It stands in for the free and easy club where skip lowe sends jonathon mccarthy to meet the girl of his dreams after hes banned from the foxfield school for girls and thus has to stay at his room at vernon academy on halloween. The film charts the development of burroughs unique literary style and his wildly unconventional life, including his travels. Mar 08, 2017 brookner was a rising new york documentary filmmaker before his death from aids in 1989, most noted for his 1983 documentary burroughs. Burroughs, with interviews and vintage film footage. Burroughs, with an intimacy never before seen and never repeated. An informal portrait of the controversial american author william s. An exploration of burroughs life story, as told by burroughs himself along with many of his contemporaries, including allen ginsberg, brion gysin, francis bacon, herbert huncke, patti smith, terry southern, and william burroughs. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and. A man within movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on movies. As the lights fade up, a tall, lanky burroughs emerges from darkness, sits at a green metal desk, and looks directly into the camera with his piercing blue eyes before reading a passage from. Burroughs on saturday night live, his first television appearance ever, according to host lauren hutton. Edgar rice burroughs written ninetyfour novels, twentyseven of which were about tarzan.
Ive always enjoyed his work and the fact that he was an odd, odd man. The movie is typical science fiction with great special effects 1983s brainstorm is most noted as being natalie woods last film. The lad and the lion 1917 was the first silent film adaptation of burroughs story. Jul 05, 2010 for those who are well versed in burroughs life and writing, the film offers a rich enhancement to his remarkable canon especially the copenhagen footage, which has never been released before a near complete video record of his danish visit is part of the dvds extras. Criterion has now released it in the uk for the first time on bluray. Burroughs was for decades mainly the stuff of legend. Brookner began filming in 1978 and spent nearly five years documenting the b. With two fellow students future directors tom dicillo and jim jarmusch, he followed the legendary writer around to discover what made him tick. The movie is the first and only feature length documentary to be made with and about burroughs. A primary figure of the beat generation and a major postmodernist author who wrote in the paranoid fiction genre, he is considered to be one of the most politically. Looking for a worthy project to complete for his thesis film at nyu back in 1978, with his genuine sense of interest and weasily persuasive personality, howard brookner somehow convinced the then world famous writer william burroughs to let himself become the subject of the warm cinematic portrait that would become burroughs. The movie is the first and only documentary to be made about and with the full participation of writer william s. Ive read a few of burroughs writings but im by no means an expert. Both a biography of ginsberg and a comprehensive portrait of the period.
The company hired rudolph to design the building in 1969, and the dedication occured in 1972. It was originally released in 1983 but was thought lost until the directors nephew aaron brookner painstakingly restored it in 2011. Jennie kermode like much of burroughs writing, the film has a shaggy dog tale quality, rambling along in a way which does not at first seem nearly as informative as it actually is, then bursting into moments of brilliant radicalism. I had no idea this film existed until 2016 when i was fortunate to stumble into a theatre at cuff to see uncle howard, a documentary on the director of this film. Burroughs naked lunch was for decades mainly the stuff of legend. In 1983 director howard brookner released burroughs. Oct 08, 1983 the saddest scenes in burroughs are those depicting william s. February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american writer and visual artist.
The movie explores the life and times of controversial naked lunch author william s. The movie made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, howard brookners 1983 documentary about william s. List of film credits year title role director 1981 sizzle beach, u. Five years in the making, this is the dream documentary for every diehard william burroughs admirer. Brookner began making in 1978 as his senior thesis at nyu film school, and then expanded it into a feature which was completed five years later in 1983. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts.
R eleased in 1983, howard brookners documentary about william s. Burroughs was an expanded version of the directors 1978 senior thesis project at nyu. There is probably a better, more complete film to be made about burroughs someday, but it will likely contain parts of this film that are irreplaceable. Recently rediscovered, it has been carefully restored and enjoyed its revival premiere at last years new york film festival. Jan 30, 2010 when i was writing last august about yony leysers new burroughs documentary william s burroughs. Films include wax, or the discovery of television among the bees, william s. Brookner was fortunate to capture all the surviving beats including ginsberg and gysin and. Who wrote the screenplay for the 1983 movie the outsiders. The 1983 drama film, the outsiders screenplay was written by kathleen rowells which was directed by francis ford coppola was adapted from s. Today, many disasters later, the movie stands as a.
The criterion collection made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, howard brookners 1983 documentary about william s. The movie reflects a particular time, between the chaos of the 1970s and the delirious mirage of the reagan years, a time when it briefly seemed that anything could happenthe idea of william burroughs as a prominent public figure appearing as a signpost of one hopeful direction. Brookner was fortunate to capture all the surviving beats including ginsberg and. The movie, now out on bluray and dvd, offers an unparalleled glimpse into the life of legendary author william s.
A screening of howard brookners 1983 documentary from the criterion collection. For those who are well versed in burroughs life and writing, the film offers a rich enhancement to his remarkable canon especially the copenhagen footage, which has never been released before a near complete video record of his danish visit is part of the dvds extras. Jul 07, 2015 recently rediscovered, it has been carefully restored and enjoyed its revival premiere at last years new york film festival. The movie 1983 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. When i was writing last august about yony leysers new burroughs documentary william s burroughs. Class movie filming locations the 80s movies rewind. Burroughs, that proud american name the current the. Dec 21, 2015 the film adopts a somewhat conventional approach in exploring these arenas by having interviews with burroughss close friends and colleagues interspersed throughout, but brookner defies relegating burroughs to merely a curious or bizarro figure by consistently intercutting scenes of the author walking, sitting, or reading aloud in various. February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american novelist, short story writer, satirist, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer. In 1978, nyu student howard brookner decided to make his thesis film a documentary about beat author william s burroughs. Made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poetfilmed over the course of five yearshoward brookners 1983 documentary about william. We thought, says allen ginsberg in the film, that they were equally talented, equally intelligent a perfect match. The day after is an american television film that first aired on november 20, 1983, on the abc television network.
Edgar rice burroughs filmography and movies fandango. The movie opens with a 1981 appearance by william s. The result is a unique cinematic artifact, a wholly transparent. William and joan found themselves in mexico city a few years later where, burroughs recounts, she grew depressed over his affairs with local boys and began to drink a bottle of tequila a day. Brookner was a rising new york documentary filmmaker before his death from aids in 1989, most noted for his 1983 documentary burroughs. Whats not known as much is that the movie was primarily filmed around paul rudolphs burroughs wellcome headquarters. The movie 1983 on 123movies full movie free streaming. Made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, howard brookners 1983 documentary about william s. Overview made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, howard brookners 1983 documentary about william s. A documentary on william burroughs the new york times. In a collaboration between burroughs and director howard brookner the film explores burroughs life story along with many of his contemporaries including allen ginsberg, brion gysin, francis bacon, herbert huncke, patti smith, terry southern, and.
The film is perhaps the definitive account of burroughs s life and brookner and burroughs maintained a very close collaboration during the shooting process. Burroughs gave brookner his complete cooperation during the making of the film, and the result is a unique cinematic artifact, a wholly transparent visual biography of a literary giant. The movie ally the manic listmaker great appearances by bill, allen ginsberg, patti smith, and others of the movement. It was begun in 1978 as brookners senior thesis at nyu film school and then expanded into a feature which was completed 5 years later in 1983. The saddest scenes in burroughs are those depicting william s. Burroughs was a primary figure of the beat generation and a major postmodernist author whose influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature.
345 466 1160 608 1159 1051 123 100 608 92 799 808 1092 1132 361 1116 491 414 223 1164 1431 614 856 339 1464 423 627 1373 434 1527 192 441 1100 908 90 598 1181 78 1389