What Happened to Kerouac? | Film Review

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WHAT HAPPENED TO KEROUAC?

A unique insight into the King of the Beat Generation

Out Now.

 

I read On The Road years ago and a biography on Jack Kerouac. He was definitely a talented writer and I have found it depressing lately that some people don’t know who Kerouac was. That should all change soon when the ‘unfilmable’ On The Road hits our screens this month.
This documentary has access to all of the main people who surrounded Kerouac and were themselves part of the Beat movement. In fact,, one of the reasons this documentary is a success is the amount of access the filmmaker got to the people in Kerouac’s life, including his daughter and ex-wife. It paint a full, comprehensive and entertaining insight in Jack Kerouac’s life.
There is also home movie footage and Kerouac’s appearances on the Steve Allen show. This documentary is a brilliant insight into the historical and artistic time of the beat generation. A great snapshot of history and a must-see.
Jack Kerouac is a cultural icon whose influence is still felt around the world 42 years after his death, not least
with the upcoming film adaptation of his most famous book, ‘On The Road’ starring Sam Riley and Kristen
Stewart. The key protagonists of the Beat Generation are also the subject ‘Kill Your Darlings’, due for release
in 2013, in which Kerouac is played by Jack Huston and Daniel Radcliffe stars as Allen Ginsberg.
Those wishing to know more about this iconic writer need look no further than What Happened To Kerouac?,
an illuminating tribute to the King of the Beat Generation as told by the writer’s contemporaries, friends and
family and by Kerouac himself. This new double disc DVD edition offers a re-mastered version of the original
film and also contains over two hours of additional material including never before seen interviews. What
Happened to Kerouac? is released by 3DD Productions.

 

With contributions from fellow Beat writers including Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs
and family members including Kerouac’s ex-wife Edie and his daughter Jan, What Happened To Kerouac?
offers an honest and engaging portrayal of an extraordinary talent through a series of vivid vignettes and
anecdotes that reveal what happened when fame and notoriety were thrust upon an essentially reticent man.
The new 2-disc edition of What Happened to Kerouac? also features ‘The Beat Goes On’, a collection of
interviews that delve deeper into Kerouac’s character including previously unreleased full length interviews
with Abbie Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Michael McClure and Paul Krassner.
Home movie footage and excerpts from Kerouac’s unforgettable appearances on the Steve Allen (1959) and
William Buckley (1968) TV shows are intermingled with captivating recordings of Kerouac reading from some
of his best loved works including On The Road, Mexico City Blues and Doctor Sax. The result is an enlightening
appreciation of Kerouac’s character and of his contribution to modern literature.
“99% pure genius
Kerouac”
Allen Ginsberg
“It brings us closer
to Kerouac than any
other film”
Los Angeles Times
“Abounds in insights
about a writer who
laboured a decade to
attain success and
then spent a decade
being ruined by it”
New York Times