Fosse’s ‘Lenny’ offers intimate look at controversial comic

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

LENNY (1974)

With “Lenny,” his third film as director, Bob Fosse was on a role – one that almost led to his own self destruction dramatized five years later in the autobiographical musical “All That Jazz.”

“Lenny” from 1974 cemented Fosse’s reputation as a daring, visionary film maker. Fosse’s biographical drama stars Dustin Hoffman in a standout performance as comedian, satirist and social critic Lenny Bruce.

Fosse won the Best Director Oscar for “Cabaret” in 1972. “Lenny” proved the award was no fluke.

Filmed in semi-documentary style, “Lenny” is based on the stage play of the same name and tells the rise, fall and death of Bruce – one of the most controversial comics of all time who saw himself as a crusader for free speech.

Some of you reading this blog may be unfamiliar with Bruce. That fact alone makes Fosse’s film an invaluable history lesson and a chance to see some of Bruce’s most famous stand-up comedy routines performed to perfection by Hoffman.

Bruce was, in no uncertain terms, a pioneering comic of the 1950s and 1960s whose pointed social commentary was deemed by many as offensive and obscene. He often ran afoul of the law during many of his gigs; he was arrested several times on obscenity charges.

To be fair, Bruce also had his share of other serious legal problems – including drug possession and money-making schemes. But his bouts with law enforcement and the judiciary over obscenity brought him the most attention and personal problems.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN AS LENNY BRUCE

Listening to a Bruce performance today may leave  you wondering what exactly was so offensive? Today, stand-up comedy on Home Box Office or Showtime features many routines people would consider 10-times more offensive than Bruce.

Bruce performed in the 1950s and 1960s, a time in our nation that was more cautious and conservative. His work paved the way for later comics such as Richard Pryor and even Chris Rock; like Bruce, they offer pointed social commentary laced with profanity.

Fosse, Hoffman and a talented cast do wonders bringing Bruce’s tragic story to life in vivid black-and-white. Fosse’s decision to shoot the film in semi-documentary style adds a feeling of immediacy.

“Lenny” opens after Bruce’s 1966 death from a morphine overdose; actress Valerie Perrine as wife Honey Bruce talks directly to the camera about her husband. The film alternates between on-camera interviews with the film’s characters and a more typical chronological plot. Hoffman expertly recreates Bruce’s classic nightclub routines.

The complexity of Fosse’s style of filming is particularly amazing given that much of his background was from the Broadway stage. Here is a man who felt at ease directing big-budget stage productions as well as small, intimate, controversial film dramas.

LENNY (1974)

“Lenny” was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Hoffman), Best Actress (Perrine), Best Director (Fosse) and Best Cinematographer (Bruce Surtees). Surtees, incidentally, did a wonderful job with the film’s stark, high-contrast, black-and-white photography – perfectly capturing the feel and mood of the 1950s and 1960s.

Fosse revisited the movie and that period of his life with “All That Jazz,” a semi-autobiographical musical about a self-destructive Broadway director. In that film, director Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider in his finest performance) is editing a a major motion picture about a controversial stand-up comic while also simultaneously staging an elaborate Broadway musical. Scheider depicts Gideon, Fosse’s alter ego, as a chain-smoking, pill-popping workaholic who eventually dies from a heart attack.

“All That Jazz” actually is based on the period of Fosse’s career when he was finishing work editing the film “Lenny” while at the same time staging the future Broadway musical “Chicago.” The stress of doing both simultaneously nearly killed Fosse. “All That Jazz,” incidentally, takes its title from one of the musical numbers in “Chicago.”

Fosse died of a heart attack in 1987 at the young age of 60. His career spanned 40 years – including 14 years during which he helmed just five films. Each of his films is memorable and worth watching. Besides “All That Jazz,” “Lenny” is my pick for one the best of Fosse’s films.


“Lenny” is available for purchase or rental on DVD; check your local retailer, Amazon.com or Netflix for availability. Click here to purchase “Lenny” on DVD through Amazon.com. You also can stream “Lenny” to your TV or computer through Netflix; “Lenny” is available for streaming on Netflix through Nov. 22, 2011. The film is rated R for nudity, profanity and adult situations.









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