5 Comments on The Source

Linda Linguvic on Sun, 1st Aug 2010 3:55 am


Released in 1999 to coincide with the publication of “The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats”, this Chuck Workman documentary is a kaleidoscope of film clips, photos and interviews with a particular focus on Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. I looked forward to seeing this video in anticipation of learning something. After all, these writers influenced the era in which I was growing up and opened unique and dramatic new ways of viewing the world. Tracing the early beginnings in the 1940s and bringing the movement right up to the present, it showed the changes in these young men (and they were ALL men) through the years.

With the exception of Allen Ginsberg, they look like they all turned…out of touch with reality and locked into a way of thinking whose off-kilter attitude which was once hip, turned into an off-kilter attitude which never grew out of the fifties and seems “mental” today. Gregory Corso and Lawrence Ferlinghetti look like bad smelling derelicts. On a talk show in later years Kerouac, with slurred speech insists that the Vietnam war was a plot of the Vietnamese to get American jeeps and, in a later interview with William F. Buckley Jr., his eyes are red-rimmed and droopy and his words seem like babble as he is demolished by the precise cutting words of his host. The film moves fast and the clips come one after another. Often, the cast of characters are not identified and it was hard for me to follow just who was who. There’s Ken Kesey. And Neal Cassady. And short film clips from 50s TV shows from Father Knows Best and Alfred Hitchcock poking fun at the Beatniks. It was hard to follow any individual story line and I found myself getting bored.

Several well known actors were hired to read some of the writing itself. Johnny Depp did a good job of reading Kerouac and Dennis Hopper read from Burroughs. John Turturro, was emotional in his reading of insberg’s “Howl” but he never rose above the material. I wish this film was better. I would really like to know more about the beats. For years I’ve carried around the idea that some day I’d pick up acopy of “On the Road” or “Naked Lunch” in a secondhand book store and explore these writers for myself. But frankly, after hearing bits andpieces of them in this film, I’ve lost most of my interest. These ravings from angry young men intent on ripping preconceived culture apart certainly did influence our world. I say “hooray” for the effort. I’m personally glad that they opened the way to the future. But, after seeing this film, I’m not sure I want to enter their world through their words.
Rating: 4 / 5

Alfred Johnson on Sun, 1st Aug 2010 4:36 am


Over the past several months I have, seemingly, grabbed every film documentary about the “beat” literary movement of the 1950s that I could get my hands on. This film, “The Source”, continues that quest. And why am I interested in this movement, essentially a literary movement and not particularly, at least overtly, a consciously political movement that would not seem to fit in with other literary movements that I have given space to here? Well the short answer is that I just like the free verse spontaneous literary styles of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and company. More to the point I have been trying, as this documentary and others reviewed in this space have attempted as well, to link the liberating effects of that 1950s scene as forbears of my own generation, the Generation of ‘68, a much less literary-inclined generation.

That idea sets one of the parameters of my interest. Another is the question of what of this collective wealth of archival footage, interviews and readings that virtually all the films reviewed have presented gives the best idea of what was going on then for those of us who were really too young (or were not born yet)to appreciate this breathe of fresh air. This effort is one the better ones for two reasons. First, the producers have established clearly who they believe are (as I do) the central players in this drama, the above-mentioned Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs. Of course, the “beat’ scene is not complete without recognizing the role that madman-for-all seasons Neal Cassady, Zen-master poet Gary Snyder, street poet Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (if for no other reason that the establishment of the City Lights Bookstore, a central hangout) , and host of other minor poets, hangers-on and crazies played. They are given space here, as well. But without the core literary/philosophical leadership of the three there make not have been such a phenomenon.

Secondly, and more importantly, in recognition of that centrality the producers have given over a fair amount of time for a rather short documentary (about an hour and a half) to extensive readings of Kerouac’s work (by Johnny Depp) , Allen Ginsberg’s ground-breaking and defining “Howl”, and Burroughs “Naked Lunch” (by Dennis Hopper, who else, right?). These readings are important. “Beat” was driven by the sounds of jazz and the blues, among other aural influences so the sounds (and nuances) of the works are more critical than more cerebral efforts. Although to our current ears much of this may sound self-indulgent this was the breakout sound of the “beats”, and to paraphrase Kerouac’s ending to “On The Road”, the sound of the fathers, the fathers that we never knew, Kerouac/Ginsberg/Burroughs.
Rating: 4 / 5

Anonymous on Sun, 1st Aug 2010 7:03 am


Being a fan of Kerouac,Ginsberg,Burroughs,et al. I was very psyched to see this documentary. In the beginning (the first 45 mins. or so) this documentary succeeds very nicely. For this reason only I have given 2 stars. However, the main distraction and failing of the piece is the use of many celebrity cameos. Depp,Hopper, and other modern luminaries pop-up from time to time to recite (long!)key passages from the novels and poetry of beat all-stars. Where a voice over would of sufficed, the audience is instead treated to these luminaries looking very intense (beat?) as they mouth the words like sacred script and occasionally (as in the case of Hopper “performing” Burroughs) even feel the need to channel the spirit of the beat star by imitating vocal mannerisms and tics. The effect is annoying and not at all enlightening or even entertaining (event on a laughable level). It should be said that Depp does smoke his cigarettes in a particularly effective manner throughout his channeling session. By the end of the documentary, one is left with the sense that the whole project was an exercise in hagiography with few deep revelations, such as one could find in the many,many biographies and writings of the principal beat masters. The influence on the beats by women, gays,and people of color(especially African American culture) is mentioned but glossed over–the need for time for the performance pieces by the contemporary Hollywood beat contingent meant that any deeper illumination about the beat moment must be left to some other filmaker. However, if one is new to the beat movement and has only read one or two of novels or other works, then this video may work and give some extra dimension (at least in the first 45 mins.) to the beat moment and movement.
Rating: 2 / 5

Damon Navas-Howard on Sun, 1st Aug 2010 8:10 am


“The Source” is an excellent documentry on ‘The Beat Generation’. It was so good I saw it twice in the theaters. The documentry has a wealth of new material as long as familiar classic footage. My personal favorite writer Jack Kerouac came out of the beat generation and it was fantastic to see him and learn more about him. The documentry always explores other key figures like :Ginsberg, Burroghs, Cassidy among others. Three actors recite famous works by Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroghs. Johnny Depp and Dennis Hopper do fair jobs at working with material by Kerouac and Burroghs but Chuck Workman slaughters Ginsberg’s poem “Howl”. The only fault about this documentry was the previous and that it had to end. Check “The Source” out.
Rating: 5 / 5

Anonymous on Sun, 1st Aug 2010 9:28 am


The DVD is interesting, but there is too much of the same old commentary that has been circulating in beat documentaries for years. Many of the folks interviewed weren’t all that significant to the movement. However, the Burroughs footage alone is worth the effort – but not nearly enough Jack Kerouac footage – there should have been much more of Jack and much less modern critique by folks who just weren’t there. I would have liked to have seen more of Gregory Corso as well, but he has some priceless moments in the film! The Neil Cassady footage is also very good. Ginsberg is Ginsberg. I didn’t get the point of the Johnny Depp/Dennis Hopper/John Turturro bits. Although Turturro’s performance is by far the best! Overall, it’s a nice documentary but not as ground breaking as was hyped.
Rating: 3 / 5

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