The People vs. Larry Flynt
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| The People vs. Larry Flynt | |
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| Directed by | Miloš Forman |
| Produced by | Oliver Stone Janet Yang Michael Hausman |
| Written by | Scott Alexander Larry Karaszewski |
| Starring | Woody Harrelson Courtney Love Edward Norton |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  13 October 1996 (premiere at NYFF) 25 December 1996 20 February 1997 11 April 1997 |
| Running time | 129 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine editor Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with the law. It stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love and Edward Norton.
The movie was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It is based in part on the U.S. Supreme Court case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell.
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[edit] Plot
The film begins by showing a young Larry Flynt as an already budding entrepreneur, even at eight years old; Larry sells moonshine in an appalachian region of Kentucky. The film then fast forwards ahead 20 years. Flynt (Woody Harrelson) and his brother, Jimmy (Brett Harrelson) run a Hustler Go-Go club in Cincinnati. With profits down, Flynt decides to publish a "newsletter" for his club - the first Hustler magazine, full of nude pictures of women. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. It's only after Hustler publishes nude pictures of former first lady Jackie Onassis Kennedy that sales take off, partially due to all the publicity surrounding the photos.
Flynt, a habitual womanizer, becomes particularly smitten with Althea Leasure (Courtney Love), a runaway-turned-stripper who works at one of his dance clubs. With help from Althea and Jimmy, Flynt makes a fortune off his sales of Hustler and other business activities. With all his success, naturally, comes enemies - as he finds himself a hated figure of conservative, anti-pornography activists. He becomes involved in several prominent court cases, and befriends a young, whip-smart lawyer, Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton).
Flynt loses a smut peddling court decision in Cincinnati, but escapes jail time when the case is thrown out on a technicality, thereby beginning his long clash with the legal system. Ruth Carter Stapleton (Donna Hanover), a Christian activist and sister of President Jimmy Carter, seeks out Flynt and urges him to give his life to Jesus. Flynt seems moved and starts letting his newfound religion influence everything in his life, including Hustler content, much to the chagrin of staffers and Althea alike. During another trial in Georgia, Flynt and Isaacman are both shot by a man with a rifle while they walk outside a courthouse. (The actual real-life rifleman was never seen nor identified, which leads to very little being explained in the film.) Isaacman recovers, but Flynt is paralyzed from the waist down. Wishing he was dead, Flynt renounces God. Because of the pain, he moves to Beverly Hills and spends several years doing nothing but lounging around in misery and taking many drugs. During this time, Althea begins to dabble in Flynt's pain medications, eventually becoming hooked on painkillers and morphine. In Flynt's absence, Althea and Jimmy run Hustler, taking away any Christian influence in its content. Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves, and as a result of it, feels rejuvenated. He returns to an active role with the publication.
Flynt is soon in court again, however, and is told to provide his source regarding a video tape of a drug deal. During his ever-increasing courtoom antics, Flynt fires Isaacman on the spot, then throws an orange at the judge, all the while refusing to name his source. Flynt is sent to a psychiatric ward, where he sinks into depression again. Meanwhile, Hustler publishes a satirical parody ad where famous evangelical minister Jerry Falwell "speaks about his first time," and tells of a sexual encounter with his mother. Falwell sues for libel and emotional distress. Flynt countersues for copyright infringement (because Falwell xeroxed his ad). Everything ends up in court, attracting the attention of the media. The jury's decision is a mixed one, as Flynt is found guilty of emotional distress.
By 1983, Althea has contracted HIV and now has full-blown AIDS. Flynt finds her dead in the bathtub, having drowned (possibly as the result of an overdose, though this is unclear). With his true love gone, Flynt presses Isaacman to appeal the Falwell decision to the Supreme Court of the United States. Isaacman refuses, saying Flynt's courtroom antics humiliate him. Flynt pleads with him, saying that he "wants to be remembered for something great." Isaacman agrees and argues the "emotional distress" decision in front of the Supreme Court, in a case the media nicknames "God versus the Devil" (actually Hustler Magazine v. Falwell in 1988). While Flynt is uncharacteristically quiet in the courtoom, Isaacman argues the case and wins, with the court overturning the original verdict in a unanimous decision.
Flynt goes home, happy with the victory, and watches old tapes of a healthy Althea.
[edit] Reception
The film was well received by critics, garnering 97% positive reviews, according to the "Fresh" meter on Rotten Tomatoes. [1] The film had 100% positive reviews from high-profile critics. Rolling Stone, USA Today and Newsday all hailed it as the best film of 1996. [2]
[edit] Adaptation changes
- The screenwriters simplify history by condensing Flynt's many lawyers into one, played by Edward Norton. Norton's character is named Alan Isaacman, after the lawyer who argued the Supreme Court case for Flynt, but Isaacman was not the lawyer who was wounded in the 1978 shooting of Flynt; that lawyer was Gene Reeves Jr.
- No mention is given of Flynt's three wives before he marries Althea.
- In the film, Flynt meets Althea at his club in Cincinnati, but in reality, Flynt had several Ohio clubs, and the two met when she worked in Columbus.
[edit] Themes
One of the issues addressed in the film is, what constitutes an obscene image. In the film, Flynt argues that murder is illegal, but if you take a picture of it you may get your name in Time Magazine or maybe win a Pulitzer Prize. However, he continues, sex is legal, but if you take a picture of that act, you can go to jail.
[edit] Cast
- Woody Harrelson - Larry Flynt
- Courtney Love - Althea Leasure
- Edward Norton - Alan Isaacman
- Brett Harrelson - Jimmy Flynt
- Donna Hanover - Ruth Carter Stapleton
- James Cromwell - Charles Keating
- Crispin Glover - Arlo
- Vincent Schiavelli - Chester
- Miles Chapin - Miles
- James Carville - Simon Leis
- Richard Paul - Jerry Falwell
- Burt Neuborne - Roy Grutman
- Jan Triska (original spelling Tříska) - The Assassin
- Cody Block - 10-Year-Old Larry
- Ryan Post - 8-Year-Old Jimmy
[edit] Trivia
- Larry Flynt himself has a cameo appearance, playing the ruling judge in the scene depicting his first trial.
- Flynt's younger brother, Jimmy, is played by Woody Harrelson's real-life younger brother, Brett.
[edit] Awards
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Woody Harrelson) and Best Director (Miloš Forman).
[edit] External link
Black Peter (1964) • Loves of a Blonde (1965) • The Firemen's Ball (1967) • Taking Off (1971) • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) • Hair (1979) • Ragtime (1981) • Amadeus (1984) • Valmont (1989) • The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) • Man on the Moon (1999) • Goya's Ghosts (2006) • Amarillo Slim
Shorts: Audition (1963) • Kdyby ty muziky nebyly (1963)
Co-Director: Laterna magika II (1960) • Dobře placená procházka (TV) (1966) • I Miss Sonia Henie (1971) • Vision of Eight (1973)
| Preceded by Sense and Sensibility |
Golden Bear winner 1997 |
Succeeded by Central Station |
