Barney Rosset Movies
As the groundbreaking, taboo-shattering New York-based proprietor of Grove Press, publisher Barney Rosset dramatically altered the course of history with success that peaked during the late '60s and virtually turned him into a household name. A charter member of the postwar avant-garde from its very inception, Rosset founded Grove and used it as an engine to issue a periodical known as The Evergreen Review, solely designed to help spread knowledge and availability of contemporary literature and film. It achieved such iconic popularity that Rosset soon expanded Grove into the publication of books and plays, emphasizing vital works of contemporary literature that broadened the scope of American readership as they shattered censorship restrictions.As an entrepreneur, Rosset focused his efforts almost exclusively on cultural enrichment and a valiant fight for freedom of speech. Without his presence, such authors as Henry Miller, Samuel Beckett (with whom he enjoyed a rare and lengthy personal correspondence), Yukio Mishima, and William S. Burroughs would have found it virtually impossible to establish a presence in the American market. With the now-famous rights acquisition of Vilgot Sjöman's arthouse classic I Am Curious (Yellow) (1969), Grove moved into films but inherited both trouble and success d'estime unlike anything it had encountered up through that time; U.S. customs immediately seized the motion picture for its unabashed nudity and extremely graphic (for the period) sexual content, sparking a legal battle that traveled all the way to the Supreme Court. The headlines paid off: the film checked in as the most lucrative foreign import of all time for decades, eventually topped by Like Water for Chocolate in 1993. The massive box office take of Yellow inspired Rosset to begin importing other films, as well -- everything from Vladimir and Rosa to Quiet Days in Clichy. Unfortunately, as soon as it seemed that Rosset's success could not expand any further, that is exactly what happened. Grove won its battle for I Am Curious, but that broke down the barriers of censorship per se and opened the floodgates to hardcore pornography, alleviating the interest that many had demonstrated in Grove's explicit but culturally viable imports. The publishing house encountered extreme financial crisis from overexpansion, and Rosset himself inherited a wealth of trouble as the years passed, including government surveillance, occasionally violent protests from groups that disapproved of his activities, and forced bankruptcy stemming from a libel case. Still, to many, these difficulties only increased his status as a cultural hero and legend. Rosset's story is told in the 2008 documentary Obscene, co-directed by Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2007
- NR
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
- Starring:
- Barney Rosset, Amiri Baraka, (more)
In 1954, one of the most notorious erotic novels of the 20th century was published -- The Story of O by Pauline Reage, which chronicled in breathless detail the intense sadomasochistic relationship between a submissive woman and a dominant man. For many years, many believed that Pauline Reage was a pseudonym for a male author, but as it turns out that was only half true. In 1994, journalist John de St. Jorre, while researching a book on Olympia Press (the fearless French publisher who first published the book) learned that Pauline Reage was in fact Dominique Aury, a well-respected and outwardly straight-laced editor for one of Europe's most prestigious publishing houses, Gallimard, who wrote the salacious volume for her lover, another powerful editor at Gallimard, Jean Paulhan. American filmmaker Pola Rapaport, who was powerfully effected by reading The Story of O, traveled to Paris to meet and interview Aury a few years before her death, and Writer of O is a documentary which blends the story of Aury's remarkable life and times with re-creations of scenes from her best-known work. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Mouchet, Penelope Puymirat, (more)
