A truly exciting project that’s quickly taking shape in Hollywood is the Allen Ginsberg biopic entitled HOWL. With James Franco already slated to play the titular beatnik poet, his recently announced supporting cast is as strong as they come. David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker and Paul Rudd have all signed on to help tell the 1950’s-era tale of the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg’s groundbreaking book-length poem entitled, oddly enough, “Howl”.
Among the real-life characters featured in the film are prosecuting attorney Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn), Judge Clayton Horn (Alda), prosecution witness Professor David Kirk (Daniels), radio personality and prosecution witness Gail Potter (Parker) and literary critic and defense witness Luther Nichols (Rudd).
I’ve listened to portions of “Howl” recited by Ginsberg as a man possessed, and it’s hard not to be taken by the sheer ferocity of his words, even if their meaning isn’t always clear as day. His poem dealt with censorship, sexuality, religion, and all that good stuff that cinephiles love so much. If directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman can somehow get a handle on this larger-than-life material and that pedigreed cast, then we could all be in for a real treat.
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