Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in 1997. Three actors provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, their arrival into American consciousness, their travels, frequent parodies, Kerouac's death, and Ginsberg's politicization. Their movement connects with bebop, John Cage's music, abstract expressioni... (Full plot summary below)
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Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in 1997. Three actors provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, their arrival into American consciousness, their travels, frequent parodies, Kerouac's death, and Ginsberg's politicization. Their movement connects with bebop, John Cage's music, abstract expressionism, and living theater. In recent interviews, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, Ferlinghetti, Mailer, Jerry Garcia, Tom Hayden, Gary Snyder, Ed Sanders, and others measure the Beats' meaning and impact.
Leave your thoughts about The Source.
| Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe rare case in which a filmmaker's unadulterated worship of his subjects adds force and resonance--and not just luster--to the way that we see them. |
| Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonLike Workman's other films, it's a time capsule that sings. |
| Portland OregonianShawn LevyWitty, treasure-filled and nostalgic in the best sense. |
| L.A. WeeklySteven MikulanA witty exploration of cultural mythology, while simultaneously contributing to that mythology. |
| Los Angeles TimesJohn AndersonAn ambitious and largely successful documentary testimony-tribute to the founders of the so-called Beat movement. |
| Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenFailings do not get in the way of The Source providing a basic primer on the genesis and lasting influence of these cultural icons of the 20th century. |
| New York PostRod DreherAs a work of historical documentation, The Source suffers from Workman's wholly celebratory take on the movement. |
| Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumDocumentary filmmaker Chuck Workman has a slick and entertaining way of stitching together old footage and practically no analytical or historical insight at all. |
