an interview from Ginsberg himself. That's what makes this film so unique - it is creatively true.
The film begins with Franco as Ginsberg portraying the famous Six Gallery reading of "Howl". These flashbacks are in black and white, and they come in chunks. The entire poem has been read by the end of the film. As mentioned in Franco's character description, the likeness Franco has to Ginsberg while reading is uncanny.
Much is learned about Ginsberg and his character through this film. We learn how afraid Ginsberg was; he always assumed "Howl" would not be published, and frankly, he did not want it published because he did not want his father, a successful poet, to read it and learn that he is homosexual. Ginsberg began writing poetry because his father wrote poetry, and he did not want to disappoint him. We learn that Ginsberg began writing poetry about all the men he fell in love with - including Kerouac and Cassady.
In the film, if the trial is not being shown, we see flashbacks on Ginsberg's life of an interview being conducted at home with Ginsberg by a faceless and rather voiceless interviewer. The interviewer speaks so low, you often cannot hear the question being asked, only the responses, which are often deep and insightful. During this interview, Ginsberg discuss his life - he tells stories about his experiences, and he states that it is important "to write the same way you are."
In the film, if the trial is not being shown, we see flashbacks on Ginsberg's life of an interview being conducted at home with Ginsberg by a faceless and rather voiceless interviewer. The interviewer speaks so low, you often cannot hear the question being asked, only the responses, which are often deep and insightful. During this interview, Ginsberg discuss his life - he tells stories about his experiences, and he states that it is important "to write the same way you are."
As previously mentioned, the actual poem, "Howl," is being recited throughout. In addition to the recitation at Six Gallery, we have an animation to accompany the poem. This animation provides a visual for the poem, although it seems to provide a literal interpretation. Initially, I enjoyed the animation because it is extremely fluid, but after a scene or two, I felt it detracted from the film because of the literal interpretation and distracting visuals - it made the film feel choppy with this extra shift.
There are many parts of this animation, as it is shown through the entire film. I have included the first animation below; please turn on your sound, and click and watch - all animations can be found on youtube.
In the film, while being interviewed, some light is shed on "Howl" and its meaning. Now this, I don't know if it's perhaps Franco's interpretation of the poem or widely accepted interpretations - I could not find research to support either way. The things he points out make me think.
In our text, on page 64, the line reads "who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy." In the film, he points out that whoever "who" is screams with JOY and not PAIN - it's an unexpected contradiction. There are many contradictions throughout the poem, like "saintly motorcyclists," but this one illustrates the "joy" of being homosexual - not pain. It's not something that should have to be hidden.
In the film, he also states that the poem is often misinterpreted as a promotion of homosexuality, but it's not. Franco (Ginsberg) states that the poem is a promotion of "whatever YOU are," no matter what it is.
Franco (Ginsberg) also very briefly mentions his creative process. He details the way words have a certain rhythm, so if he finds a word he likes, he finds words that make sense to match the rhythm. "Howl" is a powerful poem, but the way I read it did not correctly convey the rhythm Ginsberg was going for. Listening to Ginsberg read his masterpiece gave me the rhythm, and it made the poem easier to understand.
Censorship
A central theme of this film deals with censorship and how it negatively affects society. Censorship has been an issue since the beginning of time, it's an issue today, and there is no end in sight. The Obscenity Trial tried to censor Ginsberg's poetry collection, tried to ban it from the public. What good would this do? Just because some people don't understand something, doesn't mean it should be banned; this is an opportunity for growth, for learning. Why should an entire society be denied a piece of literature because some people are afraid of it? That's right - fear. Things get censored because people fear what thoughts it may provoke, and often, people want something censored when they haven't even experienced it for themselves. Of course, censorship is not limited to literature; it affects everything today - movies, music, television, the internet, news - everything, and it will only get worse. It's amazing to look at the world we live in, a world with so much growth and promise, yet, we still deal with censorship.
There are many facts, well-known facts, mentioned in the film. The film notes the deaths of Jack Kerouac, Carl Solomon and Neal Cassady - all men very important to Ginsberg. While "Howl" was dedicated and a chuck of it was written for Carl Solomon, he makes an incredibly brief appearance in the film, only appearing while Ginsberg is in the mental institution and once he gets released. The film makes notes of moves Ginsberg made, like helping Kerouac get On The Road published, and spending a year working in an office in San Francisco and how miserable he was during this time. While Ferlinghetti really has no speaking parts, the film does note that he continues to write poetry and co-own City Lights Bookstore. I do appreciate the factual information, but since the film focused on such a short amount of time, it seemed odd to add in information that wouldn't happen for years and years in the future.
The film actually ends with a beautiful photo montage (real photos) of Ginsberg and all of his friends over the year, and it includes the above mentioned biographical information of each of the characters and key players in Ginsberg's life.
The film actually ends with a beautiful photo montage (real photos) of Ginsberg and all of his friends over the year, and it includes the above mentioned biographical information of each of the characters and key players in Ginsberg's life.
"Life is not encased in one formula where everyone acts the same and conforms to one pattern."