EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL 2026
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The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman
World Premiere Bart Simpson 2026 92 mins |
For anyone who has an interest in graphic art, and comics in particular, this film is a treat as not only does it focus on one of the most unique artistic talents of his time, Harvey Kurtzman, but it also features interviews with many other well known names. Here is a chance to hear what Art Spiegelman, James Warren, Sergio Aragones, Robert Crumb, Max Gaines, Terry Gilliam and others thought about not only Harvey Kurtzman's art, but about working with him, and ultimately the man himself.
This story is also told from the view of Harvey Kurtzman's family and friends, and a special insight into the private life of the artist is given by his wife Adele and daughters. This film starts with the still at college Kurtzman where already his unique talent as a cartoonist was evident. This talent was put to use when he was drafted into the U.S. army, and his dislike of that experience probably influenced greatly his unique, and at the time ground-breaking, work on EC comics war titles. To this day, his work on Frontline Combat is still held in high esteem by comic fans and professionals alike.
It is however for his vision in creating Mad comics, then Mad magazine, a change in format to avoid the restrictions of the new comics authorities code, that Kurtzman is best known to many people today. Although his time with his creation was a short one, his work on this and other similar titles of the period set the ground-rules for so much of what was to come in comics and graphic arts.
Harvey Kurtzman scripted his work like movie scripts and made preliminary layouts like film story boards, and this way of working also influenced generations of creatives in the film industry. So much of what we take for normal in visual arts and story-telling would simply not be around us without his unique talent and always ground-breaking vision of what could be possible for an artist and a story teller.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
This story is also told from the view of Harvey Kurtzman's family and friends, and a special insight into the private life of the artist is given by his wife Adele and daughters. This film starts with the still at college Kurtzman where already his unique talent as a cartoonist was evident. This talent was put to use when he was drafted into the U.S. army, and his dislike of that experience probably influenced greatly his unique, and at the time ground-breaking, work on EC comics war titles. To this day, his work on Frontline Combat is still held in high esteem by comic fans and professionals alike.
It is however for his vision in creating Mad comics, then Mad magazine, a change in format to avoid the restrictions of the new comics authorities code, that Kurtzman is best known to many people today. Although his time with his creation was a short one, his work on this and other similar titles of the period set the ground-rules for so much of what was to come in comics and graphic arts.
Harvey Kurtzman scripted his work like movie scripts and made preliminary layouts like film story boards, and this way of working also influenced generations of creatives in the film industry. So much of what we take for normal in visual arts and story-telling would simply not be around us without his unique talent and always ground-breaking vision of what could be possible for an artist and a story teller.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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Pretty Babies
18+ 92 mins Tyler-Marie Evans Ashley Benson, Emily Alyn Lind, Madelaine Petsch, Sadie Stanley |
Two young girls, Marie (Emily Alyn Lind) and Luna (Sadie Stanley), united by a love of classic female film stars from the golden-age of Hollywood, desperately want to be discovered and become famous like their icons, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, and other stars. They want to be known, they want to be adored, they want to be somebody. Both girls come from very different, family backgrounds, but when they leave high school, both promise to always be together and no matter what the costs, pursue their on screen dreams.
Events force both girls to flee their hometown and, drawn by the seductive allure of fame, they steal a car and embark upon their road trip to, they hope, Hollywood. The pair quickly meet two older women - Gemma (Madelaine Petsch) and Sapphire (Ashley Benson) who both know how to make money quickly, if the girls are interested. Very soon, teenage dreams quickly turn into teenage nightmares in a harsh world that the girls are ill-equipped to deal with, and their lives quickly spiral out of control.
Some very emotional performances from Emily and Sadie along with sensitive work from director Tyler-Marie Evans stop what could very easily have become an exploitive film turning into a work with real emotional depth where the viewer cares about these young girls as they lose their innocence far too quickly and see a world far uglier than they could ever have imagined a very short time ago.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Events force both girls to flee their hometown and, drawn by the seductive allure of fame, they steal a car and embark upon their road trip to, they hope, Hollywood. The pair quickly meet two older women - Gemma (Madelaine Petsch) and Sapphire (Ashley Benson) who both know how to make money quickly, if the girls are interested. Very soon, teenage dreams quickly turn into teenage nightmares in a harsh world that the girls are ill-equipped to deal with, and their lives quickly spiral out of control.
Some very emotional performances from Emily and Sadie along with sensitive work from director Tyler-Marie Evans stop what could very easily have become an exploitive film turning into a work with real emotional depth where the viewer cares about these young girls as they lose their innocence far too quickly and see a world far uglier than they could ever have imagined a very short time ago.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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These Violent Delights
15+ 70 mins Christopher Hampson, Oscar Sansom Ishan Mahabir-Stokes, Kayla-Maree Tarantolo |
Directed by Christopher Hampson (Scottish Ballet CEO/Artistic director) and Oscar Sansom, "These Violent Delights" weaves work from six choreographers into a dreamscape of fever-fuelled hallucination as Juliet awakes in the Apothecary. Memories, times, places and people blur and, amidst all these faces, the familiar and unfamiliar take on shifting perspectives. Weaving his way through all of this strange new world is of course Romeo.
Here Kayla-Maree Tarantolo and Ishan Mahabir-Stokes give fine performances in their respective roles of Juliet and Romeo in this stylish re-telling of one of the most famous love stories of all time. In this new world, production and costume designer Sami Fendall and sound designer William Aikman have, with director of photography, David Liddell, created a surrealist landscape that sets the scene for a final twist to this love story.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Here Kayla-Maree Tarantolo and Ishan Mahabir-Stokes give fine performances in their respective roles of Juliet and Romeo in this stylish re-telling of one of the most famous love stories of all time. In this new world, production and costume designer Sami Fendall and sound designer William Aikman have, with director of photography, David Liddell, created a surrealist landscape that sets the scene for a final twist to this love story.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com