Dustin Hoffman's Lenny: 4K Remaster Lets the Film Shine

Dustin Hoffman followed his star-making turn in The Graduate with a streak of challenging roles culminating in Lenny (1974), and that performance has been given new clarity in a meticulous 4K remaster now available from the Criterion Collection. Bob Fosse’s film was shot in black and white at a time when color was becoming the norm, and it plays like a pseudo-documentary, cutting between interviews and staged depictions of Bruce’s wife, mother and manager.

The lighting is aggressive, with sharp contrasts that match a portrait of a performer who grabbed attention with reckless abandon yet thoughtful clarity. Lenny Bruce began in small variety clubs and shifted from impersonations to improvisation and pointed social commentary, pushing the boundaries of accepted decency and inviting legal trouble as police waited to arrest him for what he said onstage.

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