Telling Pictures

A renegade artist breaking down barriers in search of love and r edemption.... an hallucinogenic ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation.... a work of art put on trial for obscenity.... HOWL tells the unlikely story of a poem that sparked the counter-culture.

James Franco is uncanny as he channels the young Allen Ginsberg in this unconventional mash-up of poetry, politics, dreams and desire. Also featuring David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams, Alessandro Nivola, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeff Daniels. Animation designed by Ginsberg collaborator Eric Drooker (Illuminated Poems). 

"Not quite a biopic, not really a documentary and only loosely an adaptation, HOWL does something that sounds simple until you consider how rarely it occurs in films of any kind. It takes a familiar, celebrated piece of writing and makes it come alive."
- A.O.Scot, NY Times

"Moments of soaring brilliance, with an elegant performance by James Franco as Ginsberg that should redefine his career."
- Betsy Sharkey, LA Times

"A great film. Franco disappears into Ginsberg's sexy earthiness."
- Jennie Yabroff, Newsweek 

“Stimulating and at times exhilarating to watch…”
- Bruce Handy, Vanity Fair

“HOWL combines dramatization and documentary images so fluidly that one experiences what may be a new form.”
- Steven Watson, Artforum

“A frenetic charged piece of cinematic poetry.”
- Nick Haramis, Black Book

"HOWL is a marvellously entertaining film, crashing through time periods, genres, film stocks and animation with absolute confidence.... a bold, inspiring piece of work, putting experimental techniques in the service of a heartfelt, insightful and surprisingly audience-friendly work of art."
- Tom Huddleston, Time Out London 

"HOWL is a gutsy, inventive film about an important moment."
- Marshall Fine, Huffington Post 

“Damned if Franco doesn’t nail the poet’ s winningly bombastic urban-intellectual glee; he’s like a young rabbi letting himself go in the New York beatnik unerground. HOWL isn’t a conventional biopic.”
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

&ldq uo;Franco plays Ginsberg with an electrified fondness.  HOWL plays like poetry in motion.”
- Troy Patterson, Spin Magazine

"An exhilarating experiment that Sundance was built to nurture. Bravo!"
- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"After a movie you usually want to talk about the actors or the direction or the cinema-photography, but when you leave this movie what you want to do is go directly to a bookstore and buy a copy of “Howl” so that you can do some literary interpreting yourself; and then you want to go back and see the movie again (as I did) in the hope that this time you have something of your own to offer. See you there."
- Stanley Fish, NY Times 

Resources for educators:

Literary Criticism Comes to the Movies by Stanley Fish

Sample Study Guide from The Learning Network / New York Times

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Freedom of Expression Award