Cincinnati's conservative lineage has been in the showbiz spotlight before. Director Milos Forman's 1997 film, The People vs. Larry Flynt, raised questions about Hamilton County's attacks on the flamboyant pornographer's constitutional rights and artistic liberties.
Now, a Showtime movie titled Dirty Pictures recaptures the events of 1990, from the opening of Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment at the Contemporary Arts Center to the obscenity trial of its director, Dennis Barrie.
Barrie, having seen a rough cut of the film, calls it very serious and thoughtful, a fairly authentic representation of what happened. What really struck him, he says, is that every major character (even those I don't like in real life) comes across as human rather than a Hollywood stereotype.
Toronto once again stands in for cinematic Cincinnati in Dirty Pictures. While no local players show up in the movie as themselves, more than 100 of Mapplethorpe's original photographs have a starring role.
It's funny how left-coast entertainment companies continue to focus on Cincinnati's politically cautious reputation. It's the city's one dramatic hook with mainstream appeal.
Pictures on TV are worth a million words. Chances are Dirty Pictures will cement Cincinnati's conservative persona even further in the public psyche.
Dirty Pictures
Showtime Original Movie
Directed by Frank Pierson
Written by Ilene Chaiken
Air Date: May 27
James Woods plays Dennis Barrie
Craig T. Nelson (above) plays Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis
Diane Scarwid plays Barrie's wife, Dianne
David Huband plays attorney H. Louis Sirkin
Judah Katz plays attorney Marc Mezibov
R.D. Reid plays Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge David Albanese
