MovieChat Forums > Crumb (1995) Discussion > This is one of the best films I have eve...

This is one of the best films I have ever seen

posted 20 years ago by EskimoTshrtSales
27 replies | jump to latest

There are some people who have posted negative somments about this film. That is Ok, but I have read some comments to the effect of: "Crumb is a disgusting guy", or "His artwork sucks", or some other derisive comments directed at his siblings. This film was not made so you could witness a great and likable guy. It was made to convey the story of one of the greatests cartoonists and caricaturists to ever live. The pitfalls of his personality should not be attacked, they are nothing more than quirks. He and his brothers were all abused children, and for those of you who dont know, abused children also grow up to be disturbed. I cannot remember a time where I felt more pity for anyone than when I was watching Charles Crumb talk about his suicide attempts, and how deranged and abusive his father was. As for Robert Crumb he has more skill with a pen than anyone I have ever seen, and I dont think that his work would be even half as good without his background. Notice how all three brothers have bizzare sexual tastes: Robert Crumb and his erotic fixation with bugs bunny, Charles with his interest in the little boy from treasure island etc... They found comfort and refuge within their own minds, even as small children, they found comfort in their wonderful artwork. This is one of the saddest films I have ever seen, and it is also one of the best. To watch this film is to see a profundity rarely rivaled.

[–] staying_up_with_simon 20 years ago

zwigoff's work of 'crumb' has helped me through many a down days. humor and warmth are to be found all over this film, even in charle's wry, strange and deadpan responses. i could watch this film for a very long time.

[–] roell29 14 years ago

Same here. I've had more repeat views of this film than any other, and still not nearly tired of it. Don't think I ever will be.

Welcome to Costco, I love you...

[–] tomganz90 18 years ago

So, "johnjms", why do you have such a problem with the statement that "abused children also grow up to be disturbed."? Do you have any evidence that they DON'T? Why wouldn't they be? I believe another word for it might be TRAUMA. Anyone who is abused certainly suffers a traumatic experience, and it would stand to reason that those who suffer through traumatic experiences would be disturbed by them. Is there something WRONG with being disturbed by them? And why doesn't quoting Freud score any points? You're the one who made an issue over the first poster's statement in the first place. I would think a quote from Freud would be more than relevant to the discussion. As far as the statement that "99.9% of the time, they themselves were abused as children" is, as you say, "garbage" and an "unproven stat", I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to work in a psychiatric home for children, 90% of whom were there because they were abused, most of them sexually. At least half of those kids came back to the facility as adolescents, who---guess what---had begun sexually abusing younger children. That's less than 99.9%, but it's still a significant number. And that's just the sexual abusers. Who knows what happened with the others? Look at adult abusers who show up in the news, and do a little research. You might be surprised. No one is trying to deal in "absolutes" here. I believe the other posters were referring more to cause and effect, rather than absolutes. No one was trying to excuse anyone's behavior that I can see. If anyone is coming to the table with any preconceived, and, if you'll pardon me, absolute ideas, it's you. So calm down.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] tomganz90 17 years ago

"My issue is that not ALL abused children become abusers and/or disturbed. It’s as simple as that."

Then why don't you WRITE that, instead of calling someone else's statement "insane" or "garbage", and railing against someone for using what is obviously a commonly used conversational device.

BTW, why are you writing so many posts about a film that you say (in another thread) you hated, that drove you crazy, etc. etc.? Seems kind of, I don't know, INSANE to me.

Calm down, dude. It's going to be alright. No, really.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Ms. Lennon 17 years ago

I dont get why people argue on message boards like does your life suck so much you have to let out your *beep* life somewhere where you can cut someone down without saying it to their face. god.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] tomganz90 17 years ago

Your posts reveal you to be a person of little or no compassion, not to mention, empathy. Your posts are little else but thinly disguised attacks on others' opinions. If it serves your feeble mind to think that you cut my last post "to shreds",--hey, go right ahead. Discussion boards are for the purpose of discussion. It's not an ego contest. If you feel the need to "cut" other peoples' posts "to shreds", then you clearly have some issues regarding the apparent superiority of others' posts to yours, which you then feel you have to compete with and top. And BTW, my asking you to "calm down" was done neither facetiously, nor in an attempt to be funny. You take yourself, and your beloved opinions, WAAYY too seriously. It's interesting that you feel that others "seem to need to have their points explained for them". If you had any genuine interest in LISTENING to and understanding other peoples' posts, you'd see how laughable that attitude is. Instead, it's all a big competition to you, to see who can "win". Very ungenerous, JohnJMS, very ungenerous indeed.

P.S. If I thought all of your comments were anything worth replying to, I would. But you're just a guy with a chip on his shoulder, who thinks discussion boards are all about winning an argument. And there's no argument here that I can see, except the one you're making with everybody else.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] tomganz90 17 years ago

Why, I AM a *beep* stirring egomaniac! Whaddaya know about that? I just NEVER KNEW! To think that I was walking around, blind to the essential truth of my own life. Thank you, JohnJMS for clearing that up for me! Wow. Things are so much clearer now. Jackass.

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[–] moviefool09 14 years ago

I concur with the OP....this is one amazing film.

I first saw it during its original release, at a small Indie film house in Houston in the middle of the day. There were maybe 3 other people in the theater. I was not prepared for the raw emotional power it packed. I was expecting a quirky matinee show, but that was not what I got. I was devastated by watching these people crumble (no pun intended) before my eyes. I had never seen anything like it.

When I emerged from the theater, it was still daylight. I remember thinking how lucky I felt about my life, simply because I wasn't one of these people. I felt very grateful. No movie has ever left me with those kinds of feelings afterwards.

The theater was selling "Crumb" trading cards at the box office and upon my exit, I immediately bought a pack. I wanted something concrete from the experience, to remind me of the film.

I'm excited to see the Criterion version about to be released on Blu-Ray. This'll be a no-brainer purchase.

[–] delthafunky1 14 years ago

wow, johnjms seems like a disturbed individual. must have been abused as a child....

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] MrBook_ 13 years ago

This thread is nuts. Nobody said that "all" people who were abused as kids grow up to be disturbed, or abusers themselves, or anything else. But it's a well known fact that people who were abused very often have problems (or are disturbed, if you wanna use that term) into adulthood, whether it's becoming abusers themselves, or falling into addiction, or various mental and emotional problems of the sort you see in this movie. It lines up pretty neatly in the other direction, too -- abusers and addicts and people with various personality disorders were often abused as children. It's extensively documented; practically the entire field of modern psychology is testament to the truth that childhood abuse causes tremendous, lifelong problems, and the resistance I see to this idea from so many people speaks to a denial that certainly isn't helping matters.

This is my new sig. Do you like it?

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] MrBook_ 13 years ago

It was stated in the first posts in the thread by the OP EskimoTshrtSales

No it wasn't.

He and his brothers were all abused children, and for those of you who dont know, abused children also grow up to be disturbed.

See?

Let's look again.

He and his brothers were all abused children, and for those of you who dont know, abused children also grow up to be disturbed.

Still no. ^^See? It's right up there. He didn't say "all" abused children grow up to be disturbed, he said abused children grow up to be disturbed.

For someone who tells people they need to read more carefully, you sure don't read very carefully.

Get on up.

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[–] JellyFish19 14 years ago

It really is a fascinating film. Some of these eccentric people (like the fellas from "American Movie") make a great documentary subject, and this Crumb guy was no different.

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[–] pan-10 11 years ago

To the OP, Eskimo - Great post.

"This is one of the saddest films I have ever seen, and it is also one of the best. To watch this film is to see a profundity rarely rivaled. "

So well said. I agree.

[–] 11 years ago

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