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HOWL Send This Review to a Friend
Capturing poetry and the passion of its creators on screen is a difficult, perhaps almost impossible, task. The strength of “Howl,” an effort to recreate the aura of Allen Ginsberg’s burst onto the creative scene with his free-form poem “Howl” that gained him recognition and a following, lies in the skill of the lead performance, the atmosphere provided to recall the 1950s, and the general tone of the film. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who wrote and directed, have brought the era alive.
Special credit goes to James Franco for his portrayal of Ginsberg. He imbues the late poet with a sense of urgency to communicate his feelings about life and the world. There is also credibility in his defiance of convention, and a scene in which he unfurls “Howl” to a gathering of supporters communicates the electricity of the poem itself and the interaction between Ginsberg and his admirers.
The context is also vital. The film dramatizes the obscenity trial that occurred in 1957 when charges were brought against poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and his City Lights Publishers for publishing Ginsberg’s work. There is drama in the courtroom, but the filmmakers make no attempt to pump up the atmosphere. The result is a relatively muted but absurd situation as the prosecutor, played skillfully by David Strathairn, attempts to reduce the language and artistry to mere obscenity and expert witnesses weigh in. Bob Balaban does well as the serious judge who ultimately rules in favor of free expression.
One big assist is the use of animation to give visual force to the imagery conjured up by Ginsberg’s words. This helps to create cinematic parallels and interpretations that bring the spoken words to life in the totally different medium. Listening is fine, but cinema needs more and the animation was a creative method of accomplishing this.
Inherent in “Howl” is Ginsberg’s early cry for homosexual legitimacy, as well as his other rebellious views meant to shake up established attitudes. The film succeeds in giving us a sense of what it was like for Ginsberg to unleash his feelings and creativity in that particular period. An Oscilloscope Laboratories reealse.
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