The Beat Generation: An American Dream (1988)
An investigation of the Beat Generation
86 min
Using original film clips and interviews, this film illustrates the 1950s social movement termed the Beat Generation. Disillusioned with post-World War II America, Beat Generation writers and painters came together because they felt mainstream America was becoming out of touch with humanity and the individual. In their interviews, characters such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, and Gregory Corso express their disdain for a society that defines success and happiness in terms of superior technology, cars, and clothing. Those individuals discuss the false conventionality of society and the dangerous world of shock treatments and conformity in which they found themselves. Their goal is to redefine this world to reflect the endless possibilities that characterize America.
- Release date
- September 29, 1987
- Country of origin
- Not yet available
- Music
- David Amram
Cast
- Steve Allen as Self - Host
- David Amram as Self
- Amiri Baraka as Self
- Ray Bremser as Self
- William S. Burroughs as Self
- Carolyn Cassady as Self
- Clark Coolidge as Self
- Gregory Corso as Self
- Robert Creeley as Self
Crew
- Neal Cassady · Archive footage
- Janet Forman · Director
- Janet Forman · Writer
- Regina Weinrich · Writer
- Janet Forman · Producer
- David Amram · Composer
- Tom Houghton · Cinematographer
- Peter Odabashian · Editor