Review of Howl (2010) by Thomas W — 16 Mar 2012

Howl is an interesting adaptation/biopic of poet-Allen Ginsberg's Public Obscenity Trial for his filthy-language-tinged poetry that many found to be too indecent to be read and allowed to be read. James Franco (Milk, tv's General Hospital, Spiderman) plays Ginsberg and is pretty-much the only actor that has a fair amount of screen time in this film as the movie is presented in three different parts: a personal interview with Ginsberg directly at the camera, snippets of the trial with pro-Ginsberg lawyer Jon Hamm (tv's Mad Men, The Town) and anti-Ginsberg lawyer David Strathairn (The River Wild, L.

A. Confidential, Good Night and Good Luck) going at it, and an animated re-telling/visioning of Ginsberg's work. Franco produces a commanding performance here as we have many shots of him forcefully reciting his poetry in a coffee bar.

We are treated to a parade of cameo's in Howl as all appear in the courtroom scenes either supporting or tirading against Ginsbergs work: Mary-Louise Parker (Red, Fried Green Tomotoes, tv's Weeds), Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber, Terms of Endearment), Treat Williams (1941, The Deep End of the Ocean, tv's Everwood) and Alessandro Nivola (Coco Before Chanel, Face/Off, Junebug).

Howl is an interesting piece of film as it comes across as a pseudo-experiment of mediums. I think it works for the most part ... but it is rather short. Perhaps in today's day and age we know that poetry isn't shocking or indecent because NOBODY is really reading it anymore (who has time? -- not that I like this fact, it is just true) and there are easier, more-out-there ways to get attention and shock.

What is neat about Howl (the poem and I guess the movie) is that we make of it what we want to -- what do these words really mean and isn't it us (the individual) who gives it shock and value if we so chose? Otherwise, aren't they just words? This is just a movie; but it is an interesting one.