Obscene

• 
  
  May 3, 2009

  her69eyes

  "I feel personally that a word has never been written that should not be published," says Barney Rosset, one of the most influential of all modern publishers. Barney fought for free speech, and thanks to his publication, The Evergreen Press, Americans were introduced to the writi...( read more)ngs of everyone from Harold Pinter to Malcolm X, from Che Guevara to D.H. Lawrence.
  
  His battles against conservatism were so revolutionary, in the eyes of the filmmakers, that he is marketed as "the most influential cultural figure you've never heard of". And it is hard to argue. Rosset seemed to spend much of his young life in court rooms - battling for the rights to publish novels like D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterly's Lover", Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer", and William Burroughs' "Naked Lunch". At one point in time, Rosset even dabbled in the world of film distribution. His distributing of the infamous Swedish film, "I Am Curious (Yellow)", defied bans of censorship and embraced sexual freedom. The film, at the time, was such an underground phenomenon that even Jackie Kennedy was cited as a fan. Looking back, however, a few of the documentary's subjects laugh - Jon Waters, for instance, jokes that lingering shots of a man and his limp penis is far from sexy or entertaining.
  
  Obscene is not the appropriate term to use in all cases, however. Rosset's introduction of the writings of political leaders, such as Malcolm X, was certainly far from pornographic pleasure. While the film mainly focuses on the more daring novels in the publication, I feel that a more interesting film may be the idea of overcoming political censorship.
  
  Rosset makes for a fairly entertaining, albeit drained and dull, subject. He comes off as so defeated that it's hard to imagine that he's the same man who was such a crucial figure in the evolution of modern free speech. His status as "everyman" is heightened as now, as an old man, he is just about broke. After starting with a fortune, thanks to a rich family, he ended up broke due to poor investment choices in real estate. A sad story indeed that such a hero does not have the comfort or recognition that he deserves.
  
  The film is tightly put together, however I was disappointed that it focused more on the legal battles rather than Rosset himself. While Rosset's efforts are astounding, it'd also be interesting to get inside of the head of the man who accomplished so much. The film feels fairly dull, but that being said it's a worthwhile history lesson that's deserving of a watch if only to be informed.
  
  "Obscene" is available on NetFlix Instant View.

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• Al Goldstein
• Amiri Baraka
• Barney Rosset
• Ed Sanders
• Erica Jong
• Gore Vidal
• Jim Carroll
• John Rechy
• John Sayles

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