Five short films featuring the poetry and prose of the Beat writers; William Burroughs, Brion Gyson and Ian Somerville. Filmed in New York City, Paris and Tangiers, the films do not use narrative but rather incorporate avant-garde and experimental film techniques. Burroughs’ poetry, and his commitment to homo-eroticism and heroin use, feature prominently in the films. “William buys a parrot”, “The cut-ups” and “Bill and Tony” last a few minutes whilst “Towers open fire” and “Ghosts at no. 9 (Paris)” are longer films. The last film is an hour excerpt of a longer five hour epic.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
302379
Language
English
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Beat generation
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Beat generation
Experimental → Experimental films - United States
Literature → American literature
Literature → Burroughs, William S., 1914-
Literature → Somerville, Ian F. (Ian Ferguson)
Music & Performing Arts → Beat generation
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)