I was lucky to see this in June. It was the opening selection at the Provincetown International Film Festival. Although skeptical of James Franco as Ginsberg, he really pulled it off. It is a great impression--the voice, the mannerisms--and he can read the poem well. Even his prettiness gets lost behind the horn-rimmed glasses.
Interesting to note that Ginsberg wasn't even at the obscenity trial; Ferlinghetti, the publisher, was the defendant.
The filmmakers, known for documentaries such as The Times of Harvey Milk (this is their first narrative film), were present, and posed the question, "How do you turn a poem into a film?"
The black-and-white bits show the writing and early performance of the poem, and trial scenes and later interviews with Ginsberg are in color. Most was edited from actual transcripts. However, the animation that is interspersed was distracting, and IMO neither successful nor necessary.
