The story behind one of the world’s most famous monkeys is much more curious than you know.
I’m convinced there are very few American children for whom Curious George was not a part their childhood. I first encountered him as a child when my mother (a school librarian), showed me the first of his various adventures. Almost instantly I took to this funny little creature who approached everyday life with wonder and abandon and who was just as mischevious as I was. Today, Curious George’s legacy goes beyond the original set of storybooks to include a toy line and a feature film series. While I’ve always been happy that the lovable little monkey has endured for generations, never could I have imagined the story of how he came to be.
Playfully narrated by Sam Waterston, Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators tells the story Hans and Margret Rey, a Jewish couple living in France whose combination of drawings and stories would lead to the creation of one of the most beloved characters in all of children’s literature. Monkey Business traces their marriage, partnership and the incredibly harrowing journey to escape from France on the heels of the Nazi invasion during WWII.
Although one would naturally walk into Monkey Business assuming this to be the story of how Curious George came to be; which it is, tracing the character’s origins to his earliest appearance in a French magazine. Eventually however he documentary paints a most vivid picture of European history during one of its most turbulent periods. The way Monkey Business functions as a document of WWII and how it affected the life of this married couple is filled with the kind of hope, perseverance and beauty that flows throughout all wartime tales. There’s the continuous act of Hans and Margret nurturing and honing their creation as Nazi Germany closes in on them until they are forced to flee the city. Armed with a few possessions, the story of how the pair fled France in two-person bicycle with the original Curious George drawings and manuscripts in the front basket is one of suspense, heroics and ultimately, survival.
When Monkey Business looks at the relationship between hans and Margret and the life they built together, the film takes on yet another layer. Their marriage is painted as one of true unconventionality, with the domineering Margret and the soft-spoken Hans relating to and agreeing on very little, yet forming both a bond and a partnership rooted in respect. While Hans himself was shown to be the one who created Curious George as a means of escape from the banalities of his job, it was Margret who believed in him and his creation enough to push it until it became a reality. Although the marriage may have been seen as one of convenience, it’s the kind of union which was completely indicative of the times, yet not was not devoid of love. Through comments from friends and neighbors of the couple, it’s easy to get a sense of what the pair meant to each other up until the end, such as Margret not wanting to see Hans’s body after he’d died.
On the documentary front, Monkey Business has a tendency of feeling a little bit rushed, particularly because there seems to be so much more to the essence to Hans and Margaret’s story than film’s run time allows. This minor criticism aside, this is the kind of documentary that’s never anything but endearing, heart-tugging and so deeply human. Aiding in the telling of Hans and Margret’s story are some gorgeous animated recreations of their life together, illustrated in the same style as the stories they created together. Perhaps Monkey Business’s biggest strength though is how it opens the door on Curious George’s significance as a character and as a symbol of both optimism and survival. The release of the documentary in the current political landscape couldn’t have been more fortuitous as it inadvertantly makes a solid comment on the recent debates regarding immigration and the current ongoing struggle of Dreamers. Since becoming an original dreamer himself after Hans and Margret escaped from France, Curious George is proof of the value of such figures and how their contribution to society should never be underestimated.
Monkey Business is now available on DVD from Passion River Films.
