Bill Lee si ritrova a seguire la moglie nella dipendenza dalla polvere che usa per sterminare gli insetti. Dopo averla uccisa accidentalmente, precipita in un'esistenza allucinata in cui si immagina come un agente segreto, per conto di bizzarre creature. Incanala la sua energia nello scrivere rapporti sulla sua missione, mentre cerca di interrompere la sua dipendenza. Più che una versione del romanzo di Burroghs, il film riflette aspetti della vita dell'autore nelle fasi di scrittura del libro.

Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs: oggi questi nomi sono diventati icone, pietre di paragone per un movimento che ha riscritto le regole della letteratura americana, gettato le basi per cambiamenti sismici nella cultura popolare. Ma cosa erano prima della gloria? Erano dei ragazzi. Nel 1944, Allen Ginsberg era una nervosa e puritana matricola alla Columbia University. Jack Kerouac era uno slavato universitario tornato agli studi dopo aver resistito otto giorni in Marina. William S. Burroughs aveva abbandonato la facoltà di medicina e stava diventando un giovane tossicodipendente, sopravvivendo ai margini della scena bohemienne newyorkese.

Big Sur is a film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac autobiographical novel of the same name.

An exploration of the relationship between Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and Cassady's wife, Carolyn.

An exploration of Burroughs’ life story, as told by Burroughs himself along with many of his contemporaries, including Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Francis Bacon, Herbert Huncke, Patti Smith, Terry Southern, and William Burroughs Jr.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fernanda Pivano ha poco piú di vent'anni quando viene incarcerata dai nazisti per aver tradotto Addio alle armi. Appena finita la guerra Ernest Hemingway la invita a Cortina e poi in America. Comincia cosi' una lunga vita di passione e tensione letteraria: dopo Hemingway Fernanda Pivano, scopre e traduce Kerouac, Corso, Ferlinghetti, Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg. Una vita consumata in quasi sessanta anni di viaggi, tra incontri, furiose giornate di lavoro accanto ai "mostri" della letteratura americana e notti scriteriate, tra Parigi, New York, San Francisco, Calcutta. L'ultimo viaggio di Fernanda che torna in America a ritrovare i suoi amici e i suoi luoghi. Molti, come Ginsberg, Kerouac e come Ernest Hemingway, di cui lei visita la tomba per la prima volta, non ci sono piu', qualcuno ha resistito come Lawrence Ferlinghetti, qualcuno si e' aggiunto come Jay McInerney, Barry Gifford, Bret Easton Ellis, scrittori delle nuove generazioni per cui Fernanda e' diventata un mito.

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.

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.