Jerry Aronson’s “The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg”

 

Jerry Aronson‘s definitive documentary DVD,  The Life And Times of Allen Ginsberg, has been noted on this site several times before, but it’s such a primary resource, we thought to, once again, alert you all to it and, unequivocally, sing its praises.

Archivist, poet, Randy Roark, remembers Allen’s initially perplexed response – “He saw a working copy at one point and, after it was over, said, “So that’s who I am?”

Aronson himself tells it,  “I showed Allen the finished film in 1992 when it was really done, and he had not watched much of it, and I was anxious, waiting for his response. When it was over he said, “So that’s Allen Ginsberg?” And I nervously said, “Well?”.  He responded “OK”,  thank goodness… A year later I was invited to Thanksgiving at Eugene’ (his brother)’s house in Long Island with the whole family. They had not seen the film, so Allen had me bring a copy. To them it was a home-movie, and they were laughing and talking about how cute they looked. Allen glanced at me and gave me the OK sign. That’s when I knew it was really finished.”

Here’s the trailer:

First released in 1994 and then in a revised version in 2005, before winding up in this expanded and enhanced version, and distilled from more than 60 hours of footage,  you can read more about, and hear more about, the enthusiastic response to the film here

Check out this page of short interview excerpts

Here’s Andy Warhol on Allen:

Here’s Yoko Ono on Allen

Here’s Hunter Thompson

& check out this page of “extras”

 

How Allen and Jerry first met:

“Aronson’s film”, writes one critic, “is a labor of love. He spent a dozen years filming Ginsberg – we see him reading his poetry, answering questions, conversing with old pals like William Burroughs – yet there’s a sense of every frame and syllable mattering.”