Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man (2003)
52 min
In 1951, George Whitman opened a bookshop-commune in Paris. George, 92, still runs his "den of anarchists disguised as a bookstore," offering free, dirty beds to poor literati, cutting his hair with a candle and gluing the carpet with pancake batter. More than 40,000 poets, travelers and political activists have stayed at Shakespeare and Company, writing or stealing books, throwing parties and making soup or love while living with George's generosity and fits of anger. Illustrious guests include Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Jacques Prévert, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James Baldwin and Richard Wright. Welcome to the makeshift utopia of the last member of the Beat Generation.
- Release date
- February 1, 2003
- Country of origin
- United States
- Music
- Michael Galasso
Cast
- John Baxter as Self
- Gary Brown as Self
- Pia Cooper as Self
- Robert Cordier as Self
- George Davey as Self
Crew
- James Baldwin · Archive footage
- Sylvia Beach · Archive footage
- William S. Burroughs · Archive footage
- Gregory Corso · Archive footage
- Lawrence Durrell · Archive footage
- Gonzague Pichelin · Director
- Benjamin Sutherland · Director
- Gonzague Pichelin · Writer
- Benjamin Sutherland · Writer
- Michael Galasso · Composer
- Gonzague Pichelin · Cinematographer
- Thomas Bertay · Editor
- Gonzague Pichelin · Editor