Crumb (1994)
Genius or Pervert?
Presentation:
Considered one of the greatest documentaries of all time, David Lynch only puts his name on this while Zwigoff is the one that actually gives us a fascinating documentary with great storytelling. You will maybe only hear an interviewer speak maybe once throughout the entire film, which is impressive given they are able to assemble a comprehensive storyline out of all of the interviewee’s dialogue. The director manages to make it feel more like a film rather than a documentary with immersive cinematography accomplished by natural camera movement, close ups, film and analog audio. Given, this is facilitated by the interviewees having a lot of interesting things to say, which means the people behind the camera don’t actually have to do much. Crumb is presented in a neutral way, despite sounding like a perverted demon. It’s only possibly forgiven because of his genuine honesty. The complexity is quite nuanced, because on one hand the material can be quite inappropriate bordering on taboo, while also being validated by his success and artistry. It’s very weird, and audiences feel like a fly on the wall listening in on vulnerable discussions, which honestly feel like they are divulging too much information.
Conclusion:
How many people will know of Crumb before watching? And how many people really care about these old comic books? But what we do end up caring about is Crumb’s legacy, which explores the repressed sexual perversion of America. The film sort of presents Crumb as the only pervert, but when you look at America today you may come to a different conclusion that maybe his work encapsulates a lot of our collective subconscious. Genius or pervert? And then there are some revealing tidbits of anti-consumerist culture that really do resonate with audiences, which ultimately allow us to partly understand him and maybe even accept him. Can be considered a subversive documentary and by the end, you may even find his work more artistic than you initially thought.
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Recommendations
An unexpectedly auteur romcom.