The Source Backdrop Blur
The Source Poster

The Source

Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in 1997. Three actors provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, their arrival into American consciousness, their travels, frequent parodies, Kerouac's death, and Ginsberg's politicization. Their movement connects with bebop, John Cage's music, abstract expressionism, and living theater. In recent interviews, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, Ferlinghetti, Mailer, Jerry Garcia, Tom Hayden, Gary Snyder, Ed Sanders, and others measure the Beats' meaning and impact.

Top Cast

  • Johnny Depp

    Johnny Depp

    Jack Kerouac

  • Dennis Hopper

    Dennis Hopper

    William S. Burroughs

  • John Turturro

    John Turturro

    Allen Ginsberg

  • Allen Ginsberg

    Allen Ginsberg

    Self (archive footage)

  • William S. Burroughs

    William S. Burroughs

    Self (archive footage)

  • Philip Glass

    Philip Glass

    Self

  • Robert Creeley

    Robert Creeley

    Self

  • Ann Charters

    Ann Charters

    Self

  • George Steade

    George Steade

    Self

Overview

Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in 1997. Three actors provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, their arrival into American consciousness, their travels, frequent parodies, Kerouac's death, and Ginsberg's politicization. Their movement connects with bebop, John Cage's music, abstract expressionism, and living theater. In recent interviews, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, Ferlinghetti, Mailer, Jerry Garcia, Tom Hayden, Gary Snyder, Ed Sanders, and others measure the Beats' meaning and impact.

Rating

5.4 / 10
14 Reviews
1 Popular

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