Crumb

Terry Zwigoff, USA 1994, 118 minutes

Chronicling the life and times of a certain Robert Crumb, comix artist (and his strange menagerie of friends, family and ex-girlfriends), Crumb the film is a blistering portrait of a man devoured by inner demons. Best known for his Fritz The Cat and Keep On Truckin' cartoons, Crumb played a pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Friend and director Terry Zwigoff followed the artist around for six years making this film and the reactions he elicits from the participants gradually strip away the layers that have been erected around a warped yet fascinating mind.

Crumb, the youngest of three brothers, grew up as a geeky teenager who felt that the opposite sex were an unattainable goal. However, through his drawing he was able to fulfil his unrealised fantasies, paradoxically leading to a string of girlfriends - many of whom he captured as characters on the page, but not, in the end, release the demons of his childhood.

For an artist whose work has often been criticised for being degrading and demeaning of women, a closer look reveals more about the man (particularly how Crumb portrays himself on the page). The film allows us into his world and lets him tell his own story. The typical Crumb male is shown cringing in awe at the dominant female, a reflection of Crumb's own perceptions.

That Crumb might be considered mad is of no concern to the man himself. As he says: "Maybe I should be locked up and my pencils taken away from me". However, when his brothers are first revealed to the camera, we realise that he is the normal one in the family. Successive revelations are skilfully woven by the director into a seamless fabric of images, reflecting the artistic process itself. Zwigoff reveals more to the man than was expected and in doing so creates a film which (even more than Hoop Dreams which collected the Oscar at the expense of Crumb), truly reveals the soul of its complex subject.

Despite the brashness of his wit and pen, one thing Crumb, the artist, never draws are conclusions. Similarly, Crumb does not judge Crumb the man, but leaves the viewer to do this themselves and be horrified or fascinated in the process.

Review by Neil Chue Hong
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98