Go Moan for Man: The Literary Odyssey of Jack Kerouac: (A RealFilms Production)

as Gary tries to figure out just how he fell to this state, frequently shaking his head at the craziness he sees around him, with a softspoken "that ain't right." Perhaps the most poignant moment of the series, however , comes at the end, when Dutton calls out on the street, as he's donebefore, caningFranovertohim. Theblurredfigure approaches and as it comes into focus its clearly not Khandi Alexander. Instead , it's the real Fran Boyd, who is shortly joined by others, including the real DeAndre. They talk to Dutton about their lives on the comer, about their various recoveries and falls - Fran is now clean, butDeAndre's ajunkie-andtheytalk about Gary. Garyhas not survived to participate in this final interview. Neither have a number of other supporting characters who we've gotten to know over the last six episodes. The moment acutely reminds the viewer of those words on the screen: "True stories. . ." And this moving drama becomes exponentially sadder. Ultimately, The Corneris notthe easiesttelevisionproduction to watch. Nor is it meant to be. This is not your average TV entertainment. This is a terrible story about a terrible place, and it's hard to imagine any networktaking such arisk on such a show. The freedoms allowedby the cable broadcasts are to be celebrated, butit's a pity that something as powerful as The Corner could not reach a wider audience. Charles Dutton says inthe introduction, "there are a hundred open-air drug markets in Baltimore, thousands in America. Whether the rest ofthe world wants to think about them or not." But after seeing the stirring stories of The Corner it is utterly impossible to not think about them, and the people trapped within. Regular Feature | Film Reviews state. Sharpies achieves stunning shots of Desolation Peak, and, accompanied by effective voice-over narration from Desolation Angels, a shot of the sky mirrored on the surface of Lake Ross as Kerouac had seen it and described it as "ilkmitable space." Go Moan for Man presents Ginsberg, Corso, and Burroughs among the cast of "real life" characters who provide commentary for the film. Along with Kerouac biographers and scholars such as Ann Charters, Gerald Nicosia, and John Tytell, there are shots that make a definitive Kerouac photo album: Michael McClure, Peter Orlovsky, Ed Sanders, Ted Berrigan, DavidAmram, Paul Krassner, Ken Kesey, Joyce Johnson (his girlfriend), Edie Parker (his first wife), Stella Sampas (his widow), and many more. Sharpies handles the many interviews with Kerouac's friends and acquaintances with grace and ease, moving from black and white, to color, to graphics of Kerouac's trail across a map of the United States and Mexico. A small cast portrays Kerouac and his fellow beats as the filmretraces theirtravels over two-lane blacktop. The mise en scène in an Iowa diner sets the tone, as does Kerouac (Bill Mabon) hitching a ride in a '47 Ford. Sharpies gives Mabon no lines from Kerouac's work, which is an interesting and wise decision, since Marc Oxoby University of Nevada, Reno Oxoby@aol.com Go Moan for Man: The Literary Odyssey of Jack Kerouac (A RealFilms Production) Jack Kerouac's life and literature are the subjects of Go Moanfor Man (1999), a two hour film which was shot over a period of seventeen years on three continents. There are two Odysseys evidentin GoMoanforMan: JackKerouac's, andthe Sharpies'. Doug Sharpies (writer, director, cinematographer) began his film Odyssey in 1982, and with Judi Sharpies (producer), followed Kerouac's trail from his birthplace at 9 Lupine Road in Lowell, Massachusetts to his deathbed at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg , Rorida. BetweenKerouac's birthand death sites Sharpies includes shots ofthe house in Lowell where Jack's brother (Visions ofGerard) died, shots ofSt. Joseph's parochial where Jack learned English, and shots of the high school featured in Vanity ofDulouz and The Town and the City. The Sharpies filmed the actual buildings where Kerouac stayed in Tangier, Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, and Desolation Peak in Washington Doug and Judi Sharpies, director and producer, Go Moanfor Man. Kerouac will finally speak for himself, and his own voice is the most effective instrument for his work...