William S. Burroughs

Story of Pace/Wilderstein Gallery painter George Condo, focusing extensively on his reworking of a single painting and on Condo's elusive and often disruptive muses as the artist works in his downtown Manhattan studio. Animation of popular television characters and footage of Condo's favorite television personalities from his childhood also inform this film portrait.

A realistic road movie about a drug addict, his 'family', and their inevitable decline into crime. (imdb)

A documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshow to dramatised events of alleged real-life events, right up to the early twentieth century (when the film was made). Depending on which version you're watching, the commentary is either in the form of intertitles or narration by William S.Burroughs, recorded in the mid-1960s. (imdb)

Inspired by Burroughs' and Gysin's technique of cutting up text and rearranging it in random order, Balch had an editor cut his footage for the documentary into little pieces and impose no control over its reassembly. (Answers.com)

Absolute Wilson chronicles the epic life, times and creative genius of Robert Wilson, intimately revealing for the first time one of the most controversial, rule-breaking and downright mysterious artists of our era. More than a biography, the film becomes an exhilarating exploration of the transformative power of creativity itself - and the inspirational tale of a boy who grew up as a troubled and learning-disabled outsider in the American South only to become a fearless artist with a profoundly original perspective to share with the world. (New Yorker Films)

The movie starts out with James Maker, who is a member of something called the Supernormal Film Society whose goal is to film the spirits of the dead walking among the living. (IMDB Comments)

An informal documentary on Beat/satirical/avant-garde novelist William S. Burroughs, featuring interviews, footage of Burroughs's public readings, and bits of experimental films featuring Burroughs. He discusses literature and other aspects of society. (imdb)

Burroughs takes down a book and reads us the story of Danny the Carwiper, who spends Christmas Day trying to score a fix, but finds the Christmas spirit instead. (imdb)

It stars william s. burroughs and fm einheit and has a mesmerizing and repetitive musical score made by genesis p-orridge as p.t.v., with the almost mantra like "boys, school showers and swimming pools"... (bitsandpieces.uv.ro)

Semi-autobiographical story of Conrad Rooks, who travels to France to undergo a drug-withdrawal cure. Flashbacks to the beginings of psychedelia in San Fran. (imdb)

It was New Year's Eve in New York City, 1928. The champagne was cold, the dolls were red-hot, and everyone who was anyone was there. Madonna plays the dishy lounge singer Hortense Hathaway, with an all-star cast that includes Matt Dillon, Ruter Hauer, Jeniffer Grey, Randy Quaid, Julie Hagerty, Esai Morales and Anita Morris. (imdb)

Concert/performance by Laurie Anderson.

Documentary about the literary movement.

A disturbingly organic-looking figure speaks to us of life, politics and death as the symbol of the common man toils away. (imdb)

A look at the life and work of American publisher Barney Rosset, who struggled to bring controversial works like "Tropic of Cancer" and "Naked Lunch" to publication.

The spiritual home to Manhattan bohemia... where Luc Besson filmed Léon, like Andy Warhol filmed Chelsea Girls, where Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road and Sid Vicious stabbed her girlfriend... New York's legendary 125-year-old Chelsea Hotel is the lead character of this brilliant documentary that premiered at Cannes in 2008 out of competition at a special screening. (www.iksv.org)

An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm. The patriarch of the clan is a retired soda pop tycoon. He is currently dating a children's TV evangelist. Also living at the farm is his layabout daughter and her precocious 8 year old daughter, his would-be artist son, the son's fiancée, and the black maid. Also thrown into the mix is the daughter's ex-husband, a ne-er-do-well who is seeking to get back in his ex-wife's good graces. (imdb)

This film describes a psychological state 'kin to "moon-struck," its images emblems (not quite symbols) of suspension-of-self within consciousness and then that feeling of "falling away" from conscious thought. The film can only be said to "describe" or be emblematic of this state because it's impossible symbolizing or otherwise representing an equivalent of thoughtlessness (musicafilm.it)

An indictment ballad of all the different political groups in America. (imdb)

Twenty years of super-8mm footage from Jarman's own life and film career compiled together into a 60 minute work with the music of Brian Eno.

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Several also comment. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are energetic performers, and their poems are meant to be heard. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, radical, sometimes incorporating contemporary political imagery. (imdb)

Documentary about the founding of the Naropa Institute of Poetics in Boulder, Colorado by 60s psychedelic sexual revolution and beat poet heavy-hitters.

William S. Burroughs: featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues. He struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems, and self. William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. He was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come... (imdb)

Burroughs' literary style strongly informs this experimental film of his own design.

Einstein's Brain is a 1994 documentary by Kevin Hull following Japanese professor Kenji Sugimoto in his search for Albert Einstein's brain. (Wikipedia)

Biographical portrait of writer/composer Paul Bowles, best known for writing THE SHELTERING SKY.

Big-brother government and corporations are monitoring the people, controlling information and generating muzak to play in hamburger joints that control people's emotions. When a youth decodes these signals in his home studio, he literally goes underground where he encounters a cult led by Genesis P. Orridge that treat information as their religion, make a lot of rhythmic noise on industrial and metal artefacts, and plot a revolution with sound tapes as weapons to disrupt society.

Celebrity confessions about their first sexual experiences. (imdb)

Return to 1957 Paris, where a rundown hotel attracted American Beat expats such as Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso and Brion Gysin. Photos, animation and personal reflections bring this unique time and place to life. (Netflix)

An avant-garde diary film taking a fragmented, philosophical overview of much of director Jonas Mekas' daily life.

Biopic of jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman.

Following Beat Poet Gregory Corso - literary compatriot of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs -- throughout Europe, discovering his past, and facing his death. (imdb)

This is a compilation of experimental, documentary, and shorts films by award winning filmmaker Benjamin Meade. Most this is never before seen footage and ranges from political, educational, to absurd. An extremely well done selections of work from one the country's most creative true independent film artists. (imdb)

A bizarre silent short film showing author William S. Burroughs negotiating to buy a parrot. (imdb)

An ironic New York City thriller involving a mafioso and a restless, witty lawyer. (imdb)

Burroughs: The Movie is the first and only feature length documentary to be made with and about Burroughs. The film was directed by the late Howard Brookner. It was begun in 1978 as Brookner's senior thesis at NYU film school and then expanded into a feature which was completed 5 years later in 1983. Sound was recorded by Jim Jarmusch and the film was shot by Tom DiCillo, fellow NYU classmates and both very close friends of Brookner's (imdb)