I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical…

For those of you who haven’t heard about this-the film “Howl”, starring actor James Franco, is currently touring the country. Unfortunately, not in our area but it will be available on DVD early next year. It’s also available via Netflix.

Synopsis (courtesy of oscilloscope.net):

James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation. In his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style, Ginsberg recounts the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem HOWL.

Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, HOWL is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn) sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while suave defense attorney Jake Ehrlich (Hamm) argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the passionate as a host of unusual witnesses (Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams, Alesssandro Nivola) pit generation against generation and art against fear in front of conservative Judge Clayton Horn (Bob Balaban).

HOWL is simultaneously a portrait of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption and an imaginative ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation and was heard around the world.

Ginsberg (1926-1997) was a renowned poet, leading figure of the Beat Generation and was involved in many political and social justice activities.

More biographical information on Allen Ginsberg