William S. Burroughs

Born: 1914-02-05

William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays, and five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences; he was initially briefly known by the pen name William Lee. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, made many appearances in films, and created and exhibited thousands of visual artworks, including his celebrated "Shotgun Art". Description above from the Wikipedia article William S. Burroughs, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

as Self
Released: 1994-05-13

A girl born with enormous thumbs in the repressive era of the 1950s learns to turn her quirks...

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Drugstore Cowboy

as Tom the Priest
Released: 1989-10-20

Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by...

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Take Your Pills

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2018-03-09

In a hypercompetitive world, drugs like Adderall offer students, athletes, coders and others a...

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Twister

as Man in Barn
Released: 1989-06-30

An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm. The...

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The Book of Life

as Preacher on Radio (voice)
Released: 1998-08-22

New Year's Eve takes on new meaning when the Devil, Jesus Christ, and Christ's assistant...

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Decoder

as Old Man
Released: 1984-02-19

F.M. discovers that different sonic frequencies induce different patterns of behaviour in...

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Bloodhounds of Broadway

as Butler
Released: 1989-11-03

This musical is based on four short stories by Damon Runyon. In one tale, gambler Feet Samuels...

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William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

as Self
Released: 2010-11-05

A riveting and emotional journey into the world of writer William S. Burroughs, a man considered...

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Ornette: Made in America

as Self
Released: 1986-02-21

Shirley Clarke's frenetic documentary about multi-talented musician Ornette Coleman.

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For No Good Reason

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2012-10-12

For No Good Reason a film about Ralph Steadman. Johnny Depp guides the visually stunning...

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Heavy Petting

as Self
Released: 1989-09-22

Celebrities and creatives -- including musician David Byrne, performance artist Spalding Gray,...

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Burroughs: The Movie

as Self
Released: 1984-02-10

An exploration of Burroughs’ life story, as told by Burroughs himself along with many of his...

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Uncle Howard

as Self
Released: 2017-03-10

When Howard Brookner lost his life to AIDS in 1989, the 35-year-old director had completed two...

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Wanderlust

as Tom the Priest
Released: 2006-07-12

A look at the mystique of road movies, combining interviews, film clips, music, photography,...

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Poem Posters

as Self
Released: 1967-05-19

... with real-life portraits of Jayne Mansfield, Frak O'Hara, Ruth Ford, Ned Rorem, Virgil...

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Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2022-01-16

We look back at more than half a century of mysterious artistic creation while trying to crack a...

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The Source

as Self
Released: 1999-01-23

Traces the Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac's meeting in 1944 at Columbia University...

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The Junky's Christmas

as Narrator
Released: 1993-04-14

Burroughs takes down a book and reads us the story of Danny the Carwiper, who spends Christmas...

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Home of the Brave

as Self
Released: 1986-04-27

A concert film directed by and featuring the music of Laurie Anderson, filmed at the Park...

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Glitterbug

as Self
Released: 1994-03-05

A collage of Derek Jarman's super 8 footage spanning over 20 years.

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Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees

as James "Hive" Maker
Released: 1991-10-21

Computer programmer/beekeeper Jacob gets a "television" implanted in his brain by a race of...

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Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles

as Self
Released: 1999-04-01

One of the most enigmatic artists of the 20th century, writer, composer and wanderer Paul Bowles...

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Underground and Emigrants

as Self
Released: 1976-10-25

In this film, outspokenly homosexual filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim has documented his encounters...

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Don't Blink - Robert Frank

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2015-11-19

The life and work of Robert Frank—as a photographer and a filmmaker—are so intertwined that...

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Witchcraft Through the Ages

as Narrator
Released: 1968-01-03

A seventy-six-minute version of Häxan, re-edited and re-released in the United States by Metro...

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Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets

as Self
Released: 1989-01-01

Maria Beatty's documentary exploring the insights and influences of the American Beat Poets. The...

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Chappaqua

as Opium Jones
Released: 1966-08-30

Semi-autobiographical story of Conrad Rooks, who travels to France to undergo a drug-withdrawal...

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September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill

as Self
Released: 1994-01-25

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

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Thanksgiving Prayer

as A Speaker
Released: 1991-01-01

An indictment ballad of all the different political groups in America.

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It Don't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen

as Mafioso
Released: 1985-02-01

An ironic New York City thriller involving a mafioso and a restless, witty lawyer.

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The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye

as uncredited
Released: 2012-03-08

An intimate, affecting portrait of the life and work of ground-breaking performance artist and...

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William Buys a Parrot

as Self
Released: 1963-10-16

A bizarre silent short film showing author William S. Burroughs negotiating to buy a parrot.

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William S. Burroughs in the Dreamachine

as Self
Released: 2015-04-14

Jon Aes-Nihil's experimental documentary about iconic Beat author William S. Burroughs'...

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The Beat Hotel

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2012-03-30

The Beat Hotel, a new film by Alan Govenar, goes deep into the legacy of the American Beats in...

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Naked Making Lunch

as Self
Released: 1992-12-29

A 1992 documentary about the making of Naked Lunch.

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FLicKeR

as Self
Released: 2009-07-14

In 1960, Brion Gysin invented the Dream Machine, a hypnotic light device with the power to...

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Cain's Film

as Self
Released: 1969-07-29

A film about Alexander Trocchi. Scottish born poet, writer, translator and author of "Young...

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Fix: The Ministry Movie

as Self
Released: 2011-07-21

Provides an insider's view of the groundbreaking, outrageous, creative juggernaut that was the...

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Thot-Fal'N

as Self
Released: 1978-06-27

This film describes a psychological state "kin to moonstruck, its images emblems (not quite...

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Obscene

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2008-09-26

A look at the life and work of American publisher Barney Rosset, who struggled to bring...

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The Cut-Ups

as uncredited
Released: 1966-01-01

Essentially a dizzying montage of quirky shots of legendary Beat Generation writer William S....

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Relics: Einstein's Brain

as Self
Released: 1994-01-01

Documentary about Kenji Sugimoto, professor in Math and Science history at Kinki university in...

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The Making of Drugstore Cowboy

as uncredited
Released: 1999-10-26

Portland, 1988. Filmmaker Gus Van Sant shoots Drugstore Cowboy, the project that will bring he...

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Poetry in Motion

as uncredited
Released: 1982-09-17

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in...

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Coda I

as Self (voice) (archive sound)
Released: 2013-01-01

Peter Gidal’s starting point for his 16mm film was a soundtrack that consists of three lines...

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Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs On the Road

as uncredited
Released: 2007-01-01

A portrait of the American Beat Generation writer William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) based on...

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Shamans of the Blind Country

as Narrator (voice)
Released: 1981-04-11

A documentary epic on magical healing in the Himalayas.

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Ghost at No. 9

as uncredited
Released: 1982-01-11

Experimental artistic film which uses the milieu of experimental art with a background of...

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Ah Pook Is Here.

as Narrator
Released: 1994-10-01

A disturbingly organic-looking figure speaks to us of life, politics and death as the symbol of...

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Robert E. Fulton III Edit of Burroughs: The Movie

as uncredited
Released: 2015-12-15

After two years of filming, director Howard Brookner brought inventor and photographer Robert E....

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Condo Painting

as uncredited
Released: 2000-03-17

John McNaughton's spotlight on George Condo and his art. The film, which follows the progress of...

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Une semaine dans la vie de camarades

as uncredited
Released: 1976-01-01

A road movie whose journey intersects with and extends the events of the International...

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The Final Academy Documents

as uncredited
Released: 1984-08-16

Documentation of the showcase titled 'The Final Academy', filmed on October 4, 1982 in The...

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William S. Burroughs: The Possessed

as uncredited
Released: 2015-01-29

Thelema Now! host Frater Puck discusses William S. Burroughs, possession, synchronicities and...

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Destroy All Rational Thought

as Self
Released: 1998-01-01

The great Beat Generation experiments took place in Tangier, the Moroccan city where William...

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Pantelia

as Self
Released: 2006-10-10

An abstract exploration of the number 10.

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Saturday Night Live

as Self
First aired: 1975-10-11

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The...

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