Howl

In Howl, James Franco played Allen Ginsberg, the writer of 'Howl', a poem reflecting the way Ginsberg saw society from his point of view.  I have yet to read the poem itself, but from what is seen and heard from the movie, the publisher of 'Howl and Other Poems' was in court trial due to the fact that some people found the language, the imagery and the poem itself obscene and unsuitable for publication.

I guess the main debate in the court case of Howl is 'What is the definition of art?'  What is obscene and what is creative expression?  It has always been a debatable question and I don't see any answer to it, nor any point in trying to reach a conclusion to the question because, well, art is undefinable.  Everyone has his or her own take on any piece of art, on literature, on music.  Everyone has his or her own moral boundaries and own creative expressions.  It is unfair to classify others' works as obscene and inappropriate just because they do not fit one's own rule book.  And there shouldn't be any rules to art anyway. There shouldn't be any rule book to creative expression because if so, there wouldn't be artistic freedom, or any kind of freedom, for everything is art.  

One thing art is, as I concluded from the movie, is honesty.  Art, no matter in what form, is an expression of self.  Making art and presenting one's work is to share a piece of oneself for the world to see.  Art is a medium for people to tap into themselves, to sort out their insides; a medium of expressing what they think and feel.  Ginsberg is bold and honest in 'Howl', and frank in his speech and diction. He didn't hide away from nor conform to general literary and societal confinements on art and on expression.  He wrote true to heart, integrating and merging his muse with his friends, his family, his past experiences, his life, himself.  

The movie jumps between time and space, and is essentially composed of four settings.  There is the interview scenes with the older Ginsberg in his apartment; there is the black and white scenes depicting his past and his growth; there is the scene of young Ginsberg reading his piece with passion to an audience; and there is the court scene where the debates about 'Howl' happen.  It isn't difficult to follow, the jumps of time and space.  In fact, they serve as pretty nice cuts and chapters of the movie.  The film also implemented animated scenes during young Ginsberg's reading of his poetry, which I personally did not appreciate that much.  I feel like it broke the realism of the film.

Howl is a great movie and it is worth to watch, even just for listening to James Franco's vivid and passionate reading of 'Howl'.  I love it.