Howl

"The Obscenity Trial That Started a Revolution. The Poem That Rocked a Generation."

2010 1h 24m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 200

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Howl, the film, recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist, society's reaction (the obscenity trial), and mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself. All three coalesce in a genre-bending hybrid that brilliantly captures a pivotal moment-the birth of a counterculture.

“The Obscenity Trial That Started a Revolution. The Poem That Rocked a Generation.”

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Cast

James Franco
Allen Ginsberg
Todd Rotondi
Jack Kerouac
Jon Prescott
Neal Cassady
Aaron Tveit
Peter Orlovsky
David Strathairn
Ralph McIntosh
Jon Hamm
Jake Ehrlich
Andrew Rogers
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Bob Balaban
Judge Clayton Horn

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rob Epstein
Writers: Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 24% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rob Epstein, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jake Pushinsky shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Franco and Todd Rotondi and Jon Prescott carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Obscenity Trial That Started a Revolution. The Poem That Rocked a Generation.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rob Epstein directs. Edward Lachman behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Jake Pushinsky cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 24% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 16 years ago.
4Directed by Rob Epstein, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jake Pushinsky shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Franco and Todd Rotondi and Jon Prescott carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The Obscenity Trial That Started a Revolution. The Poem That Rocked a Generation.".
9IMDB entry: tt1049402 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "freedom", "poetry", "literature", "psychiatric hospital".