The Beat Hotel

Released Mar 30, 2012

1h 28m

Documentary

Biography

History

Drama

List

44%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

65%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a cheap Paris hotel becomes a sanctuary for Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, William Burroughs and other beatniks.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Never amounts to more than a flabby piece of counterculture nostalgia.

Apr 4, 2012

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

Mr. Govenar's textbook history of the scene (from around 1957 to 1963) is twinklingly delivered by surviving former residents and scholarly chroniclers.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 30, 2012

Full Review

Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

Impressionistic documentary about the temporary Parisian home of the Beat writers fails to justify its full-length running time.

Mar 29, 2012

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

The Beat Hotel is a surprisingly straightforward and low-key documentary.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 2, 2020

Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Shocked at the negative reviews here. This is by far the best documentary on the beats.

Mar 30, 2012

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

Likeable documentary about a Beat Generation hotspot that makes you want to pack up your laptop and write away in some cheap garret with a shared toilet.

Mar 30, 2012

Full Review

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Audience Member

1957. The Latin Quarter, Paris. A cheap no-name hotel became a haven for a new breed of artists fleeing the conformity and censorship of America. The hotel soon turned into an epicenter of Beat writing that produced some of the most important works of the Beat generation. It came to be known as the Beat Hotel. Alan Govenar's feature documentary The Beat Hotel explores this amazing place and time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Alan Govenar

Director

Harold Chapman

Actor

Peter Golding

Actor

Oliver Harris

Actor

Kit Hussey

William Burroughs

Jason P. Kendall

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Synopsis

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a cheap Paris hotel becomes a sanctuary for Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, William Burroughs and other beatniks.

Director: Alan Govenar
Distributor: First Run
Genre: Documentary, Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.6K
Runtime: 1h 28m