Far
Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
(2012/First Run DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: B- Documentary: A-
Tomi
Ungerer a maverick among those who consider themselves children's
book authors and illustrators. He is both admired by his peers, and
outcasted by his critics, but who was he? Take a journey back into
the past to see and understand how he became the man he is in Brad
Bernstein's Far
Out Isn't Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
(2012), which is getting some serious buzz this awards season. While
his work with children's books has always been accepted, his
political comics have ranged from shocking to funny, but his most
extreme work has the core of conservatives and even blacklisted him
in the art community, but in the end is he just perverted children's
book artist or a genius of art and pictures?
Ungerer
is not your average children's book writer or artist. While he is
best known for his children's books, but not as known about his
interest into the erotic and sexuality. To understand him is you
need to understand his past, he was a survivor of the World War. He
grew up under both German and French oppression and his childhood was
brutal. He believed that children learned through extremes and
should be scared of the world out there. Ungerer then came to
America to express his ideas and his art in political cartoons, and
books, particular his works were against discrimination, war and if
nationalism let to war then it was no better than extreme fascism, in
particularly America in the 1960s. Then he became blacklisted for
nearly a quarter century for his work in sexual freedom in eroticism,
but afterwards was exonerated and honored for his works after others
realized his work was art and not pornography.
This
was a very interesting biography/film. It tells the eyes and story
of a children's book artist, but it doesn't mean everything is blue
skies, balloons and rainbows, instead he took characters that were
scary and made them loveable. He had anti-war sentiments and stood
with minorities, which isn't too surprising if one understands his
past. In the end, his views shows and teaches the world how to laugh
at things, and being extreme isn't so bad, but to live and learn from
both. I would highly recommend this to those with opens minds (or if
not, I would recommend it anyway).
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is consistent throughout with
only minor flaws, while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is on the
clear side throughout. Extras
include Tomi Ungerer & Jules Feiffer at The Society of
Illustrators, Maurice Sendak Critiques The King's Speech, Tomi
Ungerer in Ireland, Deleted Scenes and a Feature Length Director's
Commentary.
-
Ricky Chiang
