Johnny Depp, Dennis Hopper, John Turturro

This documentary is a treat, a look at the beat writers that benefits not only from a wealth of vital source information, including interviews with major figures, but also from an abundance of intelli...( read more  read more... )gence and wit. Interspersed with clips of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William S.  Burroughs are brilliant montages of clips that set the beats in the context of their times. The story of how the beats rebelled against American conformity in the 1950s is well known, of course, but this documentary manages to find fresh ways to relate their views on life and writing. Segments in which Johnny Depp, John Turturro, and Dennis Hopper portray, respectively, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs may strike some as extraneous, but the good performances redeem their inclusion in the film. As befits the documentary's title, The Source devotes considerable attention to the influence of the beats, and interviews with such notables as Ken Kesey, Jerry Garcia, and Philip Glass, performance clips of Bob Dylan, and news footage from the 1960s establish how the sensibility of the writers trickled into all of society. This is not only a fine introduction to the beats, but those who already revere them will find the profusion of material contained it to be a delight. --Robert J. McNamara

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67% liked it

5,750 ratings

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86% liked it

14 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Chuck Workman

Release Date: August 25, 1999

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DVD Release Date: July 5, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (156)


  • December 27, 2009
    People tend to underestimate Turturros brilliant take on Howl.
  • July 16, 2009
    having an obsession to bat movement and writers, i of course enjoyed this a great deal. recommended for anyone interested in the beats, an interesting documentary with great performances from johnny depp as jack kerouac, dennis hopper as william burroughs and john turturro as all...( read more)en ginsberg, my favourite beat.
  • April 18, 2009
    How did I miss this?
  • January 3, 2009
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • August 30, 2008
    Looks boring. I did the same thing with this as L.A. Without A Map. I only watched the Johnny parts. I have the same thing to say here too. I would've skipped the rest anyways. =P
  • August 1, 2008
    As someone who could be considered a descendent of the Beat Generation, (in attitude and spirit) this was a very informative and interesting movie. I learned so much more about the movement and the evolution of it.
    5 outta 5, inspiring
  • May 24, 2008
    Johnny reciting poetry is just perfect!
  • March 9, 2008
    dont know what its about but ill give it a try
  • December 12, 2007
    Can't say I've heard of this 'un either...

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  • "We're in the middle of the desert looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a 150 year-old cave drawing of a battleship. I was wondering when we were going to sit down and re-evaluate our decision making paradigm." An exasperated character in which desert-set film?  Answer »
  • Alyssa Milano gets married to a mean and powerfull creater, but threw out the years gets divorced and remarries a nice and loveing creater. What two creaters did she marrie?  Answer »
  • What film is this quote from: "We don't know who struck first, us or them. But we do know it was us that scorched the sky. At the time, they were dependent on solar power. It was believed they would be unable to survive without an energy source as abundant as the sun."  Answer »
  • In which movie was this said: "We don't know who struck first, us or them. But we do know it was us that scorched the sky. At the time, they were dependent on solar power. It was believed they would be unable to survive without an energy source as abundant as the sun."  Answer »

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