Review of Howl (2010) by Fran C — 11 Apr 2011
It's commendable that James Franco was prepared to play the challenging role of Allen Ginsberg and to use his showbiz clout to help get the film made. His performance is top notch, particularly in the jazz cafe poetry reading scenes, in which he delivers the titular 1955 poem with great range and charisma.
The scenes depicting a 1957 interview and the obscenity trial that made him famous are also convincing and believable. However, I felt the decision to illustrate the poetic reading with frequent animated sequences detracted from rather than added to the film's appeal.
The animations were skilfully executed, but they left me wanting more of the courtroom and cafe scenes, in which the viewer's imagination is perfectly capable of following the narrative flights of Howl.
This review of Howl (2010) was written by Fran C on 11 Apr 2011.
Howl has generally received positive reviews.
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