William S. Burroughs - Commissioner of Sewers

Starring:William S. Burroughs, JÃ¼rgen Ploog
Director: Klaus Maeck
Studio: Eclectic DVD Dist.
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Product Description

Commissioner Of Sewers combines interview and archival material, paintings, and clips of William S. Burroughs' film appearances (including "Decoder" and Gus Van Zant's "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Thanksgiving Prayer") with footage from Burroughs' last European reading in Berlin on May 9th, 1986 to create a witty and intriguing portrait of the man described by Norman Mailer as "the only American novlist living today who may conceivably be possessed by genius."

Other Information:

Product Description

Other Information:

Running Time: 60 mins

Format: DVD

Customer Reviews:

It's nice to see Burroughs on film, but..........2007-02-14

I was excited to get this DVD and see footage of William. S. Burroughs. Well now I have more than enough clips of the brilliant writer, but that's about it. Not really a biography. Not really a movie. Just some cool footage that would go well in the background at a party where the abstract musical musings of the band Anamorphosis are improvising live, and you watch Burroughs cut ups while trying to slide closer to the cute girl dressed as a Japanese anime character...before passing out from too much faux absinthe a guy dressed as Hunter.S.Thompson gave you at the door of the same guys living room.

Good footage. No content.

Ignore the Technique and Just Enjoy the Author.......2006-01-28

Few authors have ever been as adept at oratory with their own writings as Burroughs was, so any record of him reading his work is worth seeing. This also includes some interesting interview segments. It looks cheaply shot, and I could've lived without all the psychedelic effects that the filmmakers put behind Burroughs while he reads; the man is fascinating to listen to and watch, so that stuff is just a distraction. Nonetheless, worth seeing for fans.

This video captures the essential brilliance of WSB.......1999-10-27

I saw this video in 1994 as a fledgling WSB fan and quickly became a loyal reader of all his books and, have been seeking out other cameo performances ever since by one of the most influential sub-culture writers of all time. This video provides us with the brilliant insights of a reasonable, highly logical individual who just happens to have the genuine, but obscure talent to make us realize some of the undesireable - and sometimes unfathomable truths of life in the modern world. The mono-tonal voice of cynical eloquence is captured in this video, along with rapturous images of the artist work on canvas. The "fireside chat" style of the interview, paired with dubiously positioned questions on life, death, and consciousness are cleverly interlaced in between readings of some of WSB's finest excerpts. As a relatively new, but life-long WSB afficionado, I highly suggest this video to start off your wonderous journey into the mind of an incredibly gifted, off-kilter literary phenomenoh.

A rare personal look at Burroughs, rough, but informative.......1999-05-19

A rare look at Burroughs, the man, including a hilarious skit of "By the Dawns Early Light" starring Burroughs as Dr. Benway. The filming is quite rough, but I think William would have liked it that way. It's worth it just to hear the man speak.

NOT BAD.......1999-03-13

interview footage, and live performance footage. this could have been better made.

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