Dirty Pictures
Following vaguely in the footsteps ofThe People vs. Larry Flint,Dirty Picturesis a provocative retelling of an all-too-true story about the 1990 attempts to censor the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center's controversial Robert Mapplethorpe photography exhibit. The film gets directly at a quintessential, core principle that continues to fascinate Americans: Who gets to decide what forms of expression are valid? Does the constitutional right to freedom of expression apply to forms of expression you don't like? This film blends stock footage of both sides of the Cincinnati debate with actors' reenactments. James Woods's performance as the art museum's director Dennis Barrie is particularly impressive. The juxtaposition of real and fictional footage is extremely effective, and the result is a compellingly intelligent and emotionally gripping look at the issues of right-wing censorship in the arts.The film contains images of Mapplethorpe's work and interpretations of its contexts and histories as well as insightful interviews with some of the subjects whose photos appeared in the original exhibit. But the art takes a back seat to the true hero of the film--the U.S. Constitution and its defenders.--Tara Chace