Howl (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• _kelly .

  
  Franco's readings were great and they were shot very well; I also liked the alternative computer animations though I do need to see those again to completely evaluate them. Overall, was extremely pleased and I expected to be extremely disappointed because HOWL is sacred territory… More
  Franco's readings were great and they were shot very well; I also liked the alternative computer animations though I do need to see those again to completely evaluate them. Overall, was extremely pleased and I expected to be extremely disappointed because HOWL is sacred territory (I read it in high school, first exposure to Ginsberg).

• Anthony L

  
  I recently read Howl but I read it as part of Eric Drooker's graphic novel which left me a little confused to say the least. I really should have read it in its original form but luckily the animation works quite well in the film. It can be a little bit of a distraction at times… More
  I recently read Howl but I read it as part of Eric Drooker's graphic novel which left me a little confused to say the least. I really should have read it in its original form but luckily the animation works quite well in the film. It can be a little bit of a distraction at times thought and I don't think it always works but for the most part it does the job but Gerald Scarfe Drooker ain't! The 'live action' part of the film is quite the opposite. It explains the famous and notorious poem brilliantly. The history and story behind Howl is fascinating stuff and it was quite refreshing to see a film like this do justice to the work, rather than churn out another 'painting by numbers' biopic. The way the film focused on the obscenity trial as a side story was also very clever, never mixing up the two and drawing attention away from the poem but also never preaching condescendingly at the audience or deviating from the true events for dramatic purposes. James Franco is very good as Allen Ginsberg, it's easily the best performance I've seen him in so far. The supporting cast are also very good. Overall, a well balance and educational film about possibly the most aptly titled poem in history.

• Chris W

  
  James Franco does Allen Ginsberg...and this film is to Ginsberg what I'm Not There is to Bob Dylan, in style, portrayal, and execution. This one's not quite as ambitious though. I'm already familiar with/a fan of Ginsberg, his poem "Howl" and the Beat… More
  James Franco does Allen Ginsberg...and this film is to Ginsberg what I'm Not There is to Bob Dylan, in style, portrayal, and execution. This one's not quite as ambitious though. I'm already familiar with/a fan of Ginsberg, his poem "Howl" and the Beat Generation, so my take on this film is obviously pretty skewed. This film shouldn't be looked at as a definitive take on the man, the poem, or the obscenity trial it became the focus of. Instead, this is a non-linear experimental piece which weaves together the 1857 obscenity trial, the 1955 writing/performing of the poem, visual recreations of certain sections of the poem, as well as recreations of a documentary interview and some biographical stuff about Ginsberg's personal life and childhood. This is not a film for all tastes, and it is really there for those who are already part of the proverbial choir, but the way things are done is interesting, even though the appeal will be limited. For the sake of others, I had hoped this film would be more accessible to a wider audience, and that there would have been a bit more context (both in general and historical) for a lot fo what is shown, but those are minor quibbles. The way the poem is rendered visually is pretty cool, and I liked the recreations of the Gallery Six Reading and the Trial. Franco is pretty good as Ginsberg, finding a nicely understated way to present the man to the world. There are some good supporting parts filled by Hamm, Balaban, and, Straitharin, as well as some nice little bit parts from Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker. As I said, this is an experimental film, so it's really indie and artsy, and non-linear, and will most benefit those already familiar. It is a noble effort though, and it entertained me. I also liked how it was one form of art (film) providing a commentary on analysis and criticism of another form of art (poetry). I liked it, and you just might too, especially ifGinsberg, "Howl", or the Beats are appealing to you. For the purely curious, you may wanna read up on things first.

• Conner R

  
  I really wanted to find something good in Howl, but it just wasn't a good movie in my opinion. James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg so over the top and cheesy that it's not believable at all and frustrating. It's almost bizarre that they kept centering around the poem so… More
  I really wanted to find something good in Howl, but it just wasn't a good movie in my opinion. James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg so over the top and cheesy that it's not believable at all and frustrating. It's almost bizarre that they kept centering around the poem so much and using it as basically the only thing important in the entire world. Now I didn't want to hate this at all and I admire the intentions, but it's just so easy to see this movie for the flawed storytelling and film making that it is. The blend of animation does not work at all and feels ridiculously forced. The only really interesting aspect is the courtroom aspect of it. In a perfect world, this would have centered on Jon Hamm's character and been about his struggle to defend the poem itself because he was about the best character in the whole thing.

• Drew S

  
  Lives and mostly dies by its woeful literalizations, be they the animated retellings of Allan Ginsberg's poem, the dry courtroom scenes, or the documentary-style interviews, which feel desperately canned. The film is unrelentingly hideous, the initial offender being the garish,… More
  Lives and mostly dies by its woeful literalizations, be they the animated retellings of Allan Ginsberg's poem, the dry courtroom scenes, or the documentary-style interviews, which feel desperately canned. The film is unrelentingly hideous, the initial offender being the garish, over-lit and occasionally arbitrarily stylized scenes in reality. Things only get worse as Howl starts oscillating with extreme discomfort between these scenes and its animation passages, which are about a half-step away from an embarrassment. Mired somewhere between excess and uncreativity, the momentum of the film comes crashing to a halt every time these scenes roll around; you actually find yourself wishing for a return to Jon Hamm's attorney non-character. Howl isn't a complete failure by any stretch - it explores some interesting thematic material, like the nature of censorship (especially how it pertains to political fear), and although its treatment of said material is admittedly obvious, it still brings forth its clashes in an intellectually engaging way. The acting is satisfactory, although I'll be damned if I can remember a single thing about James Franco's performance. He is given surprisingly little screen time, as Howl often prioritizes its shitty animation or its courtroom drama over the staged interviews, but nothing about his portrayal is particularly dissatisfying. This interpretation of Ginsberg did leave me feeling like he wasn't a complete stereotype, so I suppose that's a significant plus. Unfortunately, Howl's scattered virtues are totally adrift in a film too broken and discordant to even worry about pacing, and though it's short and punchy there isn't too much to see here worth watching. It's an original piece that grapples with an important, little-seen issue, but the execution is a mess.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn."</i> As Allen Ginsberg talks about his life and art, his most famous poem is illustrated in animation while the… More
  <i>"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn."</i> As Allen Ginsberg talks about his life and art, his most famous poem is illustrated in animation while the obscenity trial of the work is dramatized. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Wonderfully evocative faux-documentary that showcases the poem. The animation sequences stick close to the literal denotation of the textual images. Some have found that approach unsympathetic, but I disagree. Part of what I love about the poem is its twisting of banality into surrealist mysticism (Plotinus in Oklahoma, Blake in the heavens over New Jersey and demon Moloch on Madison Avenue). The contrast between the intensely colored fantasy animation and the back-and-forth to black-and-white convey that contrast nicely. Others would like to see something else; let them make something else. David Strathairn as the prosecutor is wonderful. The scene when he inadvertently (I assume) falls into Ginsberg-ian imagery ("When I open my mouth, fists come out") is worth the whole price of the DVD.

• Steven C

  
  I had a powerful experience while watching "Howl", an experimental take on the obscenity trial following the publishing of Allen Ginsberg classic poem 'Howl'. James Franco plays Ginsberg in one of his best performances, showing the famed poet as fragile and… More
  I had a powerful experience while watching "Howl", an experimental take on the obscenity trial following the publishing of Allen Ginsberg classic poem 'Howl'. James Franco plays Ginsberg in one of his best performances, showing the famed poet as fragile and confident and knowing yet still confused. The film uses courtroom drama, animation and black and white to express the time period, Ginsberg's words and the confusion that comes with trying to put expression into a box. The film is as much a document of the 1950's Beat Generation as it is about today's society. Anyone who has ever dared to put their feelings out for the world to see through artistic means or even just tried to better understand themselves will be taken in by "Howl."

• danny d

  
  without question i have never seen a film quite like it. a film about a poem, as the poem is read there is animation that accompanies the poem which is itself fairly poetic. in the live action scenes franco and hamm deliver particularly solid performances, and the decision to use… More
  without question i have never seen a film quite like it. a film about a poem, as the poem is read there is animation that accompanies the poem which is itself fairly poetic. in the live action scenes franco and hamm deliver particularly solid performances, and the decision to use dialogue from interview and court documents guaranteed an accuracy not seen often enough in biopic style films like this. overall a unique and interesting film.

• KJ P

  
  HOWL is not the best film in the world, but James Franco's performance really holds this story together. From the amazing animation clips during the poem reading, to the gay realization scenes, all the way to the court scenes, this film really proves that good stories still… More
  HOWL is not the best film in the world, but James Franco's performance really holds this story together. From the amazing animation clips during the poem reading, to the gay realization scenes, all the way to the court scenes, this film really proves that good stories still exist. It is a bit dull at times, but it is extremely interesting and never lost my attention. Howl is a great film!

• William D

  
  "Howl," starring James Franco as a young Allen Ginsberg, is more of a sketch than a fully developed work of art. It doesn't dig very deep, but it does capture nicely some of the essence of what made Ginsberg's poem "Howl" (1956) a masterpiece and such a… More
  "Howl," starring James Franco as a young Allen Ginsberg, is more of a sketch than a fully developed work of art. It doesn't dig very deep, but it does capture nicely some of the essence of what made Ginsberg's poem "Howl" (1956) a masterpiece and such a lightning rod for controversy. It also effectively and warmly explores some of the life challenges that propelled the young man from New Jersey to write such explosive and iconoclastic poetry. Chief among these, the film suggests, was the fact that Ginsberg had fallen head over heels in love with a man, his college roommate, Jack Kerouac, who himself would go on to become a literary star. Much of the howling that the poem depicts, it would seem, was that of gay men trying to find ways to resist the oppression that strangled them like a noose morning, noon and night. "Howl" (the film) to a large degree presents Ginsberg as a courageous pioneer and grandfather of the modern gay rights movement. In this way, the film is both moving and predictable. We've seen this kind of heroic treatment a million times before. Far more interesting would have been a consideration of the negative traits of Ginsberg alongside the courageous. Hagiography is so easy to do that I'm not sure a filmmaker of Rob Epstein's caliber should lower himself to traffic in it. (Epstein won an Oscar for 1984's "The Times of Harvey Milk," one of the greatest documentaries of all time.) Ginsberg himself would surely have preferred a more balanced treatment. In a set of personal conversations I had with Ginsberg in 1987, he said: "I'm an asshole and a coward just like everybody else." And he wasn't exaggerating.

• Walter M

  
  "Howl" is a modest and engaging movie with a surprisingly pitch perfect performance from James Franco as Allen Ginsberg. It is 1957 and he is giving a frank interview on the occasion of Lawrence Ferlinghetti(Andrew Rogers) being on trial for obscenity for publishing his… More
  "Howl" is a modest and engaging movie with a surprisingly pitch perfect performance from James Franco as Allen Ginsberg. It is 1957 and he is giving a frank interview on the occasion of Lawrence Ferlinghetti(Andrew Rogers) being on trial for obscenity for publishing his poem "Howl." The trial scenes are the weakest part of the movie and are actually kind of distracting in a stunt casting sort of way(although Jon Hamm once again proves that he may have been born at least forty years too late). But even in a lumbering way, the trial makes a great case for individual freedom of expression in that each expert has a different reading of the poem as does every person who reads it, much as intended, which is also proof positive that once a work of art has been created, it takes on a life of its own. My own personal reading of the poem is that it is a shout to the heavens, of joy and anger simultaneously. And there is some dazzling animation to illustrate this point. At the time he was writing it, Ginsberg was struggling to find his place in a conformist world while becoming increasingly comfortable with his homosexuality, eventually meeting his true love Peter Orlovsky(Aaron Tyeit). Ginsberg had initially worried about it being read by his father(oops) and the scene of his reading it mirrors that by starting awkwardly and finishing strong.

• Andrew F

  
  Franco always makes everything interesting.

• Daniel P

  
  <i>Howl</i>, the 'incendiary' poem that to some extent defined the beat generation, has been made into a beautiful, sexy and (quietly) moving film by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Mixing actual transcripts from the infamous 'obscenity' trial,… More
  <i>Howl</i>, the 'incendiary' poem that to some extent defined the beat generation, has been made into a beautiful, sexy and (quietly) moving film by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Mixing actual transcripts from the infamous 'obscenity' trial, sections of the work itself and words from an audio interview with Allen Ginsberg, the film cleverly brings to life the work with 2D and 3D animation, courtroom drama and stunning black & white photography. Jon Hamm, David Strathairn and Mary-Louise Parker make up some of the extremely talented cast, headlined by an on-form James Franco as Ginsberg himself. A very strong film that is practically a piece of art itself.

• Alec B

  
  Per usual, Franco is great, but the movie is kind of a mess. Is it a story of the obscenity trial, or the writing of 'Howl" or an artistic representation of the poem or a biopic about Ginsberg life and influences? I don't know. I'll classify the film as a… More
  Per usual, Franco is great, but the movie is kind of a mess. Is it a story of the obscenity trial, or the writing of 'Howl" or an artistic representation of the poem or a biopic about Ginsberg life and influences? I don't know. I'll classify the film as a "noble effort" but by the end I didn't feel that I had learned anything new or had understood the great poem Howl on any deeper level.

• Christopher H

  
  Soulful and poetic, "Howl" becomes exactly what it portrays; art. With several different mediums interwoven into a story of a poet before him time, James Franco leads a cast of greats through a strong and insightful true story.

• Philip P

  
  I had no previous knowledge of either Ginsberg or his poem before watching 'HOWL'. Given this little movie was given a big boast by the names attached to it I was rather interested what attracted them to it and why what seemed to be an Oscar-bait type film had not garnered… More
  I had no previous knowledge of either Ginsberg or his poem before watching 'HOWL'. Given this little movie was given a big boast by the names attached to it I was rather interested what attracted them to it and why what seemed to be an Oscar-bait type film had not garnered much attention. To address that directly would be to tell you what the film does. We are told before the movie begins this is very much like a documentary, that every word spoken in the film was spoken by these real people. It is an interesting concept intertwining interviews, a trial concerning the poems obscenity and flashbacks to Ginsberg reading his work. The three flow together seemlessly, each building from one another, the reasons for certain things being explained, the causes for thought processes and the justification for being artsy all collides in a concise tale concerning the literary world. In the title role of Ginsberg we have the current man of the moment, James Franco. He plays Ginsburg as a high intellectual with a flair for absurd humor. We can see Franco's own persona seep through at times, but as I am not familiar with the real life Ginsburg I found this to be rather comforting. And though I can see Franco here, knowing who he is as an actor this is no doubt as close to a representation of the true Ginsburg as he could give us. He is an interesting person, and though the film focuses more on his work and the trouble it created than the man himself, it is in the moments when we actually get to listen to Franco spout Ginsburgs musings that the film really shines. Sure, the trial is interesting, and I highly doubt you could find two better actors than Jon Hamm and David Strathairn to portray the lawyers fighting for and against this poem. Both are given some pretty meaty dialogue, especially in their closing statements that really make the purpose not only of this film known, but they research and conclude a fair assessment on the world of art. I found Hamm's final speech to be very powerful stuff. And though I am someone who finds all different kinds of things interesting I would never call myself an artsy type person. That is where I have to figure out the line between real art and simple vulgarity or being shocking for shocks sake. I find this an interesting topic and so the conflict in the courtroom only heightened the introspective looks into Ginsbergs mind through the small clips of interviews I mentioned earlier. There is a difference between being odd and being clever. Ginsburgs poem was certainly taken both ways. I can in no way judge the poem for I have no context for it and did not get a clear, one-through reading of it. Instead I was treated to Franco reading it to to the images his words provoked through animation. The animation was nicely done and looked similiar to the sequence David Yates used in the latest "Harry Potter" film. I found it certainly an interesting way to convey the point of these very abstract words that were put together, but it didn't flow with the rest of the movie as well as I would have hoped. Overall still, I found the film to be nothing short of interesting. An odd, probably common tale of a homosexual poet trying to let his voice be heard, but intersting non the less. and 'HOWL' has certainly made some type of impact on the literary world or I would not be writing or thinking about it now. I will not let that fact slip my mind, I realize the importance of the work, even if the controversey around it made it a bigger deal than it ever should have been.

• Mike T

  
  Howl is constructed in an exciting, unique and effective way. Focused on the content of Ginsberg's brilliant poem rather than on the obscenity trials, it is evocative of a time and place. Interlaced with animated sequences, black-and-white footage, and recreations of interviews… More
  Howl is constructed in an exciting, unique and effective way. Focused on the content of Ginsberg's brilliant poem rather than on the obscenity trials, it is evocative of a time and place. Interlaced with animated sequences, black-and-white footage, and recreations of interviews with Ginsberg, this is a wildly executed piece. It manages to make a statement about the dangers of censorship, but it doesn't feel deliberate or forceful with its message. Underrated.

• Robert F

  
  Forth worst film of 2011.

• Sarah P

  
  This was enjoyable as a one-time deal. It was interesting, but it's not something you would go back to.

• Jason R

  
  James Franco keeps churning out great performances and this may be his best role yet! The movie is all over the place but Ginsberg's poetry is so good and the animated sequences that play along as the poems are read just make for one very interesting movie. This isn't gonna… More
  James Franco keeps churning out great performances and this may be his best role yet! The movie is all over the place but Ginsberg's poetry is so good and the animated sequences that play along as the poems are read just make for one very interesting movie. This isn't gonna be everyone's cup of tea, but people should at least take a little sip and see what they think because it is absolutely worth the trip.

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