Beat Generation legend William Burroughs was an icon and an enigma: author provocateur, poet, actor, junkie, and openly gay in the hostile culture of the 1950s, Burroughs would become an inspiration to a generation of punk rockers and underground artists. The title of Yony Leyser's solid documentary is apt, as the film is less about Burroughs' art and influence and more about his life and personality (and how they affected his work) as seen by friends, lovers, and colleagues—among them John Waters, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant, Laurie Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, David Cronenberg, and Peter Weller, who also narrates. Leyser doesn't shy away from his subject's contradictions or failings as he digs into Burroughs' sexuality, his relationships with men and women (including paid companions), his history of drug addiction, the death of his wife by his own hand (in an accidental but reckless shooting), and his neglect of a troubled, alcoholic son. But the filmmaker doesn't judge either, as he notes the lives that Burroughs touched. Never-before-seen archival footage of Burroughs (with Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, and others) completes this fine portrait of the artist, who died in 1997. DVD extras include home movies of Burroughs and friends, clips from the Naked Lunch 50th anniversary celebration in 2009, a Q&A with Leyser, a music video, deleted scenes, and more. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
(2010) 87 min. DVD: $29.99. Oscilloscope Laboratories (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 3
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
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