Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in 1997. Three actors provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, their arrival into American consciousness, their travels, frequent parodies, Kerouac's death, and Ginsberg's politicization. Their movement connects with bebop, John Cage's music, abstract expressionism, and living theater. In recent interviews, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, Ferlinghetti, Mailer, Jerry Garcia, Tom Hayden, Gary Snyder, Ed Sanders, and others measure the Beats' meaning and impact.
Acting
Depp, Hopper, Turturro embody the poets' chaotic spirits.
Editing
Seamless weave of drama, archive, and testimony.
Sound
Bebop and Cage collide with spoken word poetry.
Director
Chuck Workman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chuck Workman is best known for his Oscar-winning short 'Precious Images' — this was his rare feature-length deep dive.
Released in 1999, the film marks the exact moment Beat culture shifted from living memory to sealed history — every major figure interviewed is now dead.
US
