The Source
The source is a little known yet greatly inspiring documentary. It
chronicles
the beat generation from the 1940's all the way through to present day.
Alan
Ginsberg (now deceased) narrates the film.
The movie shows how the beat generation began not in protest of the
government, but with a group of college kids who wanted to write. As
time
progressed, their writings became more and more controversial, yet at
the
same time they became more and more social outcasts. Eventually,
followers of
the movement became known as hippies, and the sixties brought about the
height of their social vocalization. Through the seventies and in the
nineties, their influence waned, with a new type of beat emerging. The
new
beat generation goes back to the original roots of the movement, with
people
following emotional expression over political expression.
The movie is illustrated by black and white pictures of the beat
writers
as well as television interviews and home videos while voiced over by
Ginsberg. Also included in the film are interviews with not only
Ginsberg,
but of the other surving beat writers, including Gregory Corso, who is
the
most spiteful man ever to have walked the earth. I'm guessing he has
been
that bitter all his life, but his age makes him seem all the more
enjoyable.
On a tangent, the film presents three excellent performances. The
first
is Johnny Depp, who reads from Kerouac while inside a smoke-filled bar.
His
performance is superb, bringing to life the writings of the best known
of the
beat writers. Next is John Toturro as Alan Ginsberg. Toturro does an
exceptional job as Ginsberg, going as far as to jump on fences and
shouting
on basketball courses while reciting passages from "Howl". Last is
Dennis
Hopper, who gives the best performance. Complete with a fedora, Hopper
completely captures the spite and tenacity of William Burroughs while
quoting
from Burroughs' "Naked Lunch" (this portion of the film is set to Sonic
Youth, which is just beautiful).
This film demonstates just how on man (or three men) can change
conventional thinking. Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg didn't conform
like
everyone else, they broke free and wrote how they wanted. They inspired
a
generation and paved way for the many revolutions of the mid to late
20th
century.
---
Stephen Pause
3.29.2000
Dairy Farmers For Quebec's Independence