George Herriman's KINOMATIC KRAZY KAT KARTOON KLASSICS

Rating:
Summary: KRAZY KAT FOR KHRISTMAS!
Review: Ray Pointer is not a man to be taken lightly. He is the Ernest and Julio Gallo of his profession, since he will "sell no product, before its time". George Herriman's KINOMATIC KRAZY KAT KARTOON KLASSICS is a subject whose time has come, not only because it centers on one of the earliest adaptations of a comic strip character to animation, but because it also focuses on the little-known and controversial fact that Herriman was the first Black American cartoonist 100 years ago. And by addressing this controversy, Mr. Pointer has raised his series to another level, which further solidifies his position as one of the world's prime documentary producers of animation history.

Just as he has done with past productions, Mr. Pointer has his skills uniting the cartoons with historical commentary, with the wonderfully resonant tones of narrator, Lenord Robinson. And the addition of original music by Michael Gonzales, Alan Oldfield, and Ray Pointer establishes a true sense of the period and atmosphere of the subject. This presentation of films that are nearly 90 years old, not only makes for an informative look at the life of Herriman, but offers an entertaining and insightful look at the comics and cartoons of the early 20th Century.

In the history of cartooning, George Herriman is compared to Winsor McCay in his originality and talent, but was much less of a public figure by his own choosing. We start off with a history of Herriman and his "mixed race" ancestry, proven by the display of his actual birth certificate. We learn that Herriman felt forced to hide his ethnicity, in order to enter a field that was then closed to nonwhite artists.

After producing a number of strips involving "human" subjects, he began penning "The Dingbat Family," which had a secondary storyline featuring a cat and mouse. They soon became the center of attention and were eventually given their own strip. This was the birth of Krazy Kat; a "surrealistic" look at an androgynous cat named Krazy who was enamored with a brick toting mouse named Ignatz. Krazy Kat's twisted logic and naive surface showed an inner wisdom that helped to make him/her/it a most popular character with the likes of Pablo Piccaso, Charlie Chaplin, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Herriman was only involved with the Krazy Kat comic strip, and had no connection with the animation of his characters. All the same, the animated KRAZY KAT was one of the first of the comic strips to be adapted for animation.

We are then treated to Krazy Kat cartoons released by three different studios. The first series being produced by the Hearst International Film Service from 1916-1917.

Titles included are "Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing", "Krazy Kat-Bugologist", "Krazy Kat Invalid", and "Krazy Kat And Ignatz Mouse In A Tale That Is Knot".

The second studio to release Krazy Kat shorts was the Bray Pictures Corp.

Titles included are "Krazy Kat In The Great Cheese Robbery," "Krazy Kat In The Best Mouse Loses," Krazy Kat In A Family Affair," and "Krazy Kat In The Awful Spook."


Charles Mintz, who was married to Margaret Winkler, produced the third set of "classic" Krazy
Kat cartoons. These are the rarest of all to see since by 1949, Margaret Winkler-Mintz was no longer able to pay for the negative storage, and being highly flammable nitrate films, she ordered destroyed. As a result only old prints from private archives exist. Mr. Pointer has taken as much of the usable footage from decomposing prints to make these rare gems available once more. Titles included are "Krazy Kat In Bokays And Brick Bats" and "Krazy Kat In Making Good."

When sound films had become the norm, Krazy Kat had taken on a look similar to Mickey Mouse, in the films released by Columbia Pictures. The very last popular attempt at an animated Krazy Kat was by Al Brodax of POPEYE and YELLOW SUBMARINE fame. This is the 1960's version which I, and others of my generation remember from television. Although considered by most to not really reflect the Herriman characters, it was still popular. Gene Deitch himself is seen telling us about his association with Brodax in these productions.

I cannot recommend this DVD enough, because it is much more than a cartoon compilation. It is an original statement that combines a well researched, and well paced commentary that offers an understanding of the subtext and culture behind Herriman's work, that to a lesser degree was reflected in the early animated versions. This is a very important production, not just for both the preservation of the cartoons, but for Mr. Pointer and his coming forth with this untold story of one of the most important cartoon artists of America. You will not be disappointed!

Richard Kish
Beacon, New York