Review: Howl (2010)
July 31st 2010 03:49
Howl (2010, Epstein & Friedman)
Written July 30, 2010
If audiences have failed to realize the formidable actor James Franco has become, they will once Howl lands in a theater near them. I was fortunate enough to see the East Coast premiere of this film and I sat, eyes transfixed, as Franco made himself unrecognizable through simply his voice and his mannerisms. Howl is a biopic that is less about the man and more about his work. This biopic does not follow the structure that normal films of the genre do. In fact, 95% of Franco’s scenes are solitary. The trailer for Howl, although brilliant, also isolates Franco’s scenes to the point that it’s unable to tell if we will witnessing a great performance or an imitation. This thought is erased as soon as Franco appears on the screen and embodies the role for 90 minutes with finesse and not an ounce of insincerity. This is method acting at its finest.
Howl outlines the early period in Allen Ginsberg’s life, focusing on his creation of Howl and the obscenity trial of 1957, which focused on the publication and merit of Howl and Other Poems. Ginsberg tells his story via an interview in his apartment while the obscenity trial is taking place. The film’s script is based upon the dialogue of Ginsberg’s interview, the courtroom manuscripts and Ginsberg’s own book of illustrated poems. Aesthetically, we’re greeted to a combination of black and white, color, and stunning animation. The poem Howl is slowly unveiled through this animation, based around Ginsberg’s own illustrations, as well as Ginsberg’s impassioned reading of the poem in a beatnik pub. The words, filled with fire, fury, and humor all at once make the animation leap off the screen; the colors are stark and beautiful, dark and shadowed one minute, then soaring with vibrant colors the next.
Told in non-linear structure, we bounce from the obscenity trial in which literary critics and scholars are put on the stand to comment on the obscene context, or lack thereof, in Howl. The prosecution attorney, Ralph McIntosh (David Strathairn) is perplexed by the poem. He doesn’t understand it but at the same time, he knows it offends his own moral values. Meanwhile, the Jake Ehrlich’s argument for the defense (Jon Hamm) argument is that if it’s necessary to the poem, if the words provide the function, then why should they not be omitted or censored? The trial was a large stepping stone for First Amendment rights. Ginsberg didn’t appear at the trial; it wasn’t him being persecuted but his publisher. He explains his reasons for the content in his poem; his inspirations. Listening to Ginsberg talk about his views of the world, homosexuality and most of all, his content in the poem is as fascinating as any documentary.
Ginsberg takes us through each of Howl’s four parts. Through flashback we learn of the men responsible for its inception, consisting of Carl Solomon, a man Ginsberg met in a mental institution; his fellow college student Jack Kerouac, of whom he fell in love with; and Neal Cassady, whom he traveled the country with and again, fell hopelessly in love. It’s fascinated to see the scenes with Cassady and Kerouac; to know that Kerouac will end up using the men’s experiences and his friendships with them both as a part of On the Road. Ginsberg also describes his relationship with Peter Orlovsky saying that this man changed everything for him. We see them in a handful of scenes and know they are obviously in love. However, so little time is spent on the men that it is pleasantly surprising to learn at the end that they were together for over 40 years, until Ginsberg’s death. This again showcases why Howl is a unique biopic; we focus more on the artist’s work than his personal life.
Franco’s performance is understated and passionate; he’s immersed himself in this role and you can actually feel his love for his craft in the words he’s speaking. Undoubtedly, Franco studied a significant amount of footage in order to become Ginsberg. Franco’s performance should be a contender for Best Actor during next year’s Award season, without question.
For its 90 minute run-time, Howl never feels too long or tooshort; it tells the story it set out to with little fanfare and all heart. Carter Burwell’s beautifully sparse score accentuates the film’s beauty. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman are no stranger to biopics although they are usually in documentary format; Epstein wrote and directed the brilliant The Times of Harvey Milk and the pair created the gorgeous tribute to homosexuality in cinema; The Celluloid Closet. With Howl, the filmmakers take the audience on a journey that at times feels as though it’s a documentary; when Ginsberg talks to his interviewer, the other individual in the room is never seen. Instead, he is us. Howl is a film that will transport you into the poet’s world he inhabited and also take you through the harsh reality of the poem through surreal and luscious animation.
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