Bill Lee arbejder med at udrydde skadedyr og kryb. Om dagen bruger han insektgiften til at dræbe kakerlakker, og om aftenen indtager han samme gift sammen med sin kone for at blive høj. I en vanvittig ulykke kommer Lee til at skyde sin kone i hovedet, hvilket får ham til at dykke lige ned i en verden af stoffer, paranoia og hallucinationer. Konstant forfulgt af spioner, skrivemaskiner og kæmpeinsekter jager Lee rundt efter svaret på sin egen gåde.
Året er 1944 og Allen Ginsberg er netop startet på universitetet. Her møder han de ligesindede William Burroughs og Jack Kerouac, der som Allen afskyr samfundets konformitet. For de tre handler det om at tænke anderledes og provokere. Utilfredse med de ortodokse holdninger skolen, finder Allan sig tiltrukket af ikonoklastiske kolleger som Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs og Jack Kerouac. Tilsammen vil denne bande udforske dristige nye litterære ideer, der ville udfordre følelser i deres tid som fremtidens generationen. Da en medstuderende findes myrdet kommer gruppen i politiets søgelys og efterforskningen får stor indflydelse på de unge kunstneres liv.
An exploration of the relationship between Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and Cassady's wife, Carolyn.
En fortælling om Jack Kerouacs tre ophold i et sommerhus i Big Sur, der ejes af hans ven, digteren Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Den amerikanske beat-forfatter William S. Burroughs var ikke specielt amerikansk, ikke særlig 'beat' og faktisk heller ikke så meget forfatter. For omflakkende, for militant og med et maskinelt mediesyn var han snarere en slags katalysator for de idéer og teorier, der - spredt over alt fra romaner og båndoptagelser til filmprojekter - udgør hans samlede værk. I 2014 ville han være fyldt 100, og det blev fejret med en restaurering af denne ultimative film om manden som mente, at sproget var en virus fra det ydre rum, og som med sine tværmediale cut up-teknikker gjorde alt, hvad han kunne for at underminere det.
Based on an incident in the life of Beat icon Neal Cassady and his wife, the painter Carolyn, the film tells the story of a railway brakeman whose wife invites a respected bishop over for dinner. However, the brakeman's Bohemian friends crash the party, with comic results. Pull My Daisy is a film that typifies the Beat Generation. Directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, Daisy was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, Beat Generation; Kerouac also provided improvised narration.
Part documentary, part drama, this film presents the life and work of Jack Kerouac, an American writer with Québec roots who became one of the most important spokesmen for his generation. Intercut with archival footage, photographs and interviews, this film takes apart the heroic myth and even returns to the childhood of the author whose life and work contributed greatly to the cultural, sexual and social revolution of the 1960s.
A new documentary, exploring the Chelsea Hotel's role in the cultural and artistic movements of the 20th century, from the Beat Generation to the Punk Rock scene. Delving into the history of the hotel, as a home and gathering place for some of the most influential artists and cultural icons of the past century, including Mark Twain, Arthur Miller, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, Madonna and a possible spirit or two. Including historical footage of some of the residents and regulars who made the glorious Chelsea Hotel so legendary.
A 1968 collaboration between jazz musician Daniel Humair and beat author William S. Burroughs that recuts and reinterprets the 1922 silent film "Haxan" with a Burroughs' dark and wryly comic tone. Essentially the first "remix" film.
Ninety-year-old sound artist and comedian Henry “Sandy” Jacobs lives a quirky existence at the end of Sunnyside Drive, a steep and winding dirt road washed by fog from the Pacific Ocean. Sixty feet down the hill lives his eccentric 84-year-old friend and neighbor, architect and former Frank Lloyd Wright collaborator Daniel Liebermann. These extraordinary old men, influential artists in the 1950s and ’60s, continue, each in their own way, to search the world for perfection. Sunnyside takes us to an extraordinary place, a microcosm with its own distinctive rhythm and remarkable inhabitants. It is a film about creativity, the capacity to dream and, ultimately, the transience of life.
After World War II a group of young writers, outsiders and friends who were disillusioned by the pursuit of the American dream met in New York City. Associated through mutual friendships, these cultural dissidents looked for new ways and means to express themselves. Soon their writings found an audience and the American media took notice, dubbing them the Beat Generation. Members of this group included writers Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg. a trinity that would ultimately influence the works of others during that era, including the "hippie" movement of the '60s. In this 55-minute video narrated by Allen Ginsberg, members of the Beat Generation (including the aforementioned Burroughs, Anne Waldman, Peter Orlovsky, Amiri Baraka, Diane Di Prima, and Timothy Leary) are reunited at Naropa University in Boulder, CO during the late 1970's to share their works and influence a new generation of young American bohemians.
San Francisco's North Beach in the 50's - A mix of jazz, poetry and art - The Beach recreates the atmosphere that prevailed through first-hand accounts from the actual "players" along with photographs and artwork from that vibrant time.
Jack Kerouac's life is examined through interviews with his contemporaries and friends including Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William S. Burroughs. The film also employs dramatic recreations of Kerouac's life beginning with his early childhood.