LENNY

US, 1974, 111 minutes, Black and White.
Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, Gary Morton.
Directed by Bob Fosse.

Lenny is a most impressive film and a disturbing one. It made strong impact in 1975 on its release, gaining Oscar nominations for film, direction by Bob Fosse who had made Sweet Charity and Cabaret, nominations for Dustin Hoffman, in yet another excellent performance, and for Valerie Perrine who was emerging as a very good actress indeed. ?In Lenny the audience sits watching and listening to performances that a decade earlier led to arrests and lengthy trials, protests and a change in interpretation of what was considered to be obscene. Was Lenny Bruce's social comment on double standards ahead of its time? The film offers much for consideration. As well, its black and white photography, its working on three interweaving time levels (the basic plot of Lenny's life, the later interviews with his wife, mother and agent, and a sampling of his cabaret act) all combine into a complex biographical study. And it is enhanced by one of Dustin Hoffman's best performances.

1. What did the film-makers have in mind when making this film? What did they want to portray? What response did they want from the audience? what impact did the film have? The impact in the seventies, contrasting with Lenny Bruce's impact in the sixties? Why the difference?

2. How important was technique and its impact? The initial starting of the film with the mouth? The mouth. then moving to the body? The style of the black and white photography? The sombre tone of the film, the comic tone? The skill in editing the various levels of the film? The importance of the jazz musical background? The importance of the three levels and their intertwining? What effect did this have? The chorus of Lenny's cabaret act in itself, its context and its satirical points, their relating to his real life? The contrast with the documentary style of interviews? The different time levels? The sense of reality and objectivity about what happened? The ordinary story and its moving from the young Lenny to his death? The dramatic thrust of this story? The insight into the character and his relationship with Honey and others? His career? The pity of his death? How successful then, was the film in plot, comment on character, psychological insight, an impression of Lenny and his meaning? How important was the quality of the acting for the technique of the film?

3. What was the main impression of Lenny Bruce as a person? The skill of Dustin Hoffman's performance? How did he subordinate himself to Lenny Bruce in the film? Hoffman's change of style for each of the three levels of the plot?

4. What analysis of the character of Lenny Bruce did the film give? The impression of Bruce as a boy. as a Jewish boy. as an American, in relationship to his mother? His early style of cabaret entertainment? His initial failures? His personal sense of humour, his discovery of his style as a comic? The impact of Honey on his life? Did he ever love her? His infatuation, his change of character. his marrying her? The importance of the sequence of her meeting his mother? The importance of the child on the family? His skill in developing his act? Cabaret act as commenting on his behaviour and his attitudes? Honey as a loser type and involving Bruce in drugs etc? Bruce's weakness of character to involve him in this? The estrangement? Bruce's relationship with other women? His beginning to go downhill as a person, coupled with his success as a social commentator? Honey and his support of her in jail? Bruce's popular appeal, the growing audiences, the nature of his attack on society? The importance of the trial sequences? His obsession with the trials? His boring people in his act? The sudden tragedy of his death? The meaning of his life?

5. How successful a comic was Lenny? The topics that he chose to comment on? What insight and incisiveness? The bluntness and obscenity of his style? How objectionable, how integral to his act? The attitude of the police, of the judge during his trial? The racist themes, the sexuality themes, the social hypocrisy? How important is it to have this kind of comment by a comic?

6. How successful was Lenny Bruce as a man?

7. How successful was Lenny Bruce as a person able to relate to others?

8. How telling was the characterisation of Honey? The initial presentation of her in her dancing and stripping? The contrast about the way he reminisced about her life? what attracted Lenny Bruce to her? Her response to him? Her capacity for love? Her dependence on Lenny? Her relationship with Lenny's mother? The success and failure of the marriage? Her failure as a mother? How important was the accident and its effects on her life? Her response to Lenny's infidelity while she was in hospital? Why did she experiment with drugs? Weakness of character? The impact of jail on her? Her relationship with the child? Her regressing as a person? And yet her capacity for telling Lenny's story as it was, What insight was given in the character and characterisation?

9. The personality of the agent? His relationship to Lenny? His exploiting of Lenny, his support of him? What did he do for Lenny Bruce? How objective was his comment and his memory?

10. The importance of Lenny’s mother? Her influence on his life, driving him, as the butt of his humour, as supporting him at all times, the objective nature of her memory of him.

11. The importance of such sequences as the comic in the night club trying to get backing from Lenny, and Bruce then denouncing him? The impact on audiences of sequences like this?

12. The film's comment on the police, and civil justice?

13. The question of obscenity? How important was the film for focusing attention on this theme and the complexities?

14. What impact did the film have in its presentation of obscenity, comments on sexuality, violence, racism, justice? Advertisements said he was ahead of his time, that his time had come now. Is this true?