Howl Review

--Crew--
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman as Director/Scriptwriter

--Cast--
James Franco as Allen Ginsberg
Jon Hamm as Jake Erlich

--Review--

In 1956, City Lights Booksellers & Publishers co-founder Lawerence Ferlinghetti published Allen Ginsberg's “Howl and other poems,” nearly half a century later the film “Howl” arrives to depict the life of the poet and the landmark poem's infamy. Traditionally documentary filmmakers, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman find themselves in both the director's chair and the script writer's for this fictional account of the real life poet.

With “Howl” the filmmakers have created a espresso blend of documentary movie making with an amazing cast featuring James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn and Jeff Daniels.

The film is divided into two distinct settings. There's Ginsberg's life in early and late 1950's and the obscenity trial Lawerence Ferlinghetti was involved in because of the publication of Ginsberg poetry. What the audience gets to see of Ginsberg life is regulated to in-character narratives by James Franco. Ginsberg recounts his experiences like he was being interviewed and indeed, a one point in the film an off screen interviewer presses Ginsberg for more information. Virtually all the screen time with Franco as Ginsberg is with the character's reflection of past events. He's talking to the audience members about himself in the way a documentary film would present an interview of a person.

As Allen Ginsberg, actor James Franco adopts a cadence unlike his own, elongating particular words, then condensing them, afterwards speeding up his delivery at the mercy of his vision of Ginsberg. Franco plays the poet with a certain shyness, almost near romanticism of what the perceived genius may or may not have been like. Yet, there isn't any range in Franco's feelings, much of what he does with his performance is with dialogue and brightly colored flannel shirts. Underneath the rim of 1950's eye wear, a frustrated James Franco must be seething at the impossibility of duplicating Ginsberg with the limited vision of the script. This Ginsberg doesn't do anything but talk, this Ginsberg isn't experiencing life.

Franco's readings of “Howl” are accompanied by animated segments which are intended provide the poem's meaning. Filmmakers Epstein and Friedman present a psychedelic vision of alien-like humans within Ginsberg's poem, forcing the audience towards a passive interpretation of Ginsberg's work, thus, allowing the filmmakers complete control over the poem's meanings. The value of poetry is attaching individual interpretation, losing that invaluable dialogue with the poem renders Ginsberg's “Howl” a manufactured disappointment. Although beautiful in execution, the animated segments feel unevenly alien, as it should, “Howl” isn't about aliens.

The film's retelling of the real life 1957 obscenity trail involving “Howl” publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti is much more satisfying than an average court room drama. The Ferlinghetti character has no lines in the movie whatsoever, leaving his defense attorney Jake Ehrlich (Jon Hamm) the sole proponent for the “Howl” poem. Hamm plays Ehrlich so smoothly, the audience comes inches away from purchasing a pack of Lucky Strikes.

The performance is intense, Hamm interrogates his witnesses, pushes them with great believability. These courtroom scenes live by Hamm's performance alone. Whereas Franco is restricted to mere recitals of Ginsberg's thoughts, Hamm has complete control of his character's actions. The throughly authentic discussion of the poem within the courtroom setting should remind viewers “Howl” is not only a significant literary poem but it's also the subject of a landmark First Amendment case.

Epstein and Friedman took a marvelous chance in creating a film based on the life of Allen Ginsberg. Though the film is enjoyable to watch the execution is thoroughly uneven, “Howl” is difficult to recommend. Not every audience member can sit through what amounts to be an experimental film depicting the life of Allen Ginsberg. A standard documentary on his life would do far better in capturing the poet's life. Casting James Franco as Ginsberg isn't necessary when the script doesn't feature emotionally gripping scenes for a strong actor to portray. Franco has nothing to do here. It's a story without an emotional drive. The film makes clear the greatness of Ginsberg poem, but the movie doesn't answer “Who was this man?”

In the end, the “Howl” film lacks the intensity, humanity and creativity of the poem that inspired it. Epstein and Friedman appear to be so out of touch with the reality of Ginsberg's “Howl” that they've disfigured the poem and the artist into mere caricatures. And yet, no other piece of media has been so informative about Allen Ginsberg in such an encapsulating fashion. The film serves as biography, literary criticism and memorial to Ginsberg and his work.

The saddest part of “Howl” is that it stands as one of the few pieces of media to immortalize Ginsberg – and that my friends is letting one of the best minds of an entire generation disappear without a good fight.