I will say Craig made Lee more likable and his bow in the movie was awkward but not as disturbing as described in the book. And maybe I was too harsh when I saw he didn't love Allerton. He had a flawed kind of love where he tries to buy and control it, but he obviously had strong feelings for Allerton. Even though I already released this video, this is a movie I am still formulating my thoughts on! I definitely want to see it a second time.
Great review!! Something about the ayahuasca scene when their bodies are melting with each other reminded of some of Francis Bacon portraits... Very interesting movie and book !
I just saw this film a few hours ago, no prior knowledge of William Burroughs and I will say it had me captivated the entire time. The loneliness and longing portrayed was incredible acting work. I deeply understand Lee’s character as an addict loner gay man always seeking for something, for your fix. The scene where they take ayahuasca and meld together, I was mouth agape at its beauty, I had never seen something replicate something I had had dreams of so clearly and so beautifully as someone who has a hard time verbally communicating. This movie made me feel so many complicated things about it and myself. I dream of seeing the 3hr directors cut
@ honestly I loved it, Lee was stuck in a never ending cycle of self abuse be it drugs, alcohol, or unrequited love. He can’t stop looking in that door that holds Eugene, someone he longs for and longs to be more like “I’m not queer, I’m disembodied”. Even in his final moments he dreams of Eugene there in bed with him showing him a very simple affection, but one of the only kinds he had their entire situationship. Very tragic but genuine.
Ooh, I like the way the microphone cover, sweater, and poster font color all match. Nice touch! I agree that the movie was better, for most of the reasons you mention. It's the most faithful adaptation of a Burroughs that we are ever likely to see, but the book always felt incomplete. Guadagnino manages to make it seem complete. I was surprised, though, that you didn't mention Lesley Manville. If anyone from this movie is likely to get an Oscar nomination, it has to be her.
Yeah so true about the book feeling incomplete! And she was amazing! I have never seen anything with her before and when I saw what she normally looks like I was shocked lol. Guadagnino movies always have such perfect casting!
I find the people in the Beat Movement so interesting. I mean, I think Ginsberg is the only one I would of liked in person. I haven't read Queer though. Might have to look at it.
This is the first I have ever read anything by any of them! It reminded me of Hunter S. Thompson's writing to some degree. But yeah, from what I have read online, a lot of people have a lot of negative to say about them as people 😬
I saw this movie in the theater, but I would have to watch it again, but just chapter three in the film. But these dream sequences were VERY Trippy, and somewhat confusing. I had some moments where I was falling asleep during the film(never order a cheeseburger 🍔 and popcorn🍿a drink at the movie theater) should have ordered a cup of coffee ☕️ before watching this.
I love the symbolism of the centipede bc if that rational is transferred to; “IJ2 Temple of doom” it highlights the lust Willie and Indy have in the second act. It’s an interesting literary comparison.
I didn't know anything about the writer. it was weird but interesting. I felt sorry for the guy. Now that I've watched your video, I like it more. I will definitely need to watch it again. You can't buy love and you can't control people. Maybe I just have too much pride for either so I felt really sorry for the guy. I knew he would not end up with him.
When it comes to the adaptation of his work they tend to work in the weird happenings in his real life. David cronenberg was starting a straight-up adaptation of naked lunch and then it just became about the writer. Weird but fun to watch.
The 'routines' are the only part of the book to resemble Burroughs' later writings. Through writing these for Allerton, he discovered his own capacity for grotesque (and often funny) fantasy. From 'The Naked Lunch' onwards, his books are ENTIRELY made up of material like this, with no autobiographical content. These events turned him into the writer he became, creator of non-narrative hallucinatory prose of enormous originality (and which often mention centipedes!).
I'm little mix on the film, thought the performance by Danial Craig was the best of his movies, the movie art direction didn't work for me, left feeling it had the potential for the best movie of the year for me, but was a missing an ingredient, but I'm glad you like the movie more , I'm not a huge Willam Burroughs fan, but do think Burroughs is a good writer
I think you could totally say QUEER and CALL ME BY YOUR NAME are pretty much an inverse of each other, in that you have the younger Elio developing a crush on the older Oliver and then you have the older Lee vying for the affection of the younger Allerton. Burroughs used William Lee in several of his stories and while he was a "self-insert" for Burroughs, Lee was also always meant to represent the "Ugly American", being condescending and boisterous. I'd recommend checking out NAKED LUNCH (1991), to see David Cronenberg's take on Burroughs writing.
Interesting take on the characters but I have a different take as a Gay man who was married to a woman for 19 years before coming out. I related to Lee because there were stark similarities between our lives, except for the drug addiction. I came out in 99’ and involved myself in the sub-cultures of the gay community, or leather community, mainstream gay and the drinking culture. As a newbie, I quickly realized that some younger gay guys were looking for sugar daddies, while some bi-guys had girlfriends, had sex with men too but were in it for the financial aspect of befriending a gay man but never really into loving one. Neither type wanted a committed, younger/older relationships that actually exist for love and companionship. I pegged Allerton as bi guy with a girlfriend. While Allerton may have been physically attracted to Lee, he couldn’t love Lee and have a relationship with him. As for Lee, I related to how his addiction to alcohol distorted his reality. I went into AA at 58 and have been sober since but I’m not sure Lee ever kicked his habit. I didn’t make excuses for his behaviors or actions but saw him as a lonely and troubled man who used alcohol and drugs to escape reality. Yet, I saw both Allerton and Lee as lonely and troubled men who needed to take control-but one representing the younger version and the other the older version of the same person. Addiction = a need to control things according to AA and therapists. My takeaway is I see the snake as addiction and the scene of Lee & Allerton becoming one (after taking the root mixture) as a metaphor that they representd one person and not 2 separate characters.
@ Can you do the book “Thunderball” vs the 1965 film of the same name along with the movie “Never Say Never Again (1983)” which is based on the same book.
@@WhytheBookWins I only read it really recently, though I've been reading Burroughs on and off for years. It's a good explainer of him, at least up to a point. It's by far him at his most vulnerable, and also provides an origin story - in the 'routines' he does for Allerton - for the more experimental writer he soon became. There's also Joan's death, of course, which he cites as the likely reason he became a writer, but it's actually less clear how that led to the writing. (By the by, I don't believe he killed her on purpose. In Queer, he seems racked with painful guilt about it.) There is some shockingly cancellable stuff at the end of the book about sex with underage boys. Until I watched your video, I hadn't really seen why it was there. Now it seems to me all of a piece with his desire to control Allerton. He fails at that and moves on to these kids who are simply easier to buy and also seem to go for it with greater enthusiasm.
I will say Craig made Lee more likable and his bow in the movie was awkward but not as disturbing as described in the book. And maybe I was too harsh when I saw he didn't love Allerton. He had a flawed kind of love where he tries to buy and control it, but he obviously had strong feelings for Allerton. Even though I already released this video, this is a movie I am still formulating my thoughts on! I definitely want to see it a second time.
Great review!! Something about the ayahuasca scene when their bodies are melting with each other reminded of some of Francis Bacon portraits... Very interesting movie and book !
I also made this connection. Not coincidentally, Craig plays Bacon's partner in the movie "Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon".
I just saw this film a few hours ago, no prior knowledge of William Burroughs and I will say it had me captivated the entire time. The loneliness and longing portrayed was incredible acting work. I deeply understand Lee’s character as an addict loner gay man always seeking for something, for your fix. The scene where they take ayahuasca and meld together, I was mouth agape at its beauty, I had never seen something replicate something I had had dreams of so clearly and so beautifully as someone who has a hard time verbally communicating. This movie made me feel so many complicated things about it and myself. I dream of seeing the 3hr directors cut
Thank you for sharing! I'm glad you loved the movie!
What did you think about the very end?
@ honestly I loved it, Lee was stuck in a never ending cycle of self abuse be it drugs, alcohol, or unrequited love. He can’t stop looking in that door that holds Eugene, someone he longs for and longs to be more like “I’m not queer, I’m disembodied”. Even in his final moments he dreams of Eugene there in bed with him showing him a very simple affection, but one of the only kinds he had their entire situationship. Very tragic but genuine.
Thank you so much for this video because I was so lost on the centipede and the gun and glass sequence.
I'm glad it was helpful 😊
thank u for your review, i saw the movie yesterday and was really curious about the book's similarities to the movie, well done!
I'm glad the video was helpful!
0:41 holy fuu Kerouac was flaming hot
Agreed 😆
Ooh, I like the way the microphone cover, sweater, and poster font color all match. Nice touch! I agree that the movie was better, for most of the reasons you mention. It's the most faithful adaptation of a Burroughs that we are ever likely to see, but the book always felt incomplete. Guadagnino manages to make it seem complete. I was surprised, though, that you didn't mention Lesley Manville. If anyone from this movie is likely to get an Oscar nomination, it has to be her.
Yeah so true about the book feeling incomplete!
And she was amazing! I have never seen anything with her before and when I saw what she normally looks like I was shocked lol. Guadagnino movies always have such perfect casting!
Great channel. Great premise.
Thank you!
I find the people in the Beat Movement so interesting. I mean, I think Ginsberg is the only one I would of liked in person. I haven't read Queer though. Might have to look at it.
This is the first I have ever read anything by any of them! It reminded me of Hunter S. Thompson's writing to some degree. But yeah, from what I have read online, a lot of people have a lot of negative to say about them as people 😬
Ginsberg was an admitted pedo tho...
I saw this movie in the theater, but I would have to watch it again, but just chapter three in the film. But these dream sequences were VERY Trippy, and somewhat confusing. I had some moments where I was falling asleep during the film(never order a cheeseburger 🍔 and popcorn🍿a drink at the movie theater) should have ordered a cup of coffee ☕️ before watching this.
Yeah some parts of the dreams also come from the intro Burroughs had added in '85. But agreed, definitely one I need to watch again!
I love the symbolism of the centipede bc if that rational is transferred to; “IJ2 Temple of doom” it highlights the lust Willie and Indy have in the second act. It’s an interesting literary comparison.
I did not read the novel or had never read anything about from the author. This movie really left me affected. I loved it.
Thank you for sharing! I'm glad you liked the movie and glad I was wrong about those who went in blank possibly not liking it.
I didn't know anything about the writer. it was weird but interesting. I felt sorry for the guy. Now that I've watched your video, I like it more. I will definitely need to watch it again. You can't buy love and you can't control people. Maybe I just have too much pride for either so I felt really sorry for the guy. I knew he would not end up with him.
Thanks for commenting! And yeah, he was definitely in a sad state 😔
When it comes to the adaptation of his work they tend to work in the weird happenings in his real life. David cronenberg was starting a straight-up adaptation of naked lunch and then it just became about the writer. Weird but fun to watch.
Yeah i guess the death of Vollmer is so infamous it's hard not to show it
The 'routines' are the only part of the book to resemble Burroughs' later writings. Through writing these for Allerton, he discovered his own capacity for grotesque (and often funny) fantasy. From 'The Naked Lunch' onwards, his books are ENTIRELY made up of material like this, with no autobiographical content. These events turned him into the writer he became, creator of non-narrative hallucinatory prose of enormous originality (and which often mention centipedes!).
Thanks for sharing! I definitely want to read more by him.
I'm little mix on the film, thought the performance by Danial Craig was the best of his movies, the movie art direction didn't work for me, left feeling it had the potential for the best movie of the year for me, but was a missing an ingredient, but I'm glad you like the movie more , I'm not a huge Willam Burroughs fan, but do think Burroughs is a good writer
Yeah i went in with such high hopes and did end up feeling like something was missing and it took me a while to decide how I felt about the end.
"No, Mr Bond, I expect you to be transformed into a giant aquatic centipede..."
😂
I think you could totally say QUEER and CALL ME BY YOUR NAME are pretty much an inverse of each other, in that you have the younger Elio developing a crush on the older Oliver and then you have the older Lee vying for the affection of the younger Allerton.
Burroughs used William Lee in several of his stories and while he was a "self-insert" for Burroughs, Lee was also always meant to represent the "Ugly American", being condescending and boisterous.
I'd recommend checking out NAKED LUNCH (1991), to see David Cronenberg's take on Burroughs writing.
Yeah so true about Call Me By Your Name! And I definitely want to cover Naked Lunch, hopefully you'll see that video sometime in the next few months!
lol I like how; your shirt is the exact same color as your microphone 😊. Definitely downplays the green hints of color in your eyes
Interesting take on the characters but I have a different take as a Gay man who was married to a woman for 19 years before coming out. I related to Lee because there were stark similarities between our lives, except for the drug addiction. I came out in 99’ and involved myself in the sub-cultures of the gay community, or leather community, mainstream gay and the drinking culture. As a newbie, I quickly realized that some younger gay guys were looking for sugar daddies, while some bi-guys had girlfriends, had sex with men too but were in it for the financial aspect of befriending a gay man but never really into loving one. Neither type wanted a committed, younger/older relationships that actually exist for love and companionship. I pegged Allerton as bi guy with a girlfriend. While Allerton may have been physically attracted to Lee, he couldn’t love Lee and have a relationship with him. As for Lee, I related to how his addiction to alcohol distorted his reality. I went into AA at 58 and have been sober since but I’m not sure Lee ever kicked his habit. I didn’t make excuses for his behaviors or actions but saw him as a lonely and troubled man who used alcohol and drugs to escape reality. Yet, I saw both Allerton and Lee as lonely and troubled men who needed to take control-but one representing the younger version and the other the older version of the same person. Addiction = a need to control things according to AA and therapists. My takeaway is I see the snake as addiction and the scene of Lee & Allerton becoming one (after taking the root mixture) as a metaphor that they representd one person and not 2 separate characters.
Thank you so much for sharing! Your take on the story definitely makes sense.
Having seen Daniel Craig play a similar character in Love is the Devil I would like to see this film.
He is fantastic in it!
Can I make a suggestion for your next book versus movie episode?
Yeah
@ Can you do the book “Thunderball” vs the 1965 film of the same name along with the movie “Never Say Never Again (1983)” which is based on the same book.
You never disappoint. I love the movie, the book is harsh to read for how unlikeable is Lee
Yeah Craig's performance definitely made him more likeable while still being the kind of who really is his own worst enemy.
Hey lovely review, I liked ur comments on queerness ❤️❤️ I may watch the film soon :-)
Thanks! The movie is definitely worth watching 😊
#teamfishjelly
😁 their reviews are always so insightful!
There's a movie of Queer?!
Yeah! I'm sure it'll be streaming pretty soon
@@WhytheBookWins I only read it really recently, though I've been reading Burroughs on and off for years. It's a good explainer of him, at least up to a point. It's by far him at his most vulnerable, and also provides an origin story - in the 'routines' he does for Allerton - for the more experimental writer he soon became. There's also Joan's death, of course, which he cites as the likely reason he became a writer, but it's actually less clear how that led to the writing. (By the by, I don't believe he killed her on purpose. In Queer, he seems racked with painful guilt about it.)
There is some shockingly cancellable stuff at the end of the book about sex with underage boys. Until I watched your video, I hadn't really seen why it was there. Now it seems to me all of a piece with his desire to control Allerton. He fails at that and moves on to these kids who are simply easier to buy and also seem to go for it with greater enthusiasm.
@JohnMoseley yeah that part with the boys was disturbing to read, but definitely fits the character in the way you described.