He also informs listeners that composer mark suozzo s score, which is sampled in two brief excerpts. Touching song from the iconic docufilm about american splendor s author harvey pekar. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The film is based around the story our cancer year mainly. Pekar writes the underground comic book american splendor and features himself in the comic book as the workingclass everyman, as he shows how he operates in his daily life while using reallife characters and not superheroesas in most comics. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The film, which is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation, is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize pekars life. It is a movie for people who love character and dialoguefor people who are happy to have a window opened into an unusual.
I wish more of the comic book inspired movies were like this. The screenplay was based on pekars comic book series american splendor, which he has been writing since 1976 on dark horse comics, and the 1994 booklength comic our cancer year, written by pekar and brabner. Sep 14, 2009 eytan mirsky performs the title track to one of my favorite films and favorite comic book series american splendor. Directors berman and pulcini seem to want to do something different splendor opens as a cross between a docucomedy and an attempt at time period preciousness which gets them into trouble later as the film doesnt progress, visually, out of the eighties. Dec 14, 2003 few filmmakers could represent the new york side of this dispute better than the little team behind american splendor ms. Study guide for american splendor film art, chapter 4, 112158 american splendor. American splendor shari springer berman, robert pulcini usa, 2003 fiction, 100min, omdu.
American splendor film wikipedia republished wiki 2. Because the film is more documentary than narrative, it is a bit flat from a dramatic standpoint. The soundtrack album has some selections by composer mark suozzo, but is. American splendor and our cancer year by harvey pekar music by. Few filmmakers could represent the new york side of this dispute better than the little team behind american splendor ms. He has a deadend job as a clerk in a va hospital, but he has a. American splendor ordinary life is pretty complex stuff directed by shari springer berman produced by ted hope christine kunewa walker julia king declan baldwin written by robert pulcini cast paul giamatti hope davis judah friedlander edited by robert pulcini cinematography terry stacey music by mark suozzo studio good machine distributed by fine line features country united states language. Mark suozzo, various artists american splendor music. Mark composes music for feature films and documentaries. Harvey pekar, judah friedlander, hope davis, paul giamatti. Project muse a conversation with carter burwell and mark suozzo. The documentary directing team of robert pulcini and shari springer berman makes their narrative feature debut with the biographical comedy drama american splendor. Not content to present the clevelandbased pekars life as anything resembling a straightforward narrative.
Id first like to say were going to do this as a conversation interview, 1 and my colleague mark suozzo will be coming up in a second. American splendor 2003 cast and crew underground comic book writer harvey pekar, portrayed by paul giamatti but also appearing as himself, is the subject of this inventive biopic. Touching song from the iconic docufilm about american splendors author harvey pekar. Pennsylvania 65000 by carl sigman, jerry gray, performed by glenn miller and his orchestra. If youre the kind of person looking for romance or fantasy or escapism, youve got the wrong movie. On the sunny side of the street by dorothy fields, jimmy. Pekar writes his comics about the sad monotony of everyday life, based on his own. Taking on that company town out west the new york times. The american splendor movie site and dvd both feature a wonderful screensaver. The kaufman agency formed on november 16, 1996 represents composers worldwide that specialize in all forms of film and television. Told through a collage of dramatic sequences, interviews with the real pekar and his pals, and quirky animated sequences, this cinematic comic book follows pekars career, artistic and otherwise. In the world of comic book movies, american splendor is the real deal, the wartsandall adventures of the most unlikely hero on the comic stands. An admirer of naturalist writers like theodore dreiser, harvey makes his american splendor a truthful, unsentimental record of his workingclass. Based upon the comic book series american splendor by harvey pekar and the graphic novel our cancer year by pekar and joyce.
He also informs listeners that composer mark suozzo s score, which is sampled in two brief excerpts, does what a lot of good film music is supposed to do, support the onscreen action without. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. One shows the liner notes comic book and the other shows american splendor comic covers. The silverlinings comic book i ll go out on a limb here and start with the following observation. It follows harvey as he meets artist crumb, and then his third wife joyce brabner hope davis and.
American splendor original motion picture soundtrack 2003, cd. Yes, among all the spidermans, batmans and, ahem, fantastic 4 films, it may seem strange to believe that american splendor was even a comic book to begin with. When, years later, crumb finds international success for his underground comics, the idea that comic books can be a valid art form for adults inspires harvey to write his own brand of comic book. Try disabling any ad blockers and refreshing this page. American splendor is a 2003 american biographical comedydrama film about harvey pekar, the author of the american splendor comic book series. The film is also in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize pekars life. Really enjoyable treatment of the life of harvey pekar, author of the graphic novel american splendor. American splendor is the true story of comic book author harvey pekar. But in a time when reality tv was still distant, an underground comic book artist called harvey pekar wrote comic books about his own life. The agencys clients include dick hyman the woody allen films, moonstruck, peter r. American splendor 2003 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
New york premiere of shari springer berman and robert pulcinis american splendor, about the life of comic book author harvey. You also get the exclusive aim icons, a comic book, cover gallery and web links. Based on the dcdark horse autobiographical comics of the same name, american splendor is a rather unique film in the sense that it combines a traditional biopic narrative with documentary footage of the reallife pekar and joyce brabner as well as animation from pekars underground comic books. One of the most unusually structured and enjoyable films of 2003, american splendor is a documentary and its not. Cartoonist harvey pekar, whose autobiographical comics serve as the basis for the film american splendor. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle.
Aug 14, 2003 ipop at the american splendor premiere. American splendor study guide study guide for american. American splendor won the grand jury prize in the dramatic competition at the 2003 sundance film festival. Mark suozzo, various artists american splendor amazon. The film was written and directed by documentarians shari springer berman and robert pulcini. American splendor original motion picture soundtrack scene by. American splendor uses scratchy comic book frames and captions that evoke the comics edginess, and the freefloating jazz score by mark suozzo might remind you, subliminally, of peanuts which is. Enter the name of the series to add the book to it. Biopic dramatizes the offbeat life and career of comic book author harvey pekar. As with the usual theme of american splendor, pekar writes autobiographical comics.
Based on the comic book series american splendor by harvey pekar and our cancer year by harvey pekar and joyce brabner. Cartoonist harvey pekar, whose autobiographical comics serve as the basis for the film american splendor, and with a background as a jazz critic since 1959, contributes appropriately illustrated liner notes to the soundtrack album some of them contained in the multimedia portion of the enhanced cd accessible by computer in which he. It features comic book style liner notes which are written by harvey pekar. Robert pulcini cowriter, codirector, editor, american splendor discusses his adaptation of harvey pekaris landmark comic series. Nominated for an oscar for best adapted screenplay.
American splendor original motion picture soundtrack cd, album. The life of underground comic book writer harvey pekar is chronicled in this exceptionally droll film. Grand county library district has made the decision to indefinitely close all library branches to the public beginning monday, march 16, until further notice. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The screenplay was based on pekars comic book series american splendor, which he has been writing since 1976 on dark horse comics, and the 1994 book length comic our cancer year, written by pekar and brabner.
Based upon the comic book series american splendor by harvey pekar and the graphic novel our cancer year by pekar and joyce brabner. Mark suozzo american splendor soundtrack time passes strangely duration. American splendor ordinary life is pretty complex stuff directed by shari springer berman produced by ted hope christine kunewa walker julia king declan baldwin written by robert pulcini cast paul giamatti hope davis judah friedlander edited by robert pulcini cinematography terry stacey music by mark suozzo studio good machine distributed by fine. However, pekar writes occasional stories of people he knows or meets and usually make just. American splendor 2003 directed by shari springer berman. American splendor 2003, robert pulcini and shari springer. A thick and heavy trade paperback, the best of american splendor collects various comics by harvey pekar somewhere between the time of our cancer year and our movie year. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Aug 15, 2007 the gifted writerdirectors shari springer berman and robert pulcini, who created the original and edgy indie american splendor, a highlight of the 2003 season, make a rough, not entirely successful transition to the bigbudget, stardriven movie world with their followup the nanny diaries. The films music by mark suozzo is brilliant as it lowkey in its. American splendor by robert pulcini paul giamatti, hope. I think we can get started and get as much time as possible with carter burwell. American splendor similar films to watch if you like. Jan 22, 2003 american splendor represents a bold deconstruction of the fatigued biopic form.
Much of the film focuses on the eccentric pekar s daytoday life in cleveland, particularly his relationship with his patient wife, joyce brabner played by hope davis and also. American splendor motion picture feature film over 60 minutes. From off the streets of cleveland comes american splendor, screams. Story, 2007 drama desk award nominee for outstanding original score for a musical, mark suozzo american splendor. The film, which is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation, is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize pekars lif. American splendor the comic book consists of the observations of harvey pekar, an angry, often disagreeable cynic who works as a file clerk at a cleveland v.
American splendor is a 2003 american biographical comedydrama film about. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of american splendor with exclusive news, pictures, videos and more at. Join facebook to connect with mark suozzo and others you may know. Harvey pekar paul giamatti is a comic book writer inspired by the work of his friend robert crumb james urbaniak. American splendor film wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Based on the comic series by harvey pekar and the graphic novel our cancer. A chance encounter with wouldbe underground comic sensation robert crumb at a clevelandarea garage sale drives harvey to enter the world for himself, starting down a road that would lead to the creation of renowned underground comic american splendor.
American splendor is about an everyday guy named harvey pekor who has the idea of taking the everyday trials and tribulations of the common man and using that supposedly, but not really mundane life as a storyline for a comic book charactor as illustrated by his buddy, famous comic book artist robert crumb. This cd gives you the same one along with 2 extra screensavers. American splendor uses scratchy comic book frames and captions that evoke the comics edginess, and the freefloating jazz score by mark suozzo might remind you, subliminally, of peanutswhich. Aug 14, 2003 american splendor uses scratchy comic book frames and captions that evoke the comics edginess, and the freefloating jazz score by mark suozzo might remind you, subliminally, of peanutswhich. In the movie he appears as himself and also acts as narrator. As befits a film about a work about a life, this breaks the. American splendor is deserving of accolades, not only because it tells an interesting story about a fascinating man, but because it does so with such freedom and freshness. Mark suozzo american splendor soundtrack time passes. Eytan mirsky performs the title track to one of my favorite films and favorite comic book series american splendor. Lyrics i thought that i could be somebody it looks like i was wrong i. Nevertheless, american splendor is not a movie for people who love story. So let us first genuflect toward paul giamatti, who portrays underground comic book writer harvey pekar in the splendid american splendor, a movie that repeatedly offers up the real pekar for. Harvey makes his american splendor a truthful, unsentimental record of his workingclass life, a wartsandall self portrait.