"The beats were the major turning point in twentieth century artistic, literary, and cinematic practice. Further, from the mid '40s onwards, they explored new ideas and new ways of living - embracing a politics that was queer, anti-nuclear, ecological, and libertarian. Beat cinema ranges from the classics of the underground to bio-pics and documentaries, from adaptations of beat literature to the most gleefully absurd exploitation b-movies. Some of these films seek to find an authentic voice, others attempt to jump on a cult bandwagon, most of these films are rarely - if ever - screened, and all demand to be viewed if only to give an insight into the massive influence of the beats on global culture over the last sixty years."

From an essay by Jack Sargeant over at that excellent site Senses of Cinema.