Columbia students strolling across campus in the spring of 2012 may have been surprised to see the actor Daniel Radcliffe on College Walk — not in Hogwarts robes, but 1940s tweed. Radcliffe was channeling Beat poet Allen Ginsberg ’48CC for the indie film Kill Your Darlings, which will open in limited North American release on October 18.
The shoot was a learning experience for a few Columbians: producer Rose Ganguzza ’72SIPA hired several film students as extras and production assistants. Others are likely to learn something about the history of their alma mater from the movie: it tells the story of Lucien Carr (played by Dane DeHaan), a friend and classmate of Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), who murdered his longtime admirer David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall) after a night of drinking at the West End. It premiered to critical acclaim at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
