Criterion Collection Edition #789
Made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, Howard Brookner’s 1983 documentary about William S. Burroughs was for decades mainly the stuff of legend; that changed when Aaron Brookner, the late director’s nephew, discovered a print of it in 2011 and spearheaded a restoration. Now viewers can enjoy the invigorating candidness of BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE, a one-of-a-kind nonfiction portrait that was brought to life with the help of a remarkable crew of friends, including Jim Jarmusch and Tom DiCillo, and that features on-screen appearances by fellow artists of Burroughs’s including Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Patti Smith, and Terry Southern.
Directed by Howard Brookner • 1983 • United States
Made up of intimate, revelatory footage of the singular author and poet filmed over the course of five years, Howard Brookner’s 1983 documentary about William S. Burroughs was for decades mainly the stuff of legend; that changed when Aaron Brook...
This audio commentary, recorded in 2015, features filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who served as a sound recordist on BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE.
This piece features a 2015 interview with filmmaker Aaron Brookner, BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE director Howard Brookner’s nephew.
The following audio excerpts are from a July 1985 interview with director Howard Brookner about the making of BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE. The interview was conducted by William S. Burroughs biographer Ted Morgan.
The following excerpts are from a Q&A that followed the premiere of BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE at the New York Film Festival in 2014.
After two years of filming, director Howard Brookner brought inventor and photographer Robert E. Fulton III a trunkful of William S. Burroughs footage to see if Fulton could edit his film. The result was a decidedly experimental 23-minute cut. The director was looking for a more narrative approac...
