New documentary revisits the Pulitzer-winning graphic novel of the Holocaust
Art Spiegelman’s Maus is one of the most brilliant and celebrated graphic novels of all time, a harrowing retelling of the holocaust from the memories of the author’s father, but expressed in illustrated form and featuring mice as the Jewish people, and cats as their Nazi oppressors.
Originally published in serial form, the epic was eventually published in two volumes and picked up numerous accolades including Eisner and Harvey Awards, and even a Pulitzer Prize.
The Hell of Auschwitz: Maus by Art Spiegelman is a 2024 (but new to US distribution) French-language documentary by Pauline Horovitz which revisits the landmark literary phenomenon and its origin and controversies.
The film tells the story of Maus, including its genesis and unusual author. These days Art Spiegelman is best known for his holocaust masterpiece, but outside of Maus he also had an impressive resume an underground cartoonist and one of the creators of the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards.
In sharing the story of his own father, Spiegelman notably acknowledges the possibility of an unreliable narrator, recounting both his father’s desire to control the narrative in some respects, as well as pointing out incidents where his father’s personal memories conflict with other historical accounts.
The film also discusses some of the controversies that the book has faced (such as the use of animals in portraying different races), though I kind of wish there was a little more of this. An important thing to note about the film is that it’s pretty short. Clocking in at just 52 minutes, it seems particularly suited for hour-long TV slots and classroom viewing. But home viewers hoping for a deep dive might feel a bit slighted by its brevity. It’s definitely more of a “rent it” than “buy it” situation.
But despite its short length, the film is a well-rounded look at Maus as both book and phenomenon. In a time of media illiteracy where great literary works (including Maus) are being subjected to censorship or banning by thoughtless people with myopic agendas, this seems especially important.
Maus is deeply worthy of both appreciation and defense, and the documentary is a worthwhile telling of an important history whether you’re familiar with the book or not. Either way, it’ll likely make you want to read it, whether for the first time or the hundredth.
A/V Out.
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