GamerTab That was an excellent one.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

denmn The story of a ballsy little American hero, Obscene recounts the life of Barney Rosset who's fought a lifelong battle against censors, philistines, bullies, and shrieking 'won't somebody think of the children!' nanny-state-ninnies, and made America slightly less stupid because of it (I, personally, can't think of a better legacy). A naturally-rebellious guy, Rosset, after WWII found himself, almost by accident, the owner of tiny publishing house Grove Press and almost immediately made a career out of provoking court battles with the self-proclaimed 'forces of decency' by seeking out and publishing controversial works of literature. He started off with Lady Chatterley's Lover, moved on to Tropic of Cancer, Waiting for Godot, Naked Lunch, and many others 9and founding the groundbreaking journal Evergreen Review), fighting, and winning, the battle for free speech, free expression, and all of the rest of that Commie stuff, running through all his resources (and more than a few wives) in the process. In addition to the official, court-sanctioned harassment, he got death threats, smear campaigns, and, oh yeah, somebody bombed his office. Way to go America! Rosset, still impishly subversive well into old age, recounts his various struggles against The Man with obviously pride, even as he spells out the most difficult and unjust ways in which the foes of art tried, and ultimately succeeded, in bringing Grove down. Filled with saucy excerpts, indignant interviews, racy archival footage, and an inherent love of the written word, Obscene is a thrilling, fascinating, and infuriating watch, and you'll have a new hero at the end. Unless, of course, you're an illiterate prig.Movie geeks unite! http://videoportjones.wordpress.com/

lreynaert This documentary gives a fair picture of the life of the courageous editor Barney Rosset, the founder of Grove Press, which published such 'pornographic' authors as the Marquis de Sade, Henry Miller, William S. Burroughs or D.H. Lawrence (Lady Chatterley's Lover). From the beginning, his publishing house was a heavy thorn in the eye of the Moral 'Majority' (power, not numbers). One sees in this picture even a disgusted and angry US President waving before a TV camera, 'obscene' photos distributed by Rosset's press. As always, the Moral 'Majority' was and is heavily obsessed by sex, but not by killing in wars. But did porn kill until now one human being on earth? What and where is the 'real' pornography?Barney Rosset was physically threatened and ultimately, his headquarters were bombed (!) by apparently members of a secret service. He was a true pioneer of free speech, also in sexual matters. Of course, he was interested in sex. Who is not, in a positive or negative sense? In any case, he didn't thrive on the profoundly vulgar standards of the actual adult industry, a multi-billion dollar business built on hundreds of years of sexual repression. As Christopher Hitchens states in his formidable book 'God is not great': 'god gave man a sexual impulse, only for religion to suppress it.'This documentary is a must see for all people interested in free speech, in the policies of the Moral 'Majority' and in the real nature of mankind.

larry-411 I attended the U.S. Premiere of "Obscene" at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. But don't let the name fool you -- there is nothing obscene in or about this film. The only thing that's obscene is how government has tried to legislate morality and the courts have colluded over the past hundred years to block the publishing of literature by passing judgment on what is acceptable in America.This eye-opening documentary about legendary publisher Barney Rosset exposes the reality of how First Amendment rights have actually been withheld over the years. Considered the pioneer of anti-censorship laws, Rosset, as the owner of New York-based Grove Press and the Evergreen Review, was involved in lawsuit after lawsuit in an effort to introduce some of the world's greatest authors, poets, and filmmakers to America. In that he succeeded, yet his name may not be well known to the public. This film hopes to change that.Notables interviewed on screen include Ray Manzarek of The Doors, William S. Burroughs, John Waters, Gore Vidal, John Sayles, Erica Jong, Al Goldstein, Jim Carroll, Amiri Baraka, and Lenny Bruce -- a veritable Who's Who of artists and writers who've fought their own battles against censorship. "Obscene" is totally engaging and production values are top-notch.Books like Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer" and William S. Burroughs' "Naked Lunch," along with the film classic "I Am Curious: Yellow," would not be part of our culture if not for the work of Barney Rosset. More than anything, though, "Obscene" is a human interest story about the life of one man -- what he achieved and how he suffered in his later years. The film is both moving and heartbreaking, and long overdue. Certainly anyone whose career or personal life involves championing the First Amendment should see this movie.

JustCuriosity I had the opportunity to see this film at the SXSW film festival in Austin, TX. It is a wonderful tribute to a great and almost forgotten American, Barney Rosset, the publisher of Grove Press and the Evergreen Review. Despite its prominent place in the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the nature of free speech has long been contested within American society. Those of us under 40 often do not appreciate how much censorship used to exist in the U.S. until relatively recently, because this side of censorship has mostly disappeared. Free speech has not always been as free as it is today.Obscene, the story of Barney Rosset, is both a biographical picture and the story of the struggle to open up American society to new ideas and concepts. This is the story of transition from the repressed America of the 1950s to the more open society that would emerge from the 1960s/1970s and would continue to today. Some would say that opening up to that much obscenity has not been a good thing, but its really the cost of freedom.Barney Rosset, at great personal and financial cost, was one of those pioneers that spent his life tearing down rules that restricted the publication of books like Lady Chatterly's Lover, Naked Lunch, Tropic of Cancer and poems like Howl. He challenged the system to open up and confront topics that had once been taboo.I hope the film makers will make an edited - PG-13 version - available for classroom use. Perhaps it would be ironic to censor such a film, but it seems like a necessary sacrifice to get the core message out to young people who need to learn both how precious legacy free speech is - especially today when free speech faces different sort of challenges. The non-professional film makers have done a really first rate job including music and editing. The film is perhaps a little long at 97 minutes, but that is a minor flaw. I hope their film gets a wider distribution and that Barney Rosset is remembered for his important contributions to this country.