Howl

El Biffo

Franco channels Ginsberg amazingly. Very moving, however, I felt that the animation sequences detract from the power of Ginsberg's words. I closed my eyes during the animated sequences, and my mind produced images more profound and profane than the ones in the animation. I can get this same effect by reading Ginsberg's poetry and letting my mind make the pictures. Filming poetry is trickier than adapting a novel..

smndvdcl

Wherever you stand on Ginsberg, whatever you think of Epstein's direction, however the film utilises sight/sound to convey this case, the significance of this true story regarding freedom of expression illustrates the ideological divide between conservative censorship wishing to ban certain speech, and the liberal whose emphasis on an open playing field (as long as mutual human rights are upheld) is profound.

analeorne

amazingly beautiful. Not only a great interpretation of Ginsberg's most well-known poem, the animation brings new life to one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century. James Franco's reading of Howl is flawless and if you're not already a fan of Beat poetry, you''ll at least become more curious about it.

Zac Weber

The mixture of media is engaging, even if the animation underwhelms at times. Franco is wonderful as the young Allen Ginsberg...

Ethan

It plays like a re-enacted documentary giving great insight inside the writer's mind and a great argument for art and why it shouldn't be censored or silenced.

Miasma

Just think about how much more impactful the poetry would be if we just sat in a room and watched a man read them instead of watching these childish music videos.

Christopher M. Jones

Stick with it-it takes some time to find its footing but the latter half is a confident, stirring snapshot of a very important moment in American art history. And of course it goes without saying that Franco delivers a fantastic performance.

Fernando Nikolić

Disappointed. The court room scenes are unnecessary and, together with the boring animation breaks and tiring effort to make reading poetry interesting in film, made me lose interest pretty quick. But I liked Franco as Ginsberg, and found some of the monologue interesting and well played. The photography and post-prod are also appreciated, but does not offer anything original. These 90 minutes felt like forever