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Thread View: rec.arts.movies.current-films
10 messages
10 total messages Started by Chris Lott Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59
Essential writing about film?
#199865
Author: Chris Lott
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59
5 lines
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If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
for any suggestions...

c
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199878
Author: John Harkness
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 05:57
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On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59:13 -0000, Chris Lott
<chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote:

>If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
>writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
>for any suggestions...
>
>c

Andre Bazin, What is Cinema
Pauline Kael, I Lost it At the Movies
Andrew Sarris, Politics and Cinema
Kevin Brownlow, The Parade's Gone By
Akira Kurosawa, My Last Sigh

Re: Essential writing about film?
#199938
Author: monsieurblob@hot
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 09:19
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Chris Lott <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote in message news:<Xns9508F40229B31chrislgmail@216.168.3.30>...
> If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
> writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
> for any suggestions...
>
> c

the oxford guide to film studies is a gem. practically every sentence
suggests other books so its more a sort of an amazing mosaic. a nice
rich sober introduction to the madness that is film studies

ignore the ones harkness recommended you, except maaayyybe bazins
book. but only read bazin's book if you've watched the movies he talks
about which is highly unlikely so you might be better off just
watching the pics instead.

klevan, vf perkins, kent jones and a few others are good. avoid shitty
cognitivist theory, pauline kael and andrew sarris like the plague.
john harkness himself is an awful writer.

have fun.
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199953
Author: leo86@my-deja.co
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 11:00
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Chris Lott <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote in message news:<Xns9508F40229B31chrislgmail@216.168.3.30>...
> If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
> writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
> for any suggestions...
>
>
Here's an eclectic list:


James Agee's collected film reviews (I forget what it's called and I'm
not at home to check).
Manny Farber, "Negative Space"
Pauline Kael's various collected film reviews.
Andrew Sarris: "The American Cinema"
"Kings of the Bs" by Todd McCarthy and one other guy.
"Horizons West" by Jim Kitses
"Violent America: the Movies 1946-1964" by Lawrence Allowayi.

Other favorites:
"The Phantom Empire" by Geoffrey O'Brien
"Screening History" by Gore Vidal
"The Devil Finds Work" by James Baldwin
(re: these last two titles: two of the best works on film I've ever
read by authors not normally associated with the subject)

For an overall film history text, I really can't think of a good one
offhand.  We used to have to read "The Living Art" by Arthur Knight,
back in the day. For me the best way to learn film history is by
watching a lot of old movies. When you see something that intrigues
you, for whatever reason, look for works by the same people, or from
the same period, the same studio, etc. Read the credits (easier with
old movies because they were all at the beginning of the movie and not
the end).
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199942
Author: Dave Garrett
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 11:38
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In article <IaFzc.1664$Pt.58@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com>,
jumblejim@prodigy.spam says...
> "John Harkness" <jhXaYrknessZ@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> news:mphtc0ti54imb88rr6nptgkvu5cop96fkj@4ax.com...
> > On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59:13 -0000, Chris Lott
> > <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote:

> > >If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as
> essential
> > >writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in
> advance
> > >for any suggestions...
> > >
> > >c
> >
> > Akira Kurosawa, My Last Sigh
>
> Is this another title for Something Like an Autobiography?  Or am I
> seriously out of touch with a subject I thought on which I was highly well
> informed?

Something Like an Autobiography is indeed the title of Kurosawa's book.
I suspect John is referring to Luis Bunuel's book, which is titled My
Last Sigh.

Dave

Re: Essential writing about film?
#199940
Author: John Harkness
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 12:30
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On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 16:09:12 GMT, "Jim Beaver"
<jumblejim@prodigy.spam> wrote:

>
>"John Harkness" <jhXaYrknessZ@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
>news:mphtc0ti54imb88rr6nptgkvu5cop96fkj@4ax.com...
>> On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59:13 -0000, Chris Lott
>> <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as
>essential
>> >writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in
>advance
>> >for any suggestions...
>> >
>> >c
>>
>> Akira Kurosawa, My Last Sigh
>
>Is this another title for Something Like an Autobiography?  Or am I
>seriously out of touch with a subject I thought on which I was highly well
>informed?
>
>Jim Beaver
>
recombinant autobiographies.

I was thinking of both Kurosawa's and Bunuel's, and managed to put
them together.

John Harkness
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199929
Author: "Jim Beaver"
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 16:09
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"John Harkness" <jhXaYrknessZ@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:mphtc0ti54imb88rr6nptgkvu5cop96fkj@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59:13 -0000, Chris Lott
> <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as
essential
> >writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in
advance
> >for any suggestions...
> >
> >c
>
> Akira Kurosawa, My Last Sigh

Is this another title for Something Like an Autobiography?  Or am I
seriously out of touch with a subject I thought on which I was highly well
informed?

Jim Beaver


Re: Essential writing about film?
#199950
Author: schultr@mail.biu
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 17:20
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In rec.arts.movies.past-films Dave Garrett <dave@compassnet.com> wrote:

: Something Like an Autobiography is indeed the title of Kurosawa's book.
: I suspect John is referring to Luis Bunuel's book, which is titled My
: Last Sigh.

And both of them are well worth reading, whatever the title.

-----
Richard Schultz                              schultr@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
"How many boards would the Mongols hoard if the Mongol hordes got bored?"
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199969
Author: Grand Inquisitor
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 19:09
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Chris Lott wrote:

> If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
> writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
> for any suggestions...
>
> c

I, Fellini
Fellini on Fellini
Any good biography on Kubrick
Sculpting in Time

--
This signature brought to you by Coca-Cola(tm)
Re: Essential writing about film?
#199905
Author: plated metal
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 23:45
27 lines
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John Harkness wrote:

> On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:59:13 -0000, Chris Lott
> <chris.lott[AT]gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>If you care about such things, what books would you recommend as essential
>>writing about film (review, criticism, theory, history)? Thanks in advance
>>for any suggestions...
>>
>>c
>
>
> Andre Bazin, What is Cinema
> Pauline Kael, I Lost it At the Movies
> Andrew Sarris, Politics and Cinema
> Kevin Brownlow, The Parade's Gone By
> Akira Kurosawa, My Last Sigh
>

I'm a sucker for David Thomson's "Biographical Dictionary of the Cinema"
(although I've only got the first ed, and it's now on its fourth). Full
of juicy stuff to dip into.

-p
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