Crumb
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The life and times of Robert Crumb--controversial cartoonist and the creative genius behind such classices as "Keep on Truckin," "Fritz The Cat," and "Mr. Natural." A riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary cartoonist who, along with his brothers, treads the dangerous line between madness and genius. Funny, unsettling and always fascinating!
Member Reviews
Great documentary - Superdave
Robert Crumb has become an icon in the world of underground comic artists, and this documentary takes a close look at his work (and the often unhappy life that informed it) with an intimacy that is both gratifying and disturbing. Crumb's art and career are celebrated here on film even while his dysfunctional adolescence, his personal insecurities and his sexual obsessions are dissected by family, friends, pop psychologists and other invited crackpots. We see how, by his own understanding, that young Robert Crumb developed his talent as a vehicle to reach out and connect with other people, especially girls, and then had to deal with the frustrations resulting from his failure to achieve success with this. We see how his cartooning style evolved, how certain repeated subjects and motifs found their way into his work.
We get a close up view of Robert Crumb that is almost too close up. The film's intimacy with its subject creates an almost claustrophobic feel, especially since Crumb himself is almost painfully awkward and lacking in personal charm, his mother is an ogress, his wife and daughter seem wary and stiff on camera, and his older brother is borderline crazy.
Especially interesting is Robert Crumb's brother Charles, who is also a cartoonist and quite talented but clearly mentally unbalanced. His work shows genuine technical polish and is extremely evocative. It is also morbid and obsessive to the point of wallowing in darkness and despair, since its creator is an over-40, out of work dingbat who lives and works in the attic of the Crumb family home. Charles was a key inspiration to the young Robert Crumb, yet he is also an object lesson. With a little less professional drive and career focus, Robert could easily have followed his brother's path in life and art.Great subject - egyptnation
Whether you like this movie or not will probably depend on what you think of Robert Crumb. As noted on the commentary track, people who had a problem with Crumb's work were usually the ones who walked out of the movie when it was first in theatres. Even though I found Crumb's family quite weird and depressing, I still really liked this movie because it paints a fair and even-handed portrait of its subject.Special Edition is both a HIT and a MISS - TheShamus
I have previously reviewed the regular release of Crumb. It is a 5-star movie ... and one of the greatest biographical documentaries made. This review will look at the "Special Edition" release of Crumb. Is this edition worth a separate rent from the original?
Since this movie was made over 10 years ago, I was hoping for some kind of an update for what Crumb and his family have been up to over the past 10-years. There were no "cut scenes" included.
The "Special Edition" really means a few things. First ... Sony did their best to remaster the original. They are extremely successful in getting rid of some of the colour problems (and the look that used to make this look like an older feature). Visually, Sony Pictures did a great job of cleaning up this classic.
The major update here is an audio commentary track with film featuring film critic, Roger Ebert, and Director, Terry Zwigoff. If you are a fan of the film, this commentary give you insight that makes it all worthwhile. At times, Zwigoff and Ebert get so caught up in their side conversations, they are not always closely following the onscreen action. However, on the whole, you get lots of insight into Crumb's family --- and especially his sister (who refused to be in the picture, hates Robert Crumb, and considers herself a "Separtist Lesbian"). We also find out that after Charles died, his mother threw out all of his books right away (before Robert could get to them).
So ... Crumb could have had more "goodies" -- but I am happy with what we got. I am a huge fan of this film ... and have seen it in excess of 10 times. I have not tired of it yet. There is a lot of "life truths" hidden in this gem (both intended and unintended).
/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\
Member Reviews
Read All...
Great documentary - Superdave
Robert Crumb has become an icon in the world of underground comic artists, and this documentary takes a close look at his work (and the often unhappy life that informed it) with an intimacy that is both gratifying and disturbing. Crumb's art and career are ...Great subject - egyptnation
Whether you like this movie or not will probably depend on what you think of Robert Crumb. As noted on the commentary track, people who had a problem with Crumb's work were usually the ones who walked out of the movie when it was first in theatres. Even though ...Special Edition is both a HIT and a MISS - TheShamus
I have previously reviewed the regular release of Crumb. It is a 5-star movie ... and one of the greatest biographical documentaries made. This review will look at the "Special Edition" release of Crumb. Is this edition worth a separate rent from the original?
Since ...