A social crusader and a champion of the first amendment, Lenny Bruce was a man ahead of his time. Incarcerated repeatedly for his act, comedians such as George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and a slew of others owe him a debt of gratitude for their success. Lenny Bruce was smart, socially aware, and boldly frank. By 1966, at forty-years old, he was just another junkie dead on the bathroom floor.
Director Bob Fosse’s follow-up to his 1972 Oscar winning musical Cabaret, Lenny attempts to chronicle Bruce’s life and career. Shot in stark black-and-white, the screenplay by Julian Barry was based on his own stage play. While the film has definite structural issues, it’s still a rather memorizing experience.
As the film begins, Lenny (Dustin Hoffman) is a struggling stand-up comic making the rounds of the Catskill circuit. Not particularly good, he does impressions of Jimmy Durante and tells stale jokes to disinterested audiences. He falls for a stripper named Honey (Valerie Perrine), whom he quickly marries. It’s only after accidentally shocking his audience with some off-color material, that he realizes that it’s this type of material that might make him stand out. It’s not long before Lenny begins to gain a following for his routines that deal with controversial issues. As his monologues aimed at the establishment grow more pointed, he begins his descent into the drug culture. Not surprisingly, Lenny’s work soon becomes undermined by his growing drug dependence. Law enforcement officials have been watching this all unfold, and Lenny soon finds himself arrested for obscenity. Even as his legal, financial, and personal issues mount, Lenny is unable to retreat and do the “safe” act several suggest.
Though Julian Barry based his screenplay on his own play, the material was completely reworked for the screen consisting of a flashback structure (with occasional flashforwards to Lenny’s act commenting on something which spurs the flashback) which leads us through the last fifteen years of Bruce’s life. While Lenny is the clear focus of the film, Honey Bruce acts as the narrator here, so his life is filtered through her memories, memories that may or may not have been colored by years of admitted drug abuse.
At first blush, Dustin Hoffman (nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the Role) would seem an unlikely choice to play Lenny Bruce; he neither looks or particularly sounds like him. However, Hoffman was able to effectively capture his essence, that of a deeply conflicted man sometimes loving, sometimes despicable. High praise goes to Valerie Perrine as Honey Bruce. Almost totally nude within minutes of appearing on screen, the role made tremendous physical and emotional demands on her. Perrine earned honors from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics for her work, as well as a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Also of note are the performances of Stanley Beck as Lenny’s long suffering agent Arthur Silver and Jan Miner as Lenny’s mother, performer Sally Marr. And though he’s best known as “Mr. Lucille Ball,” Gary Morton gives a fine, if brief performance as a Borsht Belt comic who’s made it big on television.
Nominated for six Oscars. Lenny is fascinating, if not quite the complete biography we might have hoped for. Buttressed by strong performances from everyone involved, Lenny is highly recommended to anyone interested in Lenny Bruce or the history of stand-up comedy.
Presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 courtesy of a new 4K master created from the original 35mm camera negative in 2160 with Dolby Vision/HDR, the results are an obvious improvement over Twilight Time’s 2015 Blu-ray (also included with this release). The grayscale is spot-on with a contrast that allows for strong blacks, fine shadow detail and crisp whites. A perfect amount of grain gives things an appropriately gritty feel, without compromising the image. The occasional softness and a few specks seen on the Twilight Time disc have been eliminated.
A remastered LPCM 1.0 audio track offers a wonderful listening experience. Dialogue is clear and precise throughout, mixing well with the occasional music refrains of Ralph Burns and rather subtle sound effects.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The following extras are available:
- Audio Commentary with Film Historians Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo: Redman and Kirgo provide some valuable information about Lenny Bruce the man, as well as discuss Fosse’s treatment of him in the film. As usual, the two make some very interesting observations.
- Archival Interviews: Circa 1975, this short interview with actors Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine has them discussing their characters on a French television show in 1974.
- Interview with Editor Alan Heim: Recorded in 2023, Heim discusses how he came to be involved with the film, and its enduring appeal.
- Theatrical Trailer
- Illustrated Booklet: Includes a 1975 interview with Bob Fosse and an essay by film critic Mark Harris.