for someone who have direct mostly ( if not almost all ) musical throughout his career and and indeed make his name on broadway before win his oscar for cabaret ( beat out coppola for the godfather no less ) and bob fosse be the last person i would figure direct a film about the iconoclast comedian lenny bruce . if i hadn not know it be him direct it and i would have think someone from france have be give the control on the script to make it into new . but lenny be indeed a broadway play by julian barry and and here he make it into something that work extremely well cinematically and and at the same time have that appeal of the theater and of that rush that come from see someone like fosse direct or bruce on stage . it a script that fiddle with the time line of a man from mid twenty to ( tragic ) death with interview after the fact and and for anyone who know the name and work of lenny bruce would do well to see this haversion of his life . a usual and the contribution of dustin hoffman to the film success be incalculable . i have see some footage of bruce do his comedy act through the searing documentary swear to tell the truth and but even if you haven not see any footage of bruce act ( which i be sure most who be bear in my time have not ) you can put total belief in hoffman portrayal . one of the tenet of bruce life and career be that he would be truthful to himself and or at least would have that urge to find the truth early on ( during his pre beat year of the 50 ) and then full blown in the late 50 and especially early 60 . hoffman and therefore and be very astute in play this role and how he could find that sense of total absurdity under all the b and always question . and yet and he be also a likely a man with his share of flaw and and a good chunk of the film be about the relationship between him and honey and his girlfriend turn wife . these scene show hoffman in a different key than he play him in the stand up scene and and it terrific . and also and go back to fosse and the style be another big factor . the cutting be often startling and skip along to that jazzy beat that be lay onto the soundtrack ( i love one scene where they show a early 50 party at a pad and record be play and grass be roll and bruce fall head over heel in a quiet way ) and and then with the comedy clip especially and we get the best and the bad of what bruce have to offer and his peak in point out thing with risqué abandon ( and end up get him in ridiculous trouble ) and and downfall into drug and depression . every step of the way and it seem and fosse be keep up with hoffman vitality in this character of bruce and and while the film provide some laugh and it also work a a serious treatise on what it mean to try and have free speech in this country . but the message bruce want to try and get through to the public and to the court be not what one should focus on completely and and if the film do it would have be a weak effort . it strongest a it merge with a full on character study and a hoffman and the supporting player ( the actress play honey bruce be also very good ) put on a certain image of a time and place . one of the best film of 1974 .