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Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation

Play trailer Poster for Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation Released Oct 15, 1999 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In this documentary, director Chuck Workman examines the lasting cultural significance of the Beats, focusing mainly on Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Neal Cassady. Along the way, these freethinking men became friends and associates, and their writing influenced numerous generations of questioning individuals. Workman combines interviews, TV clips and archival footage in his film, in addition to dramatic readings by notable actors such as Johnny Depp.

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Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation

Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Jan 27, 2011 Full Review John A. Nesbit Old School Reviews this documentary may inspire a few other souls to strike out on their own and not be 'intimidated by a bunch of jerks who don't know anything about life.' Rated: B Dec 2, 2009 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid A compact but accomplished work focusing on the holy trinity of the Beats: Jack Kerouac, Allan Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. May 26, 2006 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 12, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member A pretty lively and entertaining look at how three writers (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs) and their friends changed the cultural landscape of America from the conservatism of the 1950's to the spiritual revolution of counterculture in the 1960's and changed the way we look at art, politics, war, etc. forever. It is also quite refreshing to have three famous actors reading passages from the works of these men over the footage and interviews with those who participated in the Beat Generation's revolution of culture. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member My sister and I had every film he ever did. This was a hard one to find on the old VHS. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I'll admit that the biggest reason I didn't like this was because I'm not remotely interested in the subject matter. In fact, I only rented it because Johnny Depp was involved. So I'm probably not really in a place to write a negative review, but I can say that if this isn't something you're already interested in, this film will not change your mind. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Not sure what to make of this one..... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this ! It's a amazing film if you want to learn about the Beat Generation . I also found it very inspiring ! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member People tend to underestimate Turturros brilliant take on Howl. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation

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Cast & Crew

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Chuck Workman

Director

Chuck Workman

Writer

Mark Apostolon

Associate Producer

Chuck Workman

Producer

Hiro Yamagata

Executive Producer

Glen Tedham

Co-Producer

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Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation

Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In this documentary, director Chuck Workman examines the lasting cultural significance of the Beats, focusing mainly on Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Neal Cassady. Along the way, these freethinking men became friends and associates, and their writing influenced numerous generations of questioning individuals. Workman combines interviews, TV clips and archival footage in his film, in addition to dramatic readings by notable actors such as Johnny Depp.
Director
Chuck Workman
Producer
Chuck Workman
Screenwriter
Chuck Workman
Distributor
Winstar Cinema
Production Co
WNET Thirteen, Beat Productions, Calliope Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 3, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$360.9K
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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