DVD Review: ‘Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel’ Celebrates Icon

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – The duality of “Playboy” reflects the duality of the man who created it. On one hand, the magazine notoriously fetishizes female sexuality with all the airbrushed idealism of a horny adolescent. On the other hand, it’s a reputable publication of great sociopolitical depth, with a history of voicing unpopular views at the times they were most needed.

Brigitte Berman’s eye-opening documentary “Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel” is not a probing study of the iconic “Playboy” creator so much as it’s a provocative portrait of his rather unheralded work as a civil rights crusader. It’s a compulsively watchable, occasionally fascinating couple of hours, but it comes dangerously close to idolizing its subject, without ever truly grappling with the views of his detractors, and the argument that “Playboy” is inherently demeaning to women.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

Much like how “The September Issue” was more interested in “Vogue” than its editor, Anna Wintour, Berman’s film is intent on exploring the various layers of “Playboy” rather than the psyche of Hefner. Some of the picture’s most memorable insights come at the beginning, as Hefner reflects on how America’s puritanical nature inspired him to bring about a “healthier attitude toward sex.” He made the wise decision to include a much-hyped nude picture of Marilyn Monroe in the first issue of his new men’s magazine in 1953. With readership on the rise, the publication was assembling a stable of cartoonists to rival “The New Yorker,” while including works of fiction from some of the greatest writers in history, from Ray Bradbury to Vladimir Nabokov. It also landed exclusive, unusually candid interviews with major stars, beginning with Miles Davis, who talked more about race issues than music. When African American writer Alex Haley spoke with George Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, the interviewer found himself feeling calmed by the level of raw honesty he was receiving from his subject. With its liberal manifestos and spirit of activism, “Playboy” was aiming to expose not only body parts but the uncensored mind and soul of America.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel was released on DVD on Dec. 7, 2010.
Photo credit: Phase 4 Films

Some of the film’s highlights are in the form of excerpts from Hefner’s short-lived 1959 variety show, “Playboy’s Penthouse,” which featured intimate performances from show business legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Sammi Davis Jr. The audience was made to feel like a guest at Hefner’s penthouse apartment, and the atmosphere was one of lively spontaneity. Yet Berman and her co-editor Richard Vandentillaart make sure to cut around the host himself, who often appears shifty and uncomfortable. In contrast, Hefner exudes confidence and eloquence in his interview for Berman, even while sporting his signature robe. The film is at its strongest when Hefner is at his most outspoken, such as when he compares the conservative movement of the 1980s with McCarthyism, or reminisces about getting clubbed by police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. One of his most noteworthy achievements was booking Dick Gregory, the African American comedian and activist, in place of a white comedian at the Playboy Club in Chicago, a historic 1961 appearance (seen in excerpts) that led to the launching of Gregory’s career.

Hugh Hefner pages through memories with filmmaker Brigitte Berman in the documentary Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel. Photo credit: Phase 4 Films

At 124 minutes, the film moves at a remarkably brisk pace, showcasing priceless archival footage and interviews with Hefner and a gallery of his famous friends including James Caan, Gene Simmons, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Maher, the late Tony Curtis, and the ever-amusing Dick Cavett, who praises Hefner for “giving hope to men over 100.” Yet when the eternal ladies man is seen smooth-talking women a quarter his age, it’s difficult not to feel a mixture of sadness and unease. His Xanadu-like mansion evokes memories of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, since it allows Hefner to live comfortably in the dream world of his choosing.

Any challenges to Hefner’s philosophy are swiftly belittled by the filmmakers. The arguments of feminists such as Susan Brownmiller and Linda Gordon are often jarringly juxtaposed with footage of Hefner’s humanitarian work. After conservative radio commentator Dennis Prager voices his opinion that Hefner is “happy because he surrounds himself with females to whom he owes nothing,” the film inexplicably cuts to George Lucas praising Hefner for his belief in film preservation. Major tragedies such as the deaths of Playboy secretary Bobbie Arnstein and Playmate Dorothy Stratten are more or less ignored, as is Hefner’s life as a husband and father (his daughter Christie appears only briefly). Though the film leaves quite a bit unanswered, it still succeeds in its straightforward goal to prove once and for all that Hefner is a vital figure in American history, and far more than just a dirty old man.

“Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel” is presented in its 1.85:1 aspect ratio and contains absolutely no subtitles, commentaries or extras. This disc is as naked as a Playboy pin-up.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com