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The People Vs. Larry Flynt - Special Edition

I don't know whether to thank Larry Flynt, or to bitchslap him. It's now 2003, the new millenium. We live in a world where freedom of speech is something that rears its head almost everyday. We see it in the media; we hear it in our music; we watch it in movies and television; as demonstrated by the recent events in Iraq, and the outpouring of protests and support from all corners of the globe, the First Amendment rights remain virtually inescapable. Who would have thought that we would ever owe some degree of this liberty to a porn magnate? ***

Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) first stepped into the public spotlight in the 1970's after the initiation of his notorious publication, Hustler, which would make Hugh Hefner's Playboy look like a children's coloring book. Flynt's take-no-prisoners approach to the world of pornography, and the graphic depictions of sexuality between men and women as well as just women, would create a nationwide scandal that involved the question of whether or not he had any just right to peddle such filth to the world. Even after his paralysis in the wake of a fanatic's bullet, Flynt would press on with his war against the Moral Majority, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, and ultimately the Supreme Court, which would rule in his favor and in favor of the constitutional rights of all Americans to speak their minds. ***

Certainly one of the riskiest movies to come along in ages, "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" is a rare sort of breed, a hero movie with an anti-hero who is anything but admirable. Here is a man who thought that featuring a cartoon of characters from "The Wizard of Oz" in an orgy was an applaudable idea; at one point in the film, he even photographs his own junkie wife, Althea (Courtney Love), for the pages of his publication. A fluent and often rousing speaker, Flynt would make comparisons between sex and war to justify his cause, as images of nude women crossed with grisly images of battle victims grazed a large screen behind him. Sensationalism was his stock in trade, and he used it to the extreme to make a point that we now take for granted. ***

From the very beginning, it's very clear that the filmmakers have no intention of injecting Flynt with any sense of morality or virtue; he's meant to come off as brash and unappealing, and that he does. But we're not meant to relate to Flynt on any level other than that of his impact on American society, and how his actions changed the course of our country and our lives. Director Milos Forman and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski succeed in keeping this aspect of the film in check, avoiding a touchy-feely venue for something much more intriguing. We despite Larry Flynt, and at the same time we cannot take our eyes from him, as he presses on throughout the course of his life taking a stand for his beliefs. He may have been one of the sleaziest creatures to breathe the air of this earth, but his passionate outcry is genuine and authentic, and easily noticeable by anyone who's ever stood for something they felt was right. ***

In the central role, Woody Harrelson gives an electrifying and enigmatic performance of raw power and explosive impact. He goes for broke in portraying Flynt as the man that people loved to hate (and for good reason, too), his weirdly fascinating charm and gusto coming across quite brilliantly through the character's mannerisms and expressions. His co-stars, Love and Edward Norton as his longtime lawyer, contribute their best to the film, but this is Harrelson's show all the way, and he rises to the occasion and succeeds valiantly. ***

Whether or not the subject matter will cloud out the moral center of the film is up to the individual viewer to decide. Much like Hustler itself, "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" is not for everyone: some will see the truth behind the scandal, while others will spend its entire condemning the actions of the antagonist, at the expense of missing the main point of the movie. It's like Flynt says to a courtroom prosecutor in one of his earlier trials: "If you don't like Hustler magazine, don't read it." --

When "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" was released on DVD back in 1997, the image quality was near-perfect. Now, with this 2003 special edition, the transfer still looks damn good. Measured at 2.35:1, the picture exhibits stunning clarity throughout, with sharp edges and minimal enhancement artifacts present. Colors are vivid and accurate throughout, saturated nicely with no bleeding. Blacks are rock-solid, and contrast and shadow detail is striking all around. I noticed no compression artifacts. Excellent! ***

The audio is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and while it's not quite as exciting as the transfer, it still manages to be pleasing. Most of the track is comprised of dialogue, which sounds natural throughout; the score receives some presence in the surrounds, while deep bass remains mostly minimal during the film's entire. Not a great mix, but it gets the job done.

Following the commentary we have a collection of deleted scenes, two in all, with some added commentary. Both are brief, one involving Flynt's announcement of his presidential candidacy, the other a scene involving his parents. Nothing special, really. Up next are two featurettes: the first, "Free Speech or Porn," dives into the making of the movie, beginning with the early processes of writing and production, and leading into casting, characterization, and the reaction. This is nice and all, but the following piece, "Larry Flynt Exposed," is the better of the two. Here, we learn about Flynt through a series of interviews with Flynt himself, accompanied by those featuring people like veteran Hustler photographers, his brother Jimmy, and even good ol' Jerry Falwell. ***

A New York Times review of the film has also been included here, and the disc closes out with a gallery of trailers and some cast and crew information. For those who were disappointed with the first release, here's your shot for an upgrade. --