Jack Kerouac's life is examined through interviews with his contemporaries and friends including Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William S. Burroughs. The film also employs dramatic recreations of Kerouac's life beginning with his early childhood.
Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats (1985) is a documentary film directed by John Antonelli, released on September 6, 1985 with a runtime of 1h 11m. It stars Peter Coyote. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 12 ratings.
Directed by John Antonelli, written by Frank Cervarich and John Antonelli.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 12 ratings.
Good documentary could have benefited from more interviews and and poetry readings, which are out there. "The Dharma Bums" barely gets mentioned. Still, an informative look at a groundbreaking figure and literary giant.
Reviewed on February 10, 2019
The King of the Beats gets a rather standard documentary treatment, complete with badly done reenactments, but it is hard to screw up such a strong subject. Filmed in the early 1980's, all the Beat writers and various hangers-on are trotted out to tell the story of the author of "On the Road," a novel that changed modern literature. Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1922 and went to Columbia…
Reviewed on September 27, 2023
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Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats (1985) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats (1985) includes Peter Coyote. The film was directed by John Antonelli. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats was released on September 6, 1985 and runs for 1h 11m.
Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats (1985) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 12 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
