Review – Obscene

Here we have a biography of Barney Rosset, the founder of Grove Press. Grove made a name for itself by publishing controversial novels such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Tropic of Cancer, then fighting the legal battles that ensued when authorities tried to ban the books. To be honest, I was a little disappointed by what the movie revealed. Rosset comes across as a spoiled rich kid who started the company with daddy’s money. His anti-union and anti-feminist stances also make him look more like a snobbish smut peddler than a champion of free speech and great literature. That notwithstanding, this is a good portrait of the man and his importance to the world. Mildly amusing