The Cut Ups 58 years old

Essentially a dizzying montage of quirky shots of legendary Beat Generation writer William S. Burroughs and noted surrealist artist Brion Gysin, this nearly 20 minute avant-garde short features repeated articulations of such random things as "Hello," "Where are we now?," and "Look at that picture" instead of music or standard dialogue. The narrative is decidedly nonlinear and perplexing, with no discernible plot whatsoever as we see images of Gysin working on his paintings and calligraphic designs and Burroughs rummaging through draws, packing a suitcase, giving a young man a physical, making a call in a phone booth, and waiting on a platform for a subway train.

Credits

The Cut Ups Cast

Name Character
William S. Burroughs He was 51, 83 years old when he died
Brion Gysin He was 49, 70 years old when he died

The Cut Ups Crew

Name Department
Antony Balch as Director. He was 28 (42) years old when He died Directing
William S. Burroughs as Story. He was 51 (83) years old when He died Writing
The Cut Ups poster
The Cut Ups (58 years)

  • Release day: Saturday, January 01, 1966
  • Runtime: 19 minutes