Search - Obscene on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2007 DVD Release: 02/10/2009 Format: DVD - Black and White,Color Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Virgil Films and Entertainment Members Wishing: 2 Genres: History, Language & Literature, Biography, Social History, Politics & Government, Media Studies

To countless avant-garde novelists, filmmakers, and playwrights, publisher Barney Rosset -- proprietor of the legendary Grove Press -- qualifies as an undisputed hero. Via scores of in-court legal battles, Rosset fought aggressively and valiantly to defend the release of works as varied as William S. Burroughs' novel -Naked Lunch, Henry Miller's novel -Tropic of Cancer, and Vilgot Sjöman's classic arthouse film I Am Curious (Yellow). As co-directed by Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor, the documentary Obscene builds a case not only for the idea that Rosset was utterly indispensable in the battle for freedom of speech that descended on America in the late '60s and early '70s, but that he deserves hearty praise for championing works that pushed accepted moral standards into theretofore unacceptable territory. Via a combination of extensive archival footage and interviews, Obscene traces Rosset's professional and personal life, beginning with his early years at the Parker School and Swarthmore through his involvement in the armed forces and his presence in the Manhattan avant-garde with wife Joan Mitchell during the late '40s and early '50s. The film places heaviest emphasis on (and devotes most of its screen time to) Rosset's censorship battles for various works during the mid- to late '60s, before moving into an exploration of his troubled subsequent years that were marked by financial difficulty, violent attacks from disapproving groups, government surveillance, and a host of other complications. Interviewees include Rosset, Al Goldstein, John Waters, Gore Vidal, John Sayles, and Ray Manzarek. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Barney Rosset
Amiri Baraka
Jim Carroll
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Al Goldstein

This documentary on freewheeling free-speech activist and publisher Barney Rosset and the publishing house he helped make famous has received a straightforward release on DVD. Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1; the image is sharp, well-detailed and colorful throughout, but the picture hasn't been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16x9 monitors, so viewers with high-def televisions won't get the full effect of the picture. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo and the fidelity is quite good, even in the archival interviews; the interviews are in English, with no multiple language options or subtitles included. This release is a bit short on bonus materials; the only extras are a trailer for the feature and outtakes from one of the interviews with Rosset shot for the film, though Rosset's stories are witty and entertaining. While this isn't anything terribly special as a DVD, it does deliver a good presentation of Obscene, and those who are eager to see the film wont feel cheated by this release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide