Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone

Originally broadcast on the Independent Film Channel, Joan Brooker-Marks' documentary presents Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt as a driving force in the campaign to ensure freedom of speech and of the press. Admittedly, few people would claim to read Flynt's magazine for the intellectual aspects of its articles, yet Flynt has been at the forefront of court-based media challenges, sometimes as the defendant (most notably when evangelist Jerry Falwell unsuccessfully sued him for libel) and sometimes as the litigation initiator (he brought the Department of Defense to court in order to grant frontline access to reporters covering the war in Afghanistan). If anything, Flynt has been an equal opportunity offender, earning enemies on the left (most notably feminist leader Gloria Steinem) and on the right (Charles Keating, in his anti-porn campaign days before his downfall in the 1980s savings and loan scandals). Flynt cooperated with director Brooker-Marks, which may account for the sympathetic portrayal here (no mean feat for someone who once appeared in court wearing the American flag as a diaper). Much of the information presented here will be familiar to those who saw Oliver Stone's The People vs. Larry Flynt, but this documentary—which combines interview clips with archival footage and stills—offers the real story behind this decidedly unusual advocate of First Amendment freedoms. DVD extras include audio commentary by Brooker-Marks and bonus interview footage with Flynt. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)