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Movies / On DVD / Obscene: A Portrait Of Barney Rosset And Grove Press
Obscene: A Portrait Of Barney Rosset And Grove Press

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Obscene: A Portrait Of Barney Rosset And Grove Press (2008)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:21

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.3/10

Rated: NC

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:27-02-2009

Synopsis: Cultural luminaries as varied as John Waters, Amiri Baraka, John Sayles, and Erica Jong join for the common cause of celebrating the career and influence of Barney Rosset. As the publisher of Grove... Cultural luminaries as varied as John Waters, Amiri Baraka, John Sayles, and Erica Jong join for the common cause of celebrating the career and influence of Barney Rosset. As the publisher of Grove Press and Evergreen Review, Rosset battled for the ending of censorship and brought many fascinating voices to the public ear. But the excitement didn't stop with his professional life; friends and family watched in horror as Rosset's experiences took him right to the edge. OBSCENE features music from Bob Dylan, the Doors, Patti Smith, and more. [More]

Starring: Barney Rosset, Amiri Baraka, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Al Goldstein

Starring: Barney Rosset, Amiri Baraka, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Al Goldstein, Erica Jong, Ray Manzarek, Michael McClure, Ed Sanders, John Sayles, Gore Vidal, John Waters, Lenny Bruce, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Henry Miller, Malcolm X

Director: Neil Ortenberg, Daniel O'Connor

Director: Neil Ortenberg, Daniel O'Connor
Producer: Neil Ortenberg, Daniel O'Connor, Tanya Ager Meillier, Alexander Meillier
Studio: Arthouse Films

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Reviews for Obscene: A Portrait Of Barney Rosset And Grove Press

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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This film is an engaging portrait of the man and a fair assessment of his achievement.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
03/06/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

While the filmmakers squander some excellent opportunities that might have helped to illuminate the contradictions in their subject, this remains a fascinating study of an unrepentant American maverick.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/27/09
Jamie McLeish
Jamie McLeish
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Obscene, is melancholic. The eerie contradiction is how chirpy and cheery this remarkable activist, and self-confessed sex addict, is at more than 80 years of age.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
02/27/09
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An entertaining docu-tribute.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/27/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
02/27/09
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An entertaining and engrossing film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/10/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Brilliant social history about one of the greatest publishers of the modern epoch, even if he is "Human, All Too Human"

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/29/09
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

With testimony from scads of heyday contributors and an infectious design reflecting Grove Press's innovative cover art ... the filmmakers could have shelved the weaker bits without missing a beat.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
11/23/08
Matthew Sorrento
Matthew Sorrento
Film Threat

The focus of Obscene remains steadfastly on the man, thanks to a rich variety of archival and interview clips that span his entire career and a slew of colleagues, fiends and enemies.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/21/08
Ted Fry
Ted Fry
Seattle Times

Rosset is a lively subject, and his interviews (over many years) provide an oral history of his life and times.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
11/21/08
Bill White
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

... a justified tribute to [Barney] Rosset, who in his mid-80s is still feisty, with a refreshingly lighthearted attitude toward all he accomplished.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
11/12/08
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/21/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
10/18/08
Christopher Campbell
Christopher Campbell
Cinematical

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
10/18/08
Keith H. Brown
Keith H. Brown
Eye for Film
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
10/18/08
Rumsey Taylor
Rumsey Taylor
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/18/08
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though Obscene tells the story without fully exploring its nuances, that story is both fascinating and more than a little inspiring.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/02/08
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

The doc formally mirrors its subject in its pacing, which balances the titillation/education of the doc's subject with consistent and pleasantly teasing speed and tone from start to finish.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
09/30/08
Sara Schieron
Sara Schieron
Boxoffice Magazine

A compelling documentary about [Barney Rosset] directed by neophytes Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/26/08
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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