A look at the battles Hugh Hefner fought over the years against the U.S. government, the religious right, and militant feminists.
Director:
Brigitte BermanWriter:
Brigitte Berman
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Title: Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2009)
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2 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Larry Adler | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
 |
Bobbie Arnstein | ... | Self (archive footage) |
| Joan Baez | ... | Self - Folk Singer / Activist | |
| Count Basie | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| Tony Bennett | ... | Self - Singer | |
| Pat Boone | ... | Self - Christian Activist, Singer | |
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Malcolm Boyd | ... | Self - Author (as Reverend Malcolm Boyd) |
| Ray Bradbury | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| Jim Brown | ... | Self - Social Activist / Retired NFL Player | |
| Susan Brownmiller | ... | Self - Feminist / Author | |
| Lenny Bruce | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| William F. Buckley | ... | Self (archive footage) (as William F. Buckley Jr.) | |
| Vincent Bugliosi | ... | Self - Attorney / Author (as Vince Bugliosi) | |
| James Caan | ... | Self | |
| Dick Cavett | ... | Self - TV Talk Show Host | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
An revealing look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner's fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Rare footage and compelling interviews with a remarkable who's who of 20th Century American pop culture, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him. Written by Brigitte Berman
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for graphic nudity and sexual content | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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(Instrumental)
Written by Cy Coleman
Published by Chrysalis Music
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Did You Know?
Alternate Versions
After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009 in a 135 min. version, the film was later trimmed down to its current 124 minutes length. See more »Soundtracks
Playboy's Theme(Instrumental)
Written by Cy Coleman
Published by Chrysalis Music
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Details
Country:
CanadaLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 June 2010 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Hugh Hefner See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$10,000, 1 August 2010Gross USA:
$10,000Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$10,000Company Credits
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I had the chance to assist a projection in Boston where Director Brigitte Berman was present, coming from Europe and being in my late 20ies there was not much I knew about Hefner besides it's contribution to the sexual revolution of America and the rest of the world.
As a consequence, the movie was full of revelations for me, jumping from one fight for freedom from Hefner and his team to another. The director beautifully manages to catch the mindset of Playboy's manager soul behind the bunnies, at a much deeper level.
What especially stroke me was the ability of the director to constantly depict the paradoxes between Hefners' primal/liberal way of thinking about sexuality and it's philosophical fights for everyone's freedom and culture. You get to discover a man pursuing his dreams through is entire life and get to discover a revolutionary mindset where pleasure and great achievements are not necessarily unrelated.
Hefner is not yet in any of our (at least Europeans) history books but like him or not, he deserves to be and I would advise anybody, who like me, is missing that piece of history to run see this documentary.