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The Broken Tower

  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
The Broken Tower (2011)
A biography of American poet Hart Crane who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.
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A biography of American poet Hart Crane who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.A biography of American poet Hart Crane who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.A biography of American poet Hart Crane who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.

  • Director
    • James Franco
  • Writers
    • James Franco
    • Paul Mariani
  • Stars
    • James Franco
    • Michael Shannon
    • Stacey Miller
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • James Franco
    • Writers
      • James Franco
      • Paul Mariani
    • Stars
      • James Franco
      • Michael Shannon
      • Stacey Miller
    • 12User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Teaser
    Trailer 0:30
    Teaser

    Photos12

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    Top cast39

    Edit
    James Franco
    James Franco
    • Hart Crane
    Michael Shannon
    Michael Shannon
    • Emile
    Stacey Miller
    Stacey Miller
    • Mrs. Cowley
    Richard Abate
    • Father Crane
    Betsy Franco
    Betsy Franco
    • Mother Crane
    Paul Mariani
    • Alfred Stieglitz
    Shandor Garrison
    • Gorham Munson
    Dylan Goodwin
    Dylan Goodwin
    • Young Truck Driver
    John Morrow
    • Young Sailor
    Ivo Juhani
    • French Man in Library
    Vince Jolivette
    Vince Jolivette
    • American Man in Paris
    Fallon Goodsen
    • American Woman in Paris
    Caroline Aragon
    Caroline Aragon
    • French Cafe Owner
    Sebastian Celis
    • Deckhand
    Will Rawls
    • Factory Worker
    Kazy Tauginas
    Kazy Tauginas
    • Boxer
    Aztec Musicians Grupo de Danza Azteca Chichimeca Ome Acati
    • Musical Group
    Alejandro León
    • Dancer
    • Director
      • James Franco
    • Writers
      • James Franco
      • Paul Mariani
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    4.81.3K
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    Featured reviews

    4SnoopyStyle

    Franco student film

    James Franco does an experimental autobiography of American poet Hart Crane. Michael Shannon plays Emile, one of his lovers. It's black and white and supposedly Franco's student film at New York University. It is unwatchable if you're looking for a narrative driven story. I'll be cruel and say it's pretentious. It's an art student film. It is technically competent. The black and white photography looks good. Unlike most amateur films, this one has top level actors. It is simply not good as a film. I'd rather have a short film with only Franco reading poetry. There's no way to maintain enough concentration to follow the entire run.
    4justahunch-70549

    A misfire

    I thought this was an interesting topic, so I took a chance on it despite being turned off of Franco's directorial talents (?!) after just recently viewing the positively horrid As I lay Dying. This is a step up from that, but it is still a failure. Franco gives a rather convincing and sincere performance here, and from what I have read a lot of this seems accurate, but his filming technique is ponderous, monotonous and pretentious. I give him credit for trying creative things, but so many of them are misfires. I did like the black & white cinematography as it helped with the feel of the era, particularly the NY scenes. The much talked about explicit oral sex scene is not all that much, though it is daring for a major actor to do. I assume that a certain appendage is fake, but you never know with this guy. He has stated he is gay up to the point of penetration, so this would fit in with that stance. I didn't know the very talented & interesting Michael Shannon was in this. He has little to do other than one very passionate kissing sequence with Franco, but he too is another bold actor that I admire for taking chances. Nevertheless, this really cannot be recommended.
    jm10701

    James Franco's impression of what Hart Crane was like

    I must confess that I bought The Broken Tower for the wrong reason, because I read that James Franco did something in it that gay men do all the time but non-porn actors NEVER do on film, even openly gay actors in flagrantly gay movies. That bit was kind of a bust, but I ended up liking the movie anyway, for less sleazy reasons.

    I know next to nothing about Hart Crane, and I don't know a lot more after having watched this movie. It's not a biography by any means. My best guess would be that it's James Franco's impression of what Crane was like, and that's what makes it interesting.

    It's oddly directed, with very many long, hand-held, extreme closeups, filmed from about chest-level, of Franco (as Crane) walking the streets of various cities, usually looking up from just under his chin, but sometimes looking at the back of his head. That motif repeats often.

    At least 70% of the spoken lines in the movie are Franco (always as Crane) reading Crane's poetry: one long scene reciting to an audience in a formal setting, and much poetry read as a sort of narration as various events unfold on screen. This movie definitely is not for people who hate poetry - Crane's poetry in particular.

    It's definitely not for people who need action, romance, likable characters, or a clear story line in movies. It's for people who can sit through a 108-minute experimental movie without any particular expectation as to what it's going to be like.

    It's for people who appreciate enthusiasm and passion in artists (I'm talking mainly about Franco, but it applies to Crane too, I suppose) even if the result is not particularly coherent. It's obvious that this was a labor of love for Franco, and that more than anything else is what makes it interesting.
    3karl_consiglio

    A drag

    Not a particularly great poet to begin with. I don't know why the film is in black and white, is that supposed to make it look more arty or something? I don't see why he was not happy with the advertising job. He could have still found time for his poems on the side. His poems are really heavy and monotonous and pedantic, I bet they don't necessarily mean anything most of the time. They just kind of sound like they do. But its just drunken delirium. Some nice shots under the bridge. The guy does have a nice smile. Poet was destructive. I bet Ginsberg liked this guy. Lucky guy got to travel a lot, not bad for a broke cliché of a suffering artist.
    7WeLikeMondays

    Brave Choices, Beautiful Film

    Just attended the premier of The Broken Tower at the LA Film Festival and, once again, James Franco makes brave choices and produces a beautiful film. The camera work, editing, score, and the actors' performances, sustain a sometimes difficult story with elegance, honesty, and passion.

    Set against the backdrop of 1920's New York, Paris, Cuba, and Mexico, The Broken Tower succeeds in merging two disparate art forms, film and poetry, to propel the narrative. There's also a lot of silence in this film where we are allowed to see Crane's world as through his eyes. Elegaic sequences are punctuated with cuts to black and the spare and subtle soundtrack perfectly matches the storytelling.

    I admit to knowing nothing about Hart Crane before tonight's screening but I left wanting to read his poems and letters myself.

    Thank you, Mr. Franco,

    wlm

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    Related interests

    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History
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    Romance
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    War

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shot in three countries and 30 locations in 15 days.
    • Goofs
      The dress, hair, and make-up of the Peggy character are all wrong for 1931.
    • Quotes

      Gorham Munson: Hart, forgive me for saying this. But you want to speak for America.

      Hart Crane: Yeah.

      Gorham Munson: Does it matter that you're queer?

      Hart Crane: [Annoyed, rolls eyes] Whitman was queer. That's why he could love *all* of America. The roustabouts. The slaves. The, the soldiers he nursed in the Civil War.

      Gorham Munson: So you will expose yourself?

      Hart Crane: It's funny, considering my truckdriver left me. No. People can know everything about us when we're dead. But for now, it's better to keep quiet. For father's sake.

      Gorham Munson: [sarcastically] Right. You wouldn't want to lose that tremendous job for the sake of some queer affirmation.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Hart Crane: An Exegesis (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      The Bitter Pill
      Written and Performed by Neil Benezra

      Smoking Pigeons Publishing, ASCAP

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 20, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Разрушенная башня
    • Filming locations
      • Paris, France
    • Production companies
      • Made In Film-Land
      • Pimienta Films
      • Rabbit Bandini Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 39m(99 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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