FIRST LOOK

First Look: James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in Howl

by Alex Billington
June 5, 2009
Source: EW.com

We've heard a little bit about Howl, the film about the 1957 obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg faced after the publication of his poem, but this is our first look at anyone in it. James Franco stars as the poet Allen Ginsberg alongside of Mary-Louise Parker as Gail Potter, Jeff Daniels as Professor David Kirk, and David Strathairn as Ralph McIntosh. Seen below, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, is our very first look at Franco along with co-star Aaron Tveit as his friend Peter Orlovsky. Howl is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and was executive producer by Gus Van Sant. Check out the photo below.

Franco (on the right) explains that he plays Ginsberg as "an unsure young man who's trying to find his way." Not only does Franco look a bit like Ginsberg, but he knows all about him, too. "All his uncertainty culminates in the poem 'Howl' and gives birth to the Ginsberg we know," Franco tells EW. "The Beats were very important to me when I started reading literature more seriously in high school. They were some of the first writers that I read and fell in love with." Werc Werk Works financed and producer the film, however, it doesn't have a distributor just yet. Howl will likely show at one of a few upcoming film festivals this year.

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