The Movie Howl by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein - Essay Example

My heart was badly broken, my true love, was gone I wonder why he left, no words were uttered I am at a loss now, what have I done My love where art thou, my world is shattered.   I summon the heavens, please bring him back When I come home, your smile’s not there to greet I see no colors, my life is pitch black My love where art thou, my world’s incomplete.   I miss your loving embrace Your sweet tender kiss is now but a dream I long to behold your angelic face My love where art thou, my world is so dim.   My love come back to me, I beg of you I dare not to live if you bid adieu.   A Reaction Essay: Howl The movie “Howl” was directed by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein  The genre of the movie is drama, animation, and special interest.  The movie stars James Franco as Allen Ginsberg, a young poet whose poem “Howl” broke societal barriers; thus, being tried for public obscenity.  The poem “Howl” is about drugs, sex, mental illness, religion, and homosexuality.   I like the way the film “Howl” was structured in three parts.  First is the dramatization of the court case deciding whether the publication of the poem was obscene or not.  The second is the reenactment of the interviews with Ginsberg reflecting on “Howl” and the trial.  The third part is the animated segments which is the illustration of the poem itself.  I appreciated how the movie was structured.  At first, I thought that it was just a simple biography of Ginsberg but after watching the movie, I realized it was not a biopic but it focused on the poem “Howl”. I find the film entertaining with its crossing of different periods and animation techniques.  I think the animation is quite traditional but very imaginative.  I am impressed with the contrast presented by the monochrome flashbacks against the colorful courtroom scenes.  I admired the interesting courtroom scenes especially since I learned that the dialogue used was derived from the actual courtroom transcripts.  That is important to me because I know that the movie was faithful to facts.  However, I think that the courtroom scenes would have been more meaningful if Ginsberg was present   The movie’s value is in its innovativeness in interspersing courtroom drama with elaborate animation and the rendition of the key moments of Ginsberg’s youth.  I would gladly watch this movie again and recommend it to my friends. Read More