The Good Blonde

I did really dig the film. The style is perfect, not gimmicky, just right, and the casting of Hinkle works even if you don’t recognise him (he looks familiar). I also liked the modesty of the whole piece, which is more Kerouacian than the usual effort to hop things up (although, oddly, I recall they take benzedrine in the original story, which ought to make it frenetic, whereas I found the mood wistful). I imagine you must have resisted a lot of temptations with a piece like this, and you did well to do so. In short, it is a lovely film. - Oliver Harris

You have done a good job of presenting Jack's words - it is a lot of dialogue to fit into a film, but I think you've managed to balance them with the images pretty well. As an old-timer, I especially liked seeing Al Hinkle on the screen and shots of Big Sur and City Lights. You have certainly undertaken some difficult works to translate into film. Congratulations, another good job. - Bill Morgan

Saunders isn't one for simple re-creation, instead he interprets, keeping the kernel centre and building on that ... Director Saunders keeps the essence of Kerouac's story but gives it a twist, the actual road intruding at the beginning and near ending of the film. This short film has elements, quite deliberately, of a home movie about it. It conveys a restlessness and two lonely souls have a a brief encounter - only to drift away like tiny grains of sand in a cast of billions. The beach being the universe ... I'm not sure what Saunders' next move is, but if this is to be it, he leaves behind an intriguing box of films for us Beat enthusiasts to reflect on. The hope is that many of you will get to see them all. - Beat Scene Magazine

Each short film, screened alone or together, creates a visual poetry that captures the psyche of the authors, engaging and deepening the interests of Beat enthusiasts while introducing the Beat Generation to a new, contemporary audience.  - Paul Fisk, Director of The UK Festival of the Beats 2017