Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story Review
By David Kempler
What about Bob?
Hugh Hefner's life was explored in the documentary "
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel Review". Larry Flynt's life was dramatized in Milos Forman's "The People vs. Larry Flynt". Bob Guccione is the third big name in the troika of pornographic publishing and it is his time to shine in a documentary piloted by Barry Avrich. The one parallel conclusion to be drawn between these three men is that no matter what your thoughts of them, they all come out looking squeaky clean when contrasted with their polar opposites, America's televangelists.
"Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story" tells of the rise and fall of the man who is most famous for creating a publishing empire that was anchored by
Penthouse Magazine. It began as a British-only publication, but as soon as Guccione held the first copy in his hands, he immediately knew that it was time to target Hef and
Playboy in America. So off to America he went, and
Penthouse exploded on the American and international scene. While
Playboy represented the girl next door, albeit with enormous breasts,
Penthouse presented a more artistic way of displaying the ladies but also was far more graphic in its sexuality.
As with many documentaries, the subject matter has far more impact than the way it is made. It follows a linear timeline, focusing on the climb from nothing to great riches, and then back to nothing.
Using this film as a base, one would suspect that Guccione was almost a god. Everyone interviewed speaks about him in reverent terms. Many cry when recalling his greatness. The only detour - and it is a slight one - focuses on his less than perfect relationship with his children, but even they are primarily here to tell us what a great guy he was. Maybe he was this incredibly talented man who cared deeply for everyone and for the plight of those less fortunate than himself. One gets the feeling that he can't be this angelic a figure, yet there is little evidence here to make us doubt it or even care if it is true.
Avrich has a nice little documentary and it is an easy watch, but considering the personality being explored and all the controversy that surrounded his life, it seems a tad incongruent to have such a feel-good piece. It's as if an X-rated life has been edited into a PG-13 film. This is not to say that you should be taking the kiddies to see this. It is chock full of female breasts and pubic hair. The greatest mystery is how Avrich made this sizzling life into a barely stimulating 96 minutes.
