To learn specifically about William S. Burroughs and movies, see Beatdom Issue Five, or read the Beatdom archives.
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The Beat Generation (1959)
- Not actually about the Beat Generation artists. Just a sensationalist “beatnik” movie.
Pull My Daisy (short)(1959)
- Staring Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Peter Orlovsky, David Amram
- Directed by Robert Frank
- Written and narrated by Jack Kerouac
The Subterraneans (1960)
- Based on the Kerouac novel
- Features a white woman in the role of Mardou Fox
Towers Open Fire (short)(1963)
- Directed by Antony Balch
- Written by William S. Burroughs
William Buys a Parrot (short)(1963)
- Another Balch & Burroughs effort
Wholly Communion (1965)
- Short documentary about Britain’s “International Poetry Incarnation”
Neal Cassady: In the Backhouse and on the Road (1965)
- Filmed by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters
The Cut-Ups (short)(1966)
- Another Balch & Burroughs effort, featuring Brion Gysin
Chappaqua (1966)
- Featuring Burroughs Ginsberg
Me and My Brother (1969)
- Documentary by Robert Frank
- Featuring Ginsberg and Orlovsky
Heart Beat (1980)
- Starring Nick Nolte as Neal Cassady; Sissy Spacek as Carolyn Cassady; John Heard as Kerouac
West Coast: Beat and Beyond (1983)
- Directed by Chris Felver and Gerald Nicosia
Burroughs (1983)
- Documentary by Howard Brookner
Kerouac: The Movie (1985)
- Interviews with various Beat figures
What Happened to Kerouac? (1986)
- Interviews with many people who knew Kerouac, including daughter Jan, Herbert Huncke, Michael McClure, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, John Clellon Holmes, Gary Snyder
The Beat Generation: An American Dream (1987)
- “Investigation of the Beat Generation” featuring many interviews
Jack Kerouac’s Road: A Franco-American Odyssey (1989)
This Ain’t Bebop (TV)(1989)
- Starring Harvey Keitel as Kerouac
The Black Rider (1990)
- Written by Burroughs
William S. Burroughs: A Commissioner of Sewers (1991)
- Hour long interview with Burroughs
Thanksgiving Prayer (short)(1991)
- Featuring Burroughs
Naked Lunch (1991)
- Movie version of Burroughs’ classic novel
The Junky’s Christmas (short)(1993)
- Written by Burroughs
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994)
- Documentary about Ginsberg
Ah Pook Is Here (short)(1994)
- Written by Burroughs
Allen Ginsberg: Live in London (1995)
- Footage of the poet performing
A Coney Island of Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1996)
- Directed by Chris Felver
A Poet on the Lower East Side: A Documentary on Allen Ginsberg (1997)
- Featuring Corso, Orlovsky and Ginsberg
The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)
- Movie about Cassady
Kerouac: On the Road to Desolation (TV)(1997)
The Nova Convention Revisited (1998)
- Apparently a poor quality bootleg copy of the convention
Go Moan for Man (1999)
- Kerouac documentary
The Source (tv show)(1999)
- Johnny Depp as Kerouac, John Turturro as Ginsberg, Dennis Hopper as Burroughs
Beat (2000)
- Terrible movie featuring Keifer Sutherland as Burroughs, Courtney Love as Joan Vollmer
Finding Jack Kerouac (2002)
- About a boy inspired by On the Road
Starving Hysterical Naked (2003)
Beat Angel (2004)
- About the spirit of Kerouac entering a writer
The Ballad of Greenwich Village (2005)
- Featuring Amiri Baraka, Norman Mailer
Breaking the Rules (2006)
- Footage from Beat and other countercultures
Allen Ginsberg: Ah! Sunflower (2006)
- Ginsberg performing at the Roundhouse
Neal Cassady (2007)
- The story of Cassady after the publication of On the Road
Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets (2008)
- Documentary featuring the likes of Dianne DiPrima
Finding My Kerouac (2008)
- Following in Kerouac’s footsteps
One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur (2008)
- A look at Big Sur
Japanese Sandman (2008)
- About a 1953 letter from Burroughs to Ginsberg
Ferlinghetti: A City Light (2009)
- Directed by Chris Felver
Corso: The Last Beat (2009)
- Beautiful film about Corso after Ginsberg’s death
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2009)
- Featuring never before seen footage of Burroughs
Where the Road Ends (2010)
- Originally titled “Visions of Paradise”
On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne (2010)
- Remembering Kerouac’s time in Cheyenne
Howl (2010)
- Starring James Franco as Ginsberg during the “Howl” trial
On the Road (2011)
- Finally making it to the big screen…
Queer (2011)
- Directed by Steve Buscemi
- Based on the Burroughs novel
