Obscene: A Portrait Of Barney Rosset And Grove Press (2008)

This film is an engaging portrait of the man and a fair assessment of his achievement.

While the filmmakers squander some excellent opportunities that might have helped to illuminate the contradictions in their subject, this remains a fascinating study of an unrepentant American maverick.

Obscene, is melancholic. The eerie contradiction is how chirpy and cheery this remarkable activist, and self-confessed sex addict, is at more than 80 years of age.

An entertaining docu-tribute.

Brilliant social history about one of the greatest publishers of the modern epoch, even if he is "Human, All Too Human"

With testimony from scads of heyday contributors and an infectious design reflecting Grove Press's innovative cover art ... the filmmakers could have shelved the weaker bits without missing a beat.

The focus of Obscene remains steadfastly on the man, thanks to a rich variety of archival and interview clips that span his entire career and a slew of colleagues, fiends and enemies.

Rosset is a lively subject, and his interviews (over many years) provide an oral history of his life and times.

... a justified tribute to [Barney] Rosset, who in his mid-80s is still feisty, with a refreshingly lighthearted attitude toward all he accomplished.