Director Bob Fosse’s nervy, freewheeling showbiz drama tells the real-life story of taboo-shattering comedian Lenny Bruce, the counterculture prophet whose unfiltered style opened up new frontiers in self-expression. Dustin Hoffman brings a live-wire intensity to his portrayal of the motormouthed Bruce as he goes from small-time strip-club emcee to free-speech lightning rod, while Valerie Perrine lends the film its soul with her deeply affecting performance as his wife, Honey, an innocent lost on the dark side of bohemia. A complex portrayal of one iconoclast by another, Fosse’s film makes deft use of stark monochrome photography and kinetic editing to vividly capture Bruce’s smoky, seedy backstage world. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Audio commentary from 2015 featuring film historians Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo Archival interview with actors Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine Interview with editor Alan Heim Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris and a 1975 interview with director Bob Fosse Top Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Lenny (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD] Lenny (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]
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Bob Fosse’s LENNY is a biopic about famed comic Lenny Bruce. The famously “sick” and controversial performer is made into a somewhat saintly truth teller. The script is weak and predictable and Dustin Hoffman is never believable in the lead…. I always felt I was watching the actor not the character. On the plus side Valerie Perrine is superb as Bruce’s drug addicted wife as is Jan Miner as his sharp witted mother. Fosse is very good at depicting low level sleaze in the bottom rungs of show b...
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