Crumb

1994 Documentary

So well-regarded was the documentary Crumb (1994) that the failure of it and of the same year's equally acclaimed Hoop Dreams (1994) to result in Oscar nominations caused a media furor which forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to revamp its documentary nomination process. Robert Crumb is a respected but controversial underground comic book artist and writer whose creations include the popular "Keep on Truckin'" and Fritz the Cat (1972). Crumb's adult subject matter includes weird sexual obsessions, social criticism, and personal, confessional observations about abnormal human psychology. The genesis and meaning of Crumb's work is explained through a series of interviews with his colleagues, former lovers, and especially family members, which reveal a horrific upbringing that has crippled both Crumb and his siblings -- but has also fueled the artist's groundbreaking work. A long-time friend of the film's subject, director Terry Zwigoff followed Crumb (1994) with another comic book-related project, Ghost World (2000), a drama based on a story from the anthology series "Eightball" by Daniel Clowes. more..

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Reviews

  • One of the most remarkable and haunting documentaries ever made.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Extraordinary new documentary that turns Robert Crumb's twisted life story into a disturbing, exhilarating work of biographical art.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • Crumb is one of the most provocative, haunting documentaries of the last decade.

    Edward Guthmann - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • If artist R. (Robert) Crumb can dispense immediately with his resume in Terry Zwigoff's superb Crumb, we can, too.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • It succeeds at showing how one man's psychic wounds contributed to an art that transmutes personal pain into garish visual satire.

    Stephen Holden - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Edited Documentary

    American Cinema Editors (1996)

     
  • Best Documentary

    Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (1995)

  • Best Documentary

    Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (1996)

  • Best Picture

    Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1996)

     
  • Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

    Directors Guild of America (1996)