Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, August 21, 1999
A company employee, slightly intoxicated after work, fell on the stairs at a train station and suffered a spinal cord injury. He was an earnest man with a sharp mind. He could no longer enjoy his favorite activities—hiking, fishing, or golf. Even basic tasks like using the toilet or taking a bath became an enormous struggle. Not only did he suffer, but the stress on his wife and family was also immense.
The 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt depicts one man’s relentless pursuit of freedom of expression. The protagonist, based on a real person, is Larry Flynt, who went from managing a strip club in Cincinnati to publishing the provocative pornographic magazine Hustler, competing with Penthouse and Playboy. His publishing empire grew rapidly, but his explicit content led to multiple arrests. He defended freedom of speech in court and continuously fought against government censorship. However, one day, he was shot by an unknown assailant, and ironically, he was left paralyzed from the waist down, confined to a wheelchair.
After publishing a satirical piece on a prominent televangelist, Flynt was sued for defamation. However, in 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in his favor, stating that "satirical cartoons and images have played an extremely important role in public and political discourse." This landmark decision secured his place in American legal history.
The film seems to emphasize the First Amendment principle that even an unpopular figure deserves full protection of their right to free expression.
Yet, what was even more striking was the role of Flynt’s wife, portrayed by Courtney Love from the rock band Hole. She played a former nude dancer who, in an attempt to escape loneliness, became addicted to painkillers prescribed to her husband. Her addiction eventually led to her contracting AIDS and dying. Despite being drugged and unstable, she continued to stand by her husband, even as his erratic courtroom behavior drew attention. Her devotion was deeply moving.
Regret and self-recrimination—thinking, If only that accident hadn’t happened—afflict not just the individual, but also their family. The burden is extraordinary.
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