Crumb (Special Edition)
by Terry Zwigoff
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DVD details
Actor: Aline Kominsky, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb, Robert Crumb, Robert HughesDirector: Terry Zwigoff
Brand: Sony
Producer: Terry Zwigoff
Producer: Albert Berger
Producer: David Lynch
Producer: Lawrence Wilkinson
Producer: Lianne Halfon
Producer: Lynn O'Donnell
Producer: Neal Halfon
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of Crumb (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Very interesting; Only touches the surface
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a hard film to watch. Much is said about the sad, dysfunctional upbringing of the brothers Crumb, but the 2 sisters refused to be interviewed for this film, so the complete picture isn't realized.The talent of the brothers is well-explored, especially our central character, Robert. The bizarre behavior seems to challenge the viewer into taking him seriously as a human being, though his art speaks for itself. I was a child of the 50's & 60's, and Mr. Crumb's artwork was certainly well-known to anyone who ever visited a "head-shop". I always thought the stuff was cute and generally clever, but I can't say I've ever been a real fan. As a documentary it succeeds as well as any I've seen that documents bleak hopelessness; "Born Into Brothels" comes to mind, and was a better doc.I'm not a person who's weak of heart, but "Crumb" to me was bleak, depressing and devoid of any redeeming qualities about the man that would make me care about him. Sorry, fans, it's just my opinion. DVD Review: This Is One Dysfunctional Family
Summary: 4 Stars
As an old-time fan and reader of "Mr. Natural," the underground comic of the '60s, I was interested to view this documentary about the man behind those "subversive" cartoons.
Wow, I found out he was stranger than I figured and judging by his comics, I figured he was a weird dude to start with. This is film worth watching just for the fascinating view of this warped man and his even more mentally-ill family. It certainly won't bore you, even with mulitple viewings.
Robert Crumb is a leftover 1960s radical who now lives in France. That's a good country for him.
His brother Charles committed suicide shortly after this film's release after spending most of his adult life in his room. Crumb's other brother spends his time sitting on a bed of nails in his house. His two sisters must be somewhat normal since they refused to be interviewed and filmed for this documentary. The mother is extremely obese and very strange. His father, whom they described as a tyrant, was dead.
This is one sick family which is probably one reason why national film critics across the country raved about this.
DVD Review: Interesting
Summary: 5 Stars
I think that Robert crumb is an excellent artist and he has an excellent taste in music and a fantastic record collection... however he's not a good respectable person. I think he probably just never really fully developed because of his bad childhood however he probably could contol himself better in what he draws. I mean you take one look and you pretty much know what he's about. I prefer to read his comics about blues and his experiences in real life and a good American Splendor story!-). It's a good important documentary that caused a furor because it failed to recieve an oscar nomination. However it's not for the sensitive, it's raw, frank and totally absorbing I highly recomend seeing it one way or the other.DVD Review: John McCain should option this for commercials
Summary: 1 Stars
He could show random chunks and then say:
"Obama's supporters thinks R. Crumb is a genius"
Admit it -- you all support Obama, right?
I suggest he use part where the brother talks about sexually assaulting a Jew in a drugstore, while R. laughs and laughs. Then cut to R using all his 'underground art' money to move to France where they 'understand him'.
Wankers.
This movie makes me want to bring back eugenics and [comic] book burning
DVD Review: More could have been done
Summary: 2 Stars
Upon rewatching the film, the first thing that stands out about it is how poorly it has held up as a filmic `portrait of an artist'. In the intervening years, documentaries such as The Kid Stays In The Picture, American Splendor, and Mayor Of The Sunset Strip have used narrative and filmic techniques that make Crumb seem downright quaint and formulaic, by comparison. From the technique of highlighting the bizarre and uninteresting people that inhabit mumbling cartoonist Robert Crumb's life, to having statically placed talking head experts- such as Femininazi journalist Peggy Orenstein and Deirdre English, a former editor of Mother Jones magazine, who decry Crumb's alleged misogyny and racism, to egghead elitists like Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes who ridiculously masturbate over the most inane and puerile of Crumb's work, to ending the film with a text-laden write-up of what happened after the cameras stopped rolling, Crumb seems to be a relic from another age; which is ironic since many in the film seem to already- by then, associate him with the bygone psychedelia of the 1960s. But that's what it is- a pre-Internet ideal of the classic Junior High School approach to its subject matter. Its only deviance from formula is the deviance of its subject.... The actual film is not bad, merely adequate, which given its hype, is quite disappointing. In rewatching the film, too, there just seemed to be many moments where things were staged for effect, such as when Crumb is confronted in a coffee shop by a young female who objects to his work, and weakly defends himself by stating, `not everything is for everyone,' or when Orenstein and English pontificate against Crumb, only demonstrating their stolidity, while Hughes bloviates in his defense over minutia that Crumb does not even buy.
That anyone with an intellect can take such lowbrow and transitory work with such seriousness says far more about the decline in art and critical thought than anything satirical or lampooning from Crumb's pen. Robert Crumb may be a great comic book illustrator, but he is not a great artist, for technically his work never rises to a visual sense that moves nor provokes the deepest and highest ideas and ideals, and there is no profound message, nor joy, to his work. In short, it and this film are not nearly as great as its hagiographers claim- which seems about right, for that is just like the man himself.
Description of Crumb (Special Edition)
David Lynch (Blue Velvet) presents one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made. A hilarious and mysterious journey through artistic genius and sexual obsession, CRUMB is a wild ride through the mind of Robert Crumb; creator of "Zap Comix," "Mr. Natural" and "Fritz the Cat." CRUMB enters a territory as spooky as it is fascinating... a portrait of the artist as misanthrope, as bad-boy visionary,as a joker and sex maniac and, finally, as hero. One of those rare film experiences that has the giddy effect of being a nightmare and a party at the same time.Robert Crumb is known for his disturbing, yet compelling, underground cartoons: his most famous works made countercultural icons out of Mr. Natural ("Keep on Truckin'...") and Fritz the Cat. Terry Zwigoff delves into the odd world of the cartoonist in his documentary film Crumb, and the picture that emerges is not always pretty--at moments, it's almost repellent--but it's a fascinating glimpse into a very strange mind. Interviewing immediate family--Crumb has one suicidal brother, one semi-psychopathic brother, two sisters who declined to be interviewed, and a tyrannical mother--Crumb begins to look a bit saner. Given his surroundings, it's remarkable that he has survived so well. His hostilities toward women may turn some viewers off, but his wife, Aline, seems to be a grounding point, and she provides a solid counterbalance to the man. No one shies away from discussing incredibly intimate things (namely, sex!), which explains much of R. Crumb's cartoons. This documentary can definitely be considered a masterpiece for the cult crowd, and as for the rest of us, it's sure to make us feel a little better about our own lives! --Jenny Brown
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