Nudity, dirty words, erotica…who dared to speak of such things in the early days? An American, of course, with a love of all three.
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press is an enlightening portrayal of the publishing industry in its earlier decades, when the works of D.H. Lawrence and Henry Miller were taboo, rather than fifth edition Penguin Classics on your bookshelf. The first film for directors Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O’Connor, it delves into the outrageous life of Barney Rosset, a man who fought bans on obscenity to bring the prohibited to the American masses.
Rosset is a character larger than life – tenacious, forward thinking and stubborn. Most significantly, he is described as “electric”, and it is this element of his persona that the documentary portrays vividly. It is captured in Rosset’s quick-witted, sexually frank comments, in glimpses of his cheeky smile, and in his determination to succeed. 
Acquiring Grove Press in 1951, Rosset published authors like Jack Kerouac, Samuel Becket, and David Mamet. The amount of prominent writers he published in his career is overwhelming, but the film demonstrates that without Barney, these writers may never have become so influential. He did the hard yards, no matter the cost.
The documentary’s themes of censorship and the risqué make for some hilarious moments. As lines were read from ‘obscene’ novels like Lady Chatterley’s Lover, it was interesting to watch the audience’s reaction around me – there were either bouts of laughter or no response at all. Nowadays, it seems to take a lot more to shock us. I couldn’t help but think that fifty years ago, there would have been some stunned mullets around me instead.
Although the directors depict Rosset as a bit of a troublemaker, with a dry wit and liking for booze, they never override his ability as an intelligent businessman. He clearly fought for every book he wanted to publish, and says “it never occurred to me to quit”. You get the sense from his story that Rosset viewed life as a game. He had many wives, many battles, and many passions; and the risks, the victories, and even the losses, were all part of the fun.
Interviews from Grove Press colleagues, musicians, writers and poets help colour the portrait of Rosset’s life and persona. Some stories were priceless, such as one colleague describing the working environment of Grove Press – yoga in the office, the stench of marijuana in the toilets, Barney drinking red wine at his desk, and somehow work getting done. I must admit however that after a while, these recollections began to feel a bit like watching a bunch of old guys sitting around chewing the fat.
The various interviews with Rosset are interspersed with his own footage of family, lovers, and his films, which shakes things up a bit; and the documentary is set to a funky soundtrack, with music from artists such as Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and The Doors. The captivating political elements of this doco means it won’t just appeal to the bookworms either.
Obscene is one of those attention-grabbing films that make you wonder why you haven’t heard about such an individual until now. Watching the documentary in the grungy Speakeasy Cinema at 1000 £ Bend, with it’s exposed brick walls and mismatched chairs, created the perfect atmosphere for this emerging work on such a radical and raunchy period in literature’s history. I left feeling like our generation could now perhaps learn something from the prudes of earlier years, but at the same time, thankful to have read some works that only made the bookshelves because of Barney Rosset’s spunk.
Showing as part of Anode 2009 in Sydney and Melbourne
Thanks for alerting me to this film, Sarah. After seeing the first performance of Waiting for Godot in London (half the audience walked out!) and getting everything of his I could get my hands on, I came across Grove Press. Much later, after 20 years in journalism, I sold them in my bookshop in Brisbane. Must see this film!