Lenny Bruce: Without Tears

"There are no dirty words, only dirty minds" - Bruce

Lenny Bruce was and is the most important comedian to have ever lived- and did more to protect free speech in America than perhaps anyone else in the country's history. After his death by drug overdose in 1966 there was a feeling that there was a need to define the martyred comedian's legacy. This task was carried out by filmmaker and close friend of Lenny, Fred Baker. The film, "a skillfully researched documentary about the late pop hero" (la times), was produced, directed, researched and written by Fred Baker and his wife Barbara, whom together accumulated the largest collection of audio and video footage of not only Bruce's performances in film, stage and TV, but also audio recordings photos, footage of his criminal prosecutions and dealings with the media, as well as a number of interviews with Bruce and others concerning/discussing his life and work. Not only was Baker in the best position to define Bruce's Legacy because he was his biggest fan, but also because he was his close friend- during his rise to fame and fortune, his persecution, and the downfall which eventually led to his dive into addiction and death. This film is testament which greatly honours everything Bruce achieved, both in life, and after his death.

Bruce was a brilliant entertainer, whom from a very young age was doing comedy. His mother introduced him to the world of burlesque (also at a very young age!) which would shape Bruce's mindset- representing all that was taboo, vulgar....and true. After traveling the burlesque circuit as a comedian, Bruce met a woman who would soon become his wife. Together they would travel the US and Canada as a duo, until Bruce was recognized and shortly after became one of the most renown comedians in the country (making over 350, 000 a year at one point). When he and his wife separated after the birth of their child- Kitty- Bruce met with depression and drugs....but this made him lose all inhibitions and he started to become more of a social satirist than merely just another mediocre comedian. Bruce would hold nothing back, lashing out at the government, police and especially the Catholic Church- stepping on some powerful toes in the process. Not only was he a brilliant performer, but what he was revealing made you laugh...think...and maybe even act, which is what these institutions of power feared most. The power you wield when you can make someone laugh is unsurpassed.

"If you can't say F_U_C_K, you can't say F_U_C_K THE GOVERNMENT!" - Bruce

Soon after Bruce would be arrested for obscenity. Not once, but over and over, everywhere he played. He was always in court, no one would risk having Bruce play at their club for fear of repercussions, and thus Bruce was in ruins. All his money was now tied up in legal costs and he was put in a position where he was unable to work without being thrown in jail and charged even more so. Despite everything, Bruce refused to roll over. His shows became more rants than comedy acts. He would read peoples reviews of his shows, the charges brought against him, and the laws of the state and constitution- he was no longer a comedian but a revolutionary, fighting for his right to free speech and liberty to make a living. Sadly, Bruce would not live through the ordeal...his battle with drug addiction and depression took his life in 1966- the police letting reporters in 2 at a time to photograph Bruce lying dead and naked on his bathroom floor. But in death Bruce would achieve just as much as he did in life...his battle went to the Supreme Court where his name was exonerated (though charges never dropped)- never again would a comedian, or anyone else, be charged with obscenity for what they said in the US.

Baker himself succeeds in portraying Bruce's mentality in this film- he holds nothing back, showing Bruce at his highest and lowest. He decided to include the scenes of Bruce's death as that is what he would have wanted......the truth to be heard.

RIP Lenny....you are, and always will be, the man!

Lenny Bruce Without Tears (1972)

** (out of 4)

Somewhat stale documentary taking a look at the career of Lenny Bruce. At around 75-minutes there's really not too much going on with this documentary except giving some basic information about the comedian. We learn about his early days on the stage and how he wasn't a hit. We learn that he became famous once he started talking about more controversial subjects. We then learn that he turned to drugs, began getting arrested for his act and eventually died at a young age. If you're already familiar with Bruce then it's doubtful any of the information given here is going to take you by surprise. I'm going to guess that perhaps this here was needed back in 1972, just to remind some newer people of who Bruce was. Today this bits of information really isn't all that needed since we've got countless other documentaries, the Dustin Hoffman picture and countless other bits of media about the comedy legend. The majority of the running time is devoted to Bruce's acts as we see him at a press conference talking about the crimes being committed against him as well as his appearances on The Steve Allen Show as well as audio clips from his concerts. These here are perhaps the main reason to watch this documentary since you get to see Bruce in action, although today his material is so tame that it's almost hard to imagine anyone getting offended by it. Overall, LENNY BRUCE WITHOUT TEARS is a bit too boring and doesn't give us enough interesting information on the comic to make it worth sitting through.

This film - obviously made on a shoestring budget - is artful and touching. It starts rather slowly - Bruce's appearance on the Steve Allen Show is noteworthy in that what was cutting-edge back then is now rather stale. But the material too controversial for broadcast - and which here we have only in audio - like, for instance, his bit on reuniting with his wife, is as fresh and funny and honest as Richard Pryor at his best.

Watch Nat Hentoff puff nervously on his cigarette as he interviews a sadly broken Bruce near the end of Bruce's life. Do a slow burn while you watch the police descend on Bruce's house after the overdose that killed him. That's Bruce's body there on the bathroom floor - the authorities, guardians of morality when arresting Bruce innumerable times, allowed his death scene to be filmed. And be angry at fate. If Lenny had been born five, ten, years later ... well, rent this video and decide for yourself.

As a documentary, this is absolutely awful. It provides little or no insight into the great man's life above that which you can read easily of wikipedia, it is slow moving, badly presented and generally worthless. BUT, and this is a big but, it contains LOADS of original footage of Lenny Bruce performing, and I mean loads. Probably 80% of it is performance footage which cant be seen anywhere else and, unlike most documentaries which cut to a comment every 30 second routine, this shows whole television appearances in their entirety and large sections from his shows, there are several solid 5-10 minute blocks of Lenny performing that you just cant see anywhere else. If you want to learn about Lenny, do some internet research, if you want to see a few prime examples of why he was so great, watch this doc.

Lenny Bruce: Without Tears is a deeply personal and, in spite of its subtitle, heartbreaking portrait of the persecution and ultimate self destruction of the trailblazing comic and social commentator. As his legal issues mount, he begins literally quoting from court transcripts as part of his act.

Although these days it might seem tame, Bruce's comedy was considered radical and potentially even dangerous in the early to mid-1960s when his career was at its peak. This unfortunately led to such absurd situations as police officers repeating his act in court (in Bruce's words, "badly") and him being blacklisted from nearly every potential venue.

In the end, Lenny was no match for the forces he was up against and the footage of his body lying lifeless on the floor is unspeakably bleak. All of this would be sad, of course, in any situation. What makes it exceedingly tragic is the perceptiveness and fearless nature of his comic mind.