City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

William S. Burroughs, a man within

eng

videorecording

Rated: M

William S. Burroughs

videorecording

Originally produced as an American documentary in 2010

87

a man within

William Burroughs: the Beats éminence grise, "literary outlaw," culture hero to generations of poets, musicians, artists, and filmmakers who had their minds blown by his 1959 classic, banned-in-America "Naked Lunch." This film covers his life in a straightforward manner, but the portrait drawn is at odds with the character who wrote in outlandish graphic detail about then-forbidden sexuality in the 1950s and '60s. Heir to a family that lost its money, Harvard-educated and conservative in his attire, Burroughs--despite fame and acclaim--was troubled, reserved, and battled with addiction his entire life. Despite the openness of his prose, this film reveals Burroughs in the contradictions he embodied--a man generously affectionate with friends and acolytes, whose avuncular veneer covered up a haunting, enduring loneliness

Introduction -- Beat generation -- Pioneer -- Andy and the boys -- Love -- Hustlers -- Cut-up method -- "Walking pharmacologist" -- Rid of junk -- Guns, knives, snakes -- William Tell routine -- "Naked Lunch" -- Punk rock -- Collaborations -- Shotgun art -- Father and son -- Lawrence, Kansas -- End credits

adult

live action

Man within, [videorecording]