James Franco's portrayal of Allen
Ginsberg in the film Howl will premiere at the Sundance Film
Festival in Utah next month.
While Ginsberg is best known as the
quintessential beat generation poet, he was also a pioneering gay
rights advocate. Ginsberg often discussed being gay and advocated
for the freedoms of sexual minorities. He went so far as to list his
lover, the poet Peter Orlovsky, as his spouse in his Who's Who entry.
Howl, however, is not a love
story, but a look at Ginsberg's most famous poem, Howl. The
poem, published in 1955 by City Lights, a San Francisco-based
bookstore, became the subject of a landmark obscenity trial that
tested the boundaries of the First Amendment.
How much of Ginsberg's personal life is
included in the movie remains to be seen. But directors Rob Epstein
and Jeffrey Friedman did cast Aaron Tveit to play Peter Orlovsky,
Ginsberg's self-identified spouse.
Last year, Franco played Harvey Milk's
gay lover, Scott Smith, in the feature film Milk. The
highly-acclaimed movie about the San Francisco politician murdered on
the steps of City Hall was directed by Gus Van Sant. Van Sant
executive produced Howl.
Gay Entertainment Report is a feature
of On Top Magazine and can be reached at
ontopmag@ontopmag.com.