The People vs. Larry Flynt

Infobox Film
name = The People vs. Larry Flynt


director = Miloš Forman
music = Thomas Newman
writer = Scott Alexander
Larry Karaszewski
starring = Woody Harrelson
Courtney Love
Edward Norton
Richard Dudley
Richard Paul
producer = Oliver Stone
Janet Yang
Michael Hausman
distributor= Columbia Pictures
budget =
released= flagicon|USA 13 October, 1996 (premiere at NYFF)
flagicon|USA 25 December, 1996
flagicon|Australia 20 February, 1997
flagicon|UK 11 April, 1997
runtime = 129 min.
language = English
imdb_id = 0117318|

"The People vs. Larry Flynt" is a 1996 film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love and Edward Norton.

The movie was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It covers Flynt's life from his impoverished upbringing in Kentucky to his court battle with Reverend Jerry Falwell, and is based in part on the U.S. Supreme Court case "Hustler Magazine v. Falwell".

Plot

The film begins by showing young Larry Flynt (Cody Block) at the age of ten, as selling moonshine in an Appalachian region of Kentucky. The narrative then advances 20 years. Flynt (played by Woody Harrelson) and his younger brother, Jimmy (played by Brett Harrelson, Woody Harrelson's younger brother) 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 working at the club, in the hopes of attracting customers. 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 Kennedy Onassis 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 argues with the activists, one of a number of themes the film explores; in one scene, he 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.

Flynt 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. (The real Larry Flynt plays the presiding judge in a cameo appearance.) 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. (Serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin claims to been the man who shot Flynt and Gene Reeves Jr., the man on whom Isaacman is based in this portion of the film. Franklin claims to have targeted Flynt because Hustler published photos of interracial sex acts, but whether all or any of his story is true is unclear.) 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 spirals down into severe depression and drug use. During this time, Althea begins to dabble in Flynt's pain medications, eventually becoming hooked on painkillers and morphine.

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 courtroom 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. In Flynt's absence, Althea and Jimmy run Hustler, taking away any Christian influence in its content. "Hustler" publishes a satirical parody ad where famous evangelical minister Jerry Falwell (Richard Paul) "speaks about his first time," and tells of a sexual encounter with his mother. Falwell sues for libel and inflicting emotional distress. Flynt countersues for copyright infringement (because Falwell copied 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 inflicting emotional distress.

By 1983, Althea has contracted HIV, which proceeds to 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 meaningful." Isaacman agrees and argues the "emotional distress" decision in front of the Supreme Court, in a case the media nickname "God versus the Devil" (actually "Hustler Magazine v. Falwell" in 1988). While Flynt is uncharacteristically quiet in the courtroom, Isaacman argues the case and wins, with the court overturning the original verdict in a unanimous decision.

The film culminates with Flynt's victory; after the trial is over, Flynt is shown wistfully watching old tapes of a healthy Althea.

Reception and recognition

The film was well received by critics, garnering 87% positive reviews, according to the meter on Rotten Tomatoes. [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/people_vs_larry_flynt/?critic=columns] 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. [http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?site_id=4&item_id=472407&userid=]

The film received accolades for Forman and Harrelson, as well as for Courtney Love, featured in her first substantial acting role. Love and Harrelson both received Golden Globe nominations for their work, while Harrelson received a nomination for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Miloš Forman also received a nomination, for Best Director. The film won the Golden Bear for best picture at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.

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 actual lawyer who argued the Supreme Court case for Flynt, but Isaacman was not the lawyer who was wounded in the 1978 shooting of Flynt. The real lawyer was Gene Reeves Jr., who was based in Lawrenceville, Ga., where the shooting took place. The film also shows Flynt and his attorney being pursued by a large, aggressive media contingent just before the shooting, but in fact the two men were walking alone to have lunch near the courthouse. Trials of Flynt were so frequent at that time that they got only moderate media attention.
* Almost no mention is given of Flynt's three wives before he marries Althea. Flynt briefly alludes to having been married when Althea suggests marriage.
* 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.
* In the film, Flynt experiences total pain loss after one nerve-deadening surgery. In reality, Flynt underwent three surgeries. Only after the final one in 1994 did he experience complete pain loss.
* No mention is given of Flynt's five children that he had before being paralyzed.
* In the film, Larry Flynt decides to start a magazine after reading a copy of Playboy. In real life, he decided to start a magazine to raise cash because bad investments he made brought him close to bankruptcy.
* Criticism of his work in the film is limited to the "Moral Majority" group, and Christians, whereas in real life, he has been frequently criticized by feminists.
* No mention of his political career - in 1984, he briefly ran for U.S. President as a Republican against Ronald Reagan. In fact a scene where we see Larry announcing that he was running for president was shot but not included in the final cut of the movie, however it is available as an extra in the Special Edition DVD.
* At the beginning of the movie we see a 10 years old Larry Flynt selling alcohol he made himself. In real life, it happenned in his twenties and he sold liquor he bought, not liquor he made.

Cast

*Woody Harrelson as Larry Flynt
*Courtney Love as Althea Leasure
*Edward Norton as Alan Isaacman
*Brett Harrelson as Jimmy Flynt
*Donna Hanover as Ruth Carter Stapleton
*James Cromwell as Charles Keating
*Crispin Glover as Arlo
*Vincent Schiavelli as Chester
*Miles Chapin as Miles
*James Carville as Simon Leis
*Richard Paul as Jerry Falwell
*Burt Neuborne as Roy Grutman
*Jan Triska (original spelling "Tříska") as The Assassin
*Cody Block as 10-Year-Old Larry
*Ryan Post as 8-Year-Old Jimmy
*Richard Dudleyas photographer
*Stephen Dupree as still photographer

External links

*imdb title | id=0117318 | title=The People vs. Larry Flynt

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Golden Bear winner
years=1997
before="Sense and Sensibility"
after="Central Station"