William S. Burroughs

Poem Posters

Charles Henri Ford

William S. Burroughs, Charles Henri Ford

... with real-life portraits of Jayne Mansfield, Frak O'Hara, Ruth Ford, Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Rudy Gernreich, Jonas Mekas and others.

Cain's Film

Jamie Wadhavan

Alexander Trocchi, William S. Burroughs

A film about Alexander Trocchi. Scottish born poet, writer, translator and author of "Young Adam" and "Cain's Book". Part of the film was made at the old Arts Laboratory and includes a discussion with William Burroughs. A portrait of Alexander Trocchi, covering his history as a writer, his interest in drugs, his family life, and ‘Sigma’, the organisation he founded to bring together like-minded people.

September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill

Larry Weinstein

William S. Burroughs, Betty Carter

Filmmaker Larry Weinstein stages a wide range of performances in tribute to the compositions of Kurt Weill.

Shamans of the Blind Country

Michael Oppitz

Bal Bahadur, Beth Bahadur

A documentary epic on magical healing in the Himalayas.

Home of the Brave

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson, William S. Burroughs

A concert film directed by and featuring the music of Laurie Anderson, filmed at the Park Theater in Union City, New Jersey, during the summer of 1985.

Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs On the Road

Lars Movi, Steen Møller Rasmussen

William S. Burroughs, James Grauerholz

A portrait of the American Beat Generation writer William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) based on never-before-seen footage from his visit to Denmark in October 1983, and from his later years in Lawrence, Kansas. After having spent more than a quarter of a century outside of the United States, in Mexico, Tangier, Paris and London, Burroughs returned to New York in 1974. Shortly after, he began touring and reading his work to new generations of readers and thus establishing himself as a cult figure. The film focuses on Burroughs' unique talent as a performer, and on his later work, especially what is known as The Last Trilogy. In addition to the historic footage there are new interviews with friends and colleagues.

Relics: Einstein's Brain

Kevin Hull

Kenji Sugimoto, William S. Burroughs

Documentary about Kenji Sugimoto, professor in Math and Science history at Kinki university in Japan. He has spent the last 30 years publishing works about Einstein and his personality. To complete his works he travels to America to find Einstein's brain.

Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets

Maria Beatty

William S. Burroughs, Jim Carroll

Maria Beatty's documentary exploring the insights and influences of the American Beat Poets. The film conveys their consciousness and sensibility through interviews with William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Diane Di Prima, among others. Also weaves in additional commentary from contemporary musicians, poets and writers such as Marianne Faithfull, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch and Henry Rollins. Also expands upon how the poets reached new levels of creativity and inspired social change.

The Junky's Christmas

Melodie McDaniel, Nick Donkin

William S. Burroughs, Susan Ashline

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.

Chelsea Hotel

Nigel Finch

Joe Bidewell, Jobriath Boone

This TV documentary was made for the UK BBC TV "Arena" strand in 1981, and shows some of the colourful residents of and people connected with the New York Chelsea Hotel. Some highlights include Andy Warhol and William Burroughs having dinner; Quentin Crisp pontificating in a blue rinse hairdo on his balcony and Nico forgetting what she is talking about halfway through a dour rendition of "Chelsea Girls". A number of lesser-known characters also appear, linked together by a tour guide walking around the building and some sub-Shining sequences of a child cycling round the landings on a rickety tricycle. (IMDb)

Fix: The Ministry Movie

Doug Freel

Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker

Provides an insider's view of the groundbreaking, outrageous, creative juggernaut that was the band Ministry - during their world tour - as front man Al Jourgensen slips into drug addiction. Ministry made industrial rock mainstream, and along the way their music and take no prisoners lifestyle influenced the leaders of today's most important bands, many of whom are in the film.

Drugstore Cowboy

Gus Van Sant

Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch

Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne, and another couple, Rick and Nadine, who skillfully steal from drugstores and hospital medicine cabinets in order to appease their insatiable need for drugs. But neither fun nor luck last forever.

Destroy All Rational Thought

William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin

The great Beat Generation experiments took place in Tangier, the Moroccan city where William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and the Moroccan painter Hamri taught Jack Kerouac, Timothy Leary, and Allen Ginsberg how to live outside the law. This DVD features one of the last interviews with Burroughs and previously unseen vintage footage of him in his prime during the 50s and early 60s.

Condo Painting

John McNaughton

Patrick Achdjian, William S. Burroughs

John McNaughton's spotlight on George Condo and his art. The film, which follows the progress of Condo's large-scale oil painting Big Red over the course of one year, features an appearance by Allen Ginsberg, as well as footage of Condo collaborating with William S. Burroughs on paintings the two made together at Burroughs' Kansas home in the mid-1990s.

Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press

Daniel O'Connor, Neil Ortenberg

Barney Rosset, Amiri Baraka

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.

Naked Making Lunch

Chris Rodley

William S. Burroughs, David Cronenberg

A 1992 documentary about the making of Naked Lunch.