Howl (2010)

Directed by: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman | 85 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams, David Strathairn, Alessandro Nivola, Bob Balaban, Aaron Tveit, Peter Orlovsky, Allen Ginsberg, Jon Prescott, Sean Patrick Reilly, Todd Rotondi, Alex Emanuel, Cecilia Foss, Andrew Rogers, Heather Klar, Kadance Frank, Joe Toronto, Johary Ramos, Nancy Spence

‘Howl’ is special and above all a highly personal experience. Poetry plays an important role in this film, but the scenario and storyline as the basis for the feature film go much further and deeper. ‘Howl’ is the near-perfect account of the post-war changes in the United States and the rise of the Beat Generation.

Besides the fact that the rendition of the famous poem ‘Howl’ by Allen Ginsberg plays a leading role (and overwhelmingly recited by James Franco – as the interpreter of Allen Ginsberg), the director has convincingly succeeded in defining the subject and thus the film for to appeal to a wide audience.

In 1955, Allen Ginsberg, the representative of the Beat Generation, wrote a long and almost epic poem that was highly acclaimed but considered obscene in more conservative circles. Publisher Lawrence Feringhetti was taken to court and a heavy fine or even jail time was conceivable. The prosecutor (great rendition by David Strathairn) sincerely struggles with the content of the poem that he does not understand. Ginsberg is defended by the writer Jack Kerouac and a lawyer who gives a brilliant argument. Drama and humor ingeniously run through and past each other throughout the story.

In the scenario, three storylines are interwoven in an inspiring way. These jump back and forth in time: the reading of the poem, reenacted interviews with Allen Ginsberg about the service of his poem, and a representation of the lawsuit that was filed over its allegedly obscene content. The texts spoken by Ginsberg are regularly supported by sometimes strongly visual animations.

James Franco (‘127 Hours’) plays Allen Ginsberg in a magnificent way. ‘Howl’ is convincing and intriguing, a must for anyone who loves literature. ‘Howl’ is also very well put together as a feature due to the light-hearted mixture of fierce texts, animation, reading and also humour. A sublime time display. Actively watch, listen and enjoy. A great poem that produces strong cinema.