‘When We Went Mad: The Unauthorized Story of Mad Magazine’ Blu-ray Review
Featuring: Sergio Aragones, Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Dick DeBartolo, Frank Jacobs, Arnie Kogen, Al Feldstein, Nick Meglin, Bryan Cranston, Howie Mandel, Judd Apatow, Gilbert Gottfried, “Weird Al” Yankovic | Directed by Alan Bernstein
In the 1950s, kids were reading comic books, but comic books at the time almost talked down to kids. The stories were a bit childish, and that left the door wide open for a new kind of magazine. A satirical magazine. A magazine that wasn’t afraid to go a little ‘mad’.
In November 1952, the first issue of Mad Magazine was published and would become a part of kids’ childhood, with many continuing to read the magazine into adulthood. Twelve years ago, a Kickstarter campaign was started to produce a documentary on Mad Magazine – When We Went Mad! 12 years ago! Now, at long last, the documentary has FINALLY arrived on Blu-ray.
MAD Magazine redefined humor with fearless satire of politics and pop culture. Featuring icons like Quentin Tarantino, this doc celebrates its wild legacy, free speech and the Usual Gang of Idiots who helped shape comedy forever.
Directed by Alan Bernstein, the documentary features interviews with Mad Magazine fans such as Bryan Cranston, Howie Mandel, Judd Apatow, Gilbert Gottfried, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. And then there are interviews with those who worked to bring the world Mad Magazine – Sergio Aragones, Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Dick DeBartolo, Frank Jacobs, Arnie Kogen, Al Feldstein, Nick Meglin and more.
The production value of this documentary is top-notch with great graphics. There is so much craziness tracked through this documentary, too much to write in this review. But one of the things that stood out to me was how founder Bill Gaines (who is shown in archival footage) was known for being ‘thrifty’ when it came to expenses for the magazine. So much so that we would chase down employees to make them pay 15 cents for a personal phone call they made on an office line. Mad Magazine offices must have been a fun place to work!
Gravitas Ventures have transferred this documentary to Made-On-Demand Blu-ray. It is presented in 1080p and in widescreen format. The transfer is gorgeous with no signs of digital artefacts or audio anomalies. The biggest downside with this release is that there are no bonus features. This is literally a bare bones Blu-ray release. I’m sure there were interesting stories that didn’t make the final cut of the film. These would have been nice to see as a bonus.
Even with the lack of bonus features, this Blu-ray is a great film that tracks the history of a magazine that has lived for almost 75 years. And this magazine still lives on in the hearts and minds of those who loved it. If you grew up enjoying the satirical humour of Mad Magazine and its mascot Alfred E. Neuman, this documentary is for you. Now you can probably find it on streaming services, but if you are a physical media fan like me, there is nothing better than having this on Blu-ray.
**** 4/5
When We Went Mad: The Unauthorized Story of Mad Magazine is out now on MOD Blu-ray from Gravitas Ventures.
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