The Mad World Of Harvey Kurtzman film review: An irreverent success
A nimble documentary on the grandfather of the graphic novel is handled with tact and wit
The wonderfully named Bart Simpson wrote and directed this film about Harvey Kurtzman, writer, illustrator, entrepreneur and founder of Mad magazine. Offering irreverent parody and rude satirical humour, Kurtzman made an undeniably seismic cultural impact, but of-the-moment humour can spoil faster than milk; this documentary for Glasgow’s Aconite Productions is enhanced by having Kurtzman’s daughter Liz guide us through his off-the-wall comic art. Not all of his work appeals today and more dubious creations like Little Annie Fanny for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy need careful handling and context.
His successes, though, were significant; Kurtzman pretty much invented the graphic novel, working alongside Stan Lee during the early stirrings of the Marvel brand. And he gets involved with everything from Art Spiegelman’s Maus to Sesame Street; he hires Gloria Steinem and even The Simpsons pay tribute to him. Handling his legacy of artwork with sensitivity and tact, Liz Kurtzman admits that she feared the task of constructing a shrine to her father. As an American response to the famous Italian fumetti, Kurtzman created and cultivated a unique seam of scabrous American wit; this nimble documentary, executive produced by Terry Gilliam, conveys exactly why Harvey Kurtzman is a key figure in the annals of modern humour.
The Mad World Of Harvey Kurtzman was reviewed as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival.