Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse

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Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
Art Spiegelman, Disaster Is My Muse poster.jpeg
Film poster
Directed byMolly Bernstein
Philip Dolin
Produced byMolly Bernstein
Philip Dolin
Sam Jinishian
Alicia Sams
Starring Art Spiegelman
Edited byMolly Bernstein
Music by Michael Leonhart
Release dates
  • November 16, 2024 (2024-11-16)(DOC NYC) [1]
  • February 21, 2025 (2025-02-21) [1]
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse is a 2024 American documentary film about the cartoonist Art Spiegelman. It is produced and directed by Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin. It premiered at DOC NYC in November 2024. It was given a limited theatrical release on February 21, 2025, and aired on PBS on April 15, 2025, as part of the American Masters series. [1] [2]

Contents

PBS edit

When the film aired on PBS, a segment showing a Spiegelman cartoon which criticized Donald Trump was removed from the broadcast edit. [3] The cut was ordered by PBS on April 3, 2025, twelve days before the film's airdate. [3] [4] The documentary's producers and directors characterized the move as self-censorship amid Trump's efforts to end federal funding for PBS. [2] In response, a WNET executive said that the cartoon, which depicts in one panel what The New York Times describes as "fly-infested feces on Trump's head", was removed on the grounds of distastefulness. [2]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 17 critics' reviews are positive. [5] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [6]

Carlos Aguilar of Variety wrote, "Considering how groundbreaking Spiegelman was in his field, as well as the interdisciplinary connections present in his path, one might hope that a tribute to his transgressive oeuvre would take more formal risks. Alas, while the comics themselves have prominence on-screen in their static form, the doc remains a proficient, engaging portrait, but an unadventurous one." [7]

Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave the film four out of four stars and wrote that it's "a remarkably cogent and compelling presentation not just of Spiegelman's life story but also his personality and art." [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Billington, Alex (February 10, 2025). "Official Trailer for 'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse' Documentary". First Showing. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Tracy, Marc (May 27, 2025). "Criticism of Trump Was Removed From PBS Documentary" . The New York Times . p. C7. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Kaufman, Anthony (May 19, 2025). ""C" is for Censorship: PBS Cuts 'Art Spiegelman' Doc and Other Dubious Acts at Embattled Broadcaster". International Documentary Association . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  4. ↑ Engber, Daniel (May 22, 2025). "There Is No Dignity in Capitulation" . The Atlantic . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse". Metacritic . Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  7. ↑ Aguilar, Carlos (February 25, 2025). "'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse' Review: 'Maus' Cartoonist Grapples with the Weight of His Most Seminal Work". Variety . Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  8. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (February 2025). "Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved February 25, 2025.
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