Beat Generation
Films relating to the Beat Generation.
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- DirectorCharles F. HaasStarsSteve CochranMamie Van DorenRay DantonA detective is assigned to track down and capture a crazed serial rapist.
- DirectorRobert FrankAlfred LeslieStarsJack KerouacAllen GinsbergGregory CorsoA married couple vainly hopes that their irreverent beat poet friends will behave themselves when the bishop comes to visit.
- DirectorRanald MacDougallStarsLeslie CaronGeorge PeppardJanice RuleA love story between two misunderstood new bohemians who don't even understand themselves.
- DirectorAntony BalchStarsAntony BalchWilliam S. BurroughsDavid JacobsDramatizations, cut ups, and psychological experimentation based on the works of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin.
- DirectorAntony BalchStarsWilliam S. BurroughsA bizarre silent short film showing author William S. Burroughs negotiating to buy a parrot.
- DirectorPeter WhiteheadStarsLawrence FerlinghettiMichael HorovitzGregory CorsoA short film documenting what was referred to as "The International Poetry Incarnation". It was billed as Great Britain's first full-scale "happening", with the world's leading Beat poets together under one roof at the Royal Albert Hall on June 11, 1965, for an evening of near-hallucinatory revelry. It came to be seen as one of the cultural high points of the Swinging Sixties.
- DirectorAntony BalchStarsWilliam S. BurroughsBrion GysinThe savage deconstruction of the relationship between image and reality. "Yes, Hello?", "Look at that picture," "Does it seem to be persisting?", "Good. Thank you".
- DirectorConrad RooksStarsConrad RooksJean-Louis BarraultWilliam S. BurroughsSemi-autobiographical story of Conrad Rooks, who travels to France to undergo a drug-withdrawal cure. Flashbacks to the beginings of psychedelia in San Fran.
- DirectorRobert FrankStarsJulius OrlovskyPeter OrlovskyJohn CoeJulius Orlovsky, after spending years in a New York mental hospital, emerges catatonic and must rely on his brother Peter, who lives with poet Allen Ginsberg. When Julius wanders off in the middle of filming, Frank hires and actor (Joseph Chaikin) to play the character and begins a fictional version of his psychological portrait. Then, as suddenly as he vanished, Julius turns up in an institution where he and Peter must face their relationship.
- DirectorJohn ByrumStarsNick NolteSissy SpacekJohn HeardThe life and friendship among the icons of the Beat Generation: Neal Cassady, Carolyn Cassady, and Jack Kerouac.
- DirectorHoward BrooknerStarsWilliam S. Burroughs Jr.Mortimer BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsDocumentary on the life of William S. Burroughs.
- DirectorJohn AntonelliStarsPeter CoyoteJack CoulterCindy AlwanJack Kerouac was a Beat Generation writer who took the nation by storm upon the publication of his novel On the Road. Kerouac's legacy and influence are explained via interviews with Kerouac's friends and contemporaries such as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, and Edie Parker. Narrator Peter Coyote reads sections of Kerouac's (mostly autobiographical) books as an actor recreates scenes from Kerouac's life.
- DirectorRichard LernerLewis MacAdamsStarsGregory CorsoJan KerouacHerbert HunckeDocumentary explore the unfulfilled promise of Beat Generation icon Jack Kerouac, covering the period from the publication of his notorious novel On the Road in 1957 to his alcohol-related death 12 years later.
- DirectorJanet FormanStarsSteve AllenDavid AmramAmiri BarakaAn investigation of the Beat Generation.
- DirectorHerménégilde ChiassonStarsJack LangedijkAlbert BelzileMance EdmondA look at the life and work of Jack Kerouac.
- DirectorRobert WilsonStarsJan Moritz SteffenHeinz VossbrinkSusanne EisenkolbInspired by the German folktale "Der Freischütz". Wilhelm, a file clerk, falls in love with a huntsman's daughter. In order to marry, Wilhelm must prove his worth as a hunter and gain her father's approval.
- DirectorKlaus MaeckStarsWilliam S. BurroughsJürgen PloogAn hour-long interview with author William S. Burroughs in which he expounds on American culture, art and morals.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsWilliam S. BurroughsAn indictment ballad of all the different political groups in America.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsPeter WellerJudy DavisIan HolmAfter developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.
- DirectorNick DonkinMelodie McDanielStarsWilliam S. BurroughsSusan AshlineDayton BardBurroughs takes down a book and reads us the story of Danny the Carwiper, who spends Christmas Day trying to score a fix, but finds the Christmas spirit instead.
- 1985– 1h 22mTV-147.2 (286)TV Episode59MetascoreDirectorJerry AronsonStarsJoan BaezWilliam F. BuckleyWilliam S. BurroughsThe life and work of Allen Ginsberg, the greatest of the Beat Generation poets is put in focus in this film
- DirectorPhilip HuntStarsWilliam S. BurroughsA disturbingly organic-looking figure speaks to us of life, politics and death as the symbol of the common man toils away.
- DirectorGyula GazdagStarsGregory CorsoIstván EörsiAllen GinsbergTwo writers from the opposite ends of the world share a meeting of the minds. Hungarian poet and translator István Eörsi journeys to New York City to meet literary legend Allen Ginsberg. Shot just two years before Ginsberg's death, the film follows the pair as they revisit some of the beat poet's old haunts and meet his friends Peter Orlovsky, Gregory Corso and Jonas Mekas.
- DirectorStephen KayStarsThomas JaneKeanu ReevesAdrien BrodyIn 1946 Denver, an aspiring writer who enjoys irresponsible adventures with his friend writes a letter about his life before and after the suicide attempt by his sad, commitment-seeking girlfriend.
- DirectorDavid StewartStarsJohn SuiterMaxine FranklinTom Clark
- DirectorChuck WorkmanStarsJohnny DeppJohn TurturroDennis HopperTraces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S.
- DirectorGary WalkowStarsCourtney LoveKiefer SutherlandLisa SheridanTwo murders that shaped the lives of several college students who went on to become some of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation.
- DirectorJeff LyonStarsRandall SimsChristopher LapishNoelle ManuelMitch is an eighth year college senior. He has changed majors several times to avoid going out into the real world. Dwight is Mitch's roommate, also in his eighth year. Dwight enjoys hanging out and has no real inclination to do anything. Lisa is a fourth year senior and the object of Mitch's affection. When Lisa gives Mitch a copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Mitch's life takes a definite turn. Mitch decides to become a beatnik, hitchhike to New York, talk with Kerouac and write the Next Great American Novel. Dwight and Lisa both decide to join him on his quest but their journey is flawed from the onset. The trio travels by car, train, bus and on foot learning valuable life lessons along the way.
- DirectorMichael BockmanStarsBilly ZaneAlex A. QuinnLeslie LewisThe story focuses on the lives of a group Beat Generation artists.
- DirectorRandy AllredStarsVincent BalestriFrank TabbitaLisa NiemiThe angelic spirit of writer Jack Kerouac returns to Earth to change the life of a writer.
- DirectorKaren KramerStarsEdward AlbeeWoody AllenMaya AngelouInterweaving past and present to tell the story of the artists and free-thinkers who flocked to New York's Greenwich Village and helped change the political and artistic course of America.
- DirectorMarco MüllerStarsDiego ReiwaldLawrence FerlinghettiAmiri BarakaA history of American counterculture covering 1950s Bebop, the Beat Generation, the Summer of Love, and the origin of Hip-Hop.
- DirectorNoah BuschelStarsTate DonovanAmy RyanGlenn FitzgeraldThe story of what happened to Neal Cassady after Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" came out. Deals primarily with Neal's relationship to his fictional alter-ego, Dean Moriarty.
- DirectorMaria BeattyStarsWilliam S. BurroughsJim CarrollGregory CorsoMaria Beatty's documentary exploring the insights and influences of the American Beat Poets. The film conveys their consciousness and sensibility through interviews with William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Diane Di Prima, among others. Also weaves in additional commentary from contemporary musicians, poets and writers such as Marianne Faithfull, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch and Henry Rollins. Also expands upon how the poets reached new levels of creativity and inspired social change.
- DirectorCasey BernerStarsDavid BernerBrad HolleyKerouac's "On the Road" fuels two mid-life travelers through a 4000 mile journey of reflection, contemplation, and rediscovery. The documentary captures this through the spirit of Kerouac's travels.
- DirectorCurt WordenStarsDavid AmramErik BauersfeldCarolyn CassadyJack Kerouac escapes from post "On The Road" fame to his dream of an isolated retreat in a cabin at Big Sur, where he searches for inner peace. His road comes full circle with this self-exploration, resulting in an alcohol-fueled paranoia and a plunge into madness.
- DirectorEd BuhrStarsJohn FleckStephen TwardokusNick NivenAt once wryly comedic travelogue and heartbreaking tale of love lost, THE JAPANESE SANDMAN is a visual interpretation of a letter William Burroughs' wrote to Allen Ginsberg in 1953, recounting his travels in Central America. Told through Burroughs' wickedly incisive voice, cocaine snorting in Panama and post-prom hand-jobs in 1931 St. Louis become a meditation on loss, memory and the human condition.
- DirectorChristopher FelverStarsLawrence FerlinghettiAllen GinsbergDennis HopperThe poet and painter, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is among the world's living monuments to arts and letters. For well over a half century, Ferlinghetti helped shape the currents of poetry and literature with his forceful engagement with society and an ideological position that often found him at odds with the political currents of his day. Ferlinghetti's quiet, behind the scenes demeanor and disarming mien may have assuaged, or even fooled, certain opponents, while in reality he was a literary mercenary, a rebel at the forefront of our own cultural revolution.
- DirectorGustave ReiningerStarsGregory CorsoAllen GinsbergWilliam S. BurroughsFollowing Beat Poet Gregory Corso - literary compatriot of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs -- throughout Europe, discovering his past, and facing his death.
- DirectorYony LeyserStarsFred AldrichLaurie AndersonAmiri BarakaWilliam S. Burroughs: featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues. Born the heir of the Burroughs' adding machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems, and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer testified on behalf of the book. The courts eventually overturned their decision in 1966, ruling that the book had an important social value. It remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century. William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time. "William S. Burroughs: A Man Within" is the first and only posthumous documentary about this legendary figure.
- DirectorAlan O'HashiStarsJohn Allen CassadyJake MartinSarah L. ScottJack Kerouac's "On the Road" is a classic American literature work. Kerouac writes about his experiences in Cheyenne, Wyoming during "Wild West Days" on his way to Denver. "The stars seemed to get brighter the more we climbed the High Plains. We were in Wyoming now. ... As the truck reached the outskirts of Cheyenne we saw the high red lights of the local radio station, and suddenly we were bucking through a great crowd of people that poured along both sidewalks. 'Hell's bells, it's Wild West Week,' said Slim." That's how Kerouac described the outskirts of Cheyenne in July 1947 from the back of a pick up truck traveling from Nebraska, probably on the Lincoln Highway. After his crazy night in Cheyenne, Kerouac (Sal Paradise) hitchhikes to Denver to meet some rowdy, free-living friends waiting out the post World War II slump in the Mile High City. His pals include a Columbia classmate named Allen Ginsberg (Carlo Marx) and Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty). "On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne" documents a coming of age theme spanning three generations of "beats". The movie melds historic literature, still images and interviews with next "beat" generation members, including John Allen Cassady, son of Neal Cassady, who reads the part of Sal Paradise and juxtaposes them with 2009 video of Cheyenne Frontier Days and interviews of "beat" literature students from New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado. The project is a documentary, educational and non-commercial.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsJames FrancoTodd RotondiJon PrescottAs 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.
- DirectorMalin KorkeasaloMaria RamströmStarsCarolyn CassadyJohn McWhinnieJohn Allen CassadyDocumentary about Carolyn Cassady, her life and marriage to Neal Cassady, her relationship with Jack Kerouac and how she takes care of the literary legacy from both.
- DirectorWalter SallesStarsSam RileyGarrett HedlundKristen StewartYoung writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou. As they travel across the country, they encounter a mix of people who each impact their journey indelibly.
- DirectorMichael PolishStarsJean-Marc BarrKate BosworthJosh LucasA recounting of Jack Kerouac's three sojourns to the cabin in Big Sur owned by his friend, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
- DirectorJohn KrokidasStarsDaniel RadcliffeDane DeHaanMichael C. HallA murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs.