I read On The Road years ago and a biography on Jack Kerouac. He was definitely a talented writer and I have found it depressing lately that some people don’t know who Kerouac was. That should all change soon when the ‘unfilmable’ On The Road hits our screens this month.

This documentary has access to all of the main people who surrounded Kerouac and were themselves part of the Beat movement. In fact,, one of the reasons this documentary is a success is the amount of access the filmmaker got to the people in Kerouac’s life, including his daughter and ex-wife. It paint a full, comprehensive and entertaining insight in Jack Kerouac’s life.

There is also home movie footage and Kerouac’s appearances on the Steve Allen show. This documentary is a brilliant insight into the historical and artistic time of the beat generation. A great snapshot of history and a must-see.

Jack Kerouac is a cultural icon whose influence is still felt around the world 42 years after his death, not least

with the upcoming film adaptation of his most famous book, ‘On The Road’ starring Sam Riley and Kristen

Stewart. The key protagonists of the Beat Generation are also the subject ‘Kill Your Darlings’, due for release

in 2013, in which Kerouac is played by Jack Huston and Daniel Radcliffe stars as Allen Ginsberg.

Those wishing to know more about this iconic writer need look no further than What Happened To Kerouac?,

an illuminating tribute to the King of the Beat Generation as told by the writer’s contemporaries, friends and

family and by Kerouac himself. This new double disc DVD edition offers a re-mastered version of the original

film and also contains over two hours of additional material including never before seen interviews. What

Happened to Kerouac? is released by 3DD Productions.

With contributions from fellow Beat writers including Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs

and family members including Kerouac’s ex-wife Edie and his daughter Jan, What Happened To Kerouac?

offers an honest and engaging portrayal of an extraordinary talent through a series of vivid vignettes and

anecdotes that reveal what happened when fame and notoriety were thrust upon an essentially reticent man.

The new 2-disc edition of What Happened to Kerouac? also features ‘The Beat Goes On’, a collection of

interviews that delve deeper into Kerouac’s character including previously unreleased full length interviews

with Abbie Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Michael McClure and Paul Krassner.

Home movie footage and excerpts from Kerouac’s unforgettable appearances on the Steve Allen (1959) and

William Buckley (1968) TV shows are intermingled with captivating recordings of Kerouac reading from some

of his best loved works including On The Road, Mexico City Blues and Doctor Sax. The result is an enlightening

appreciation of Kerouac’s character and of his contribution to modern literature.

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