A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant

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  • 1hr 27m

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Bill Banowsky

Writer:

Dean Alioto, Paul O'Bryan

Release Date:

Sep 5, 2025

Runtime:

1hr 27m

Synopsis

A Savage Art chronicles the life and career of Australian-born, Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant. Oliphant's tenure as an American cartoonist spanned five decades and ten U.S. Presidents. In 1990 The New York Times called Oliphant "the most influential editorial cartoonist now working." The film covers the history and importance of political cartoons in global democracies, as well as the decline in the profession and in the newspaper industry. It also highlights the effects of extreme political partisanship on media and editorial cartooning, and shows how Oliphant used his biting wit, sharp critical eye and masterful drawing skills to take on presidents, popes and the powers that be.

Cast

  • Pat Oliphant
  • Everett Byram
  • Tom Udall
  • Eric Gibson
  • Susan Conway
  • Maureen Dowd
  • MD Josiah Child
  • Terry Allen
  • Grant Oliphant
  • Tom Gibson
Moviegoers are saying
This biographical documentary about legendary political cartoonist Pat Oliphant divides audiences between those who appreciate its tribute to a dying art form and those who find the subject matter too niche for compelling cinema. While reviewers praise the film's beautiful showcase of Oliphant's artwork and its exploration of political cartooning's history, many criticize its conventional documentary approach and question whether the cartoonist's relatively uneventful life story warrants feature-length treatment.
Top Mentions
Tribute-Doc
Art-History
Political-Commentary
Retirement-Worthy
Niche-Subject
Conventional-Bio
Summary generated from the text of Atom User reviews

Letterboxd User Reviews

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RATINGS N/A FANS
  • Nov 19, 2025

    born from a lovely docu-series screened at the theater i used to work at about the talented residents of santa fe. this individual definitely deserves the feature length treatment. political cartooning may be a dying art but hopefully the spirit of pat oliphant and punk…

    6 Likes
    Thomas Magnuson
    Thomas Magnuson
    Nov 20, 2025

    Pretty bland doc tbh, the third act where it got into censorship was kinda interesting but I don't think this subject matter is very condusive to the documentary format. Spent a lot of runtime just showing cartoons to background music?

    3 Likes
    Jeff
    Jeff
    Nov 18, 2025

    Gotta grab a book of his collected work ASAP

    3 Likes
    tlspurlin
    tlspurlin
  •
    Nov 19, 2025

    We need political cartoons now more then even if only so I can have a little laugh

    3 Likes
    celesteis2cool
    celesteis2cool
    Nov 18, 2025

    Professional meme maker is a job now?

    3 Likes
    Stegrelo
    Stegrelo
    Mar 26, 2026

    I was always aware of Editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant, but I never even knew enough about him to know that he was originally from Australia. Part of this doc is dedicated to a history of political cartooning, when we are treated to howling hypocrisy. Thomas Nast is…

    2 Likes
    johnlease
    johnlease
  •
    Feb 7, 2026

    I’ve never followed comics/cartoons so I wasn’t really aware of Pat Oliphant’s work at all or even who he was. This documentary showcases his work to great effect and also serves as a history of political cartoons. I found it very interesting. The younger Pat comes off as…

    2 Likes
    Jennifer Gregory
    Jennifer Gregory
    Feb 7, 2026

    Hmm... A tough one to rate. On the one hand, this is a well done, if perfectly rote, biographical doc. We get good access to his family, friends and the man himself. But the problem with the first half is that his life story is just super boring. He grew up with his…

    2 Likes
    wernski
    wernski
    Jun 14, 2025

    DC/DOX 2025 Film #5 Political cartoonist Pat Oliphant is someone I was fascinated by growing up in Denver, where he was based early in his career, and this is a smart, fascinating dive into his life, and the importance and relevance of political cartoons in general.  Was…

    2 Likes
    Kevin Dando
    Kevin Dando
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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (2025)?
The movie is 1hr 27min long.
What's A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (2025) about?
A Savage Art chronicles the life and career of Australian-born, Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant. Oliphant's tenure as an American cartoonist spanned five decades and ten U.S. Presidents. In 1990 The New York Times called Oliphant "the most influential editorial cartoonist now working." The film covers the history and importance of political cartoons in global democracies, as well as the decline in the profession and in the newspaper industry. It also highlights the effects of extreme political partisanship on media and editorial cartooning, and shows how Oliphant used his biting wit, sharp critical eye and masterful drawing skills to take on presidents, popes and the powers that be.
Who's the cast of A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (2025)?
  • Pat Oliphant as Self
  • Everett Byram as Self
  • Tom Udall as Self
  • Eric Gibson as Self
  • Susan Conway as Self
  • Maureen Dowd as Self
  • MD Josiah Child as Self
  • Terry Allen as Self
  • Grant Oliphant as Self
  • Tom Gibson as Self
Who's the director behind A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (2025)?
Bill Banowsky directed A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (2025).