#789: BROOKNER, Howard: Burroughs: The Movie (1983)

BROOKNER, Howard (United States)
Burroughs: The Movie [1983]
Spine #789
Blu-ray

Made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet, filmed over the course of five years, Howard Brookner's 1983 documentary about William S. Burroughs was for decades mainly the stuff of legend. That changed when Aaron Brookner, the late director's nephew, discovered a print of it in 2011 and spearheaded a restoration. Now viewers can enjoy the invigorating candidness of Burroughs: The Movie, a one-of-a-kind nonfiction portrait that was brought to life with the help of a remarkable crew of friends, including filmmakers Jim Jarmusch and Tom DiCillo, and that features on-screen appearances by fellow artists of Burroughs's including Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Terry Southern, and Lucien Carr.

90 minutes
Color/Black & White
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2015
Director


Howard Brookner was 29 when he directed Burroughs: The Movie.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-panel foldout featuring an essay by critic Luc Sante and collage artwork by artist Alison Mosshart.

Commentary

By filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who was a sound recordist on the film.

Audio interview

With director Brookner from 1985.

Interview

With Brookner’s nephew, filmmaker Aaron Brookner, who oversaw the film’s restoration.

Rare outtakes

Footage

From the 2014 New York Film Festival premiere of the film’s restoration, featuring a Q&A with Jarmusch, Aaron Brookner, filmmaker Tom DiCillo, and William S. Burrough’s friend and fellow writer James Grauerholz.

Twenty-three-minute

Experimental edit of the film from 1981 by inventor and philosopher Robert E. Fulton III.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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