''The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg'' is a

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

film by Jerry Aronson chronicling the poet Allen Ginsberg's life from his birth and early childhood to his thoughts about death at the age of 66. The film has been completed and released a number of times due to changing technologies and world events. The first release of the film was in 1993 at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

after which it enjoyed an international festival run and USA theatrical run. At the time, Ginsberg was still alive. When Aronson showed him the film the poet is reported to have nodded his head thoughtfully and said, "So, that's Allen Ginsberg." When Ginsberg passed in 1997, Jerry Aronson decided to update the ending of the film to include the poet's passing, added one shot of Ginsberg's headstone in New Jersey, and added a new recording of

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

singing Ginsberg's "New Stanzas for Amazing Grace" for the closing credits. The new DVD, released in July 2007 by New Yorker Video, includes interviews with

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono,

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

, Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Joan Baez, Michael McClure,

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...

, Ken Kesey, William S. Burroughs, Anne Waldman and Timothy Leary - all of whom considered Ginsberg a good friend. In addition to the documentary, the DVD release contains a number of bonus features. These include behind-the-scenes footage with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and

Neal Cassady Neal Leon Cassady (February 8, 1926 – February 4, 1968) was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. He was prominently featured as himself in the "scroll" (first d ...

; excerpts from a Ginsberg memorial; and extended and updated interviews.

External links

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''The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg'' DVD
1993 films Films about the Beat Generation Documentary films about poets 1993 documentary films {{bio-documentary-film-stub