The Lenny Bruce Performance Film

This statically-shot film of Bruce's next-to-last nightclub appearance at San Francisco's Basin Street West in August 1965 is an historic document, as it is the only visual record of a complete performance by the groundbreaking standup comedian.

Bruce's performance consists of a mixture of reflections on his obscenity busts, recaps of the material he was arrested for, and new insights about relationships, the nature of art, and the American justice system. He begins with a discussion of a peace officer who was required to reproduce his act in court (noting that the officer's presentation was largely inaccurate and very unfunny, Bruce contends that "the irony is,...