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Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons
Jonathan Rosenbaum
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Description for Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons
Paperback. A cogent and provocative argument about the art of film, Essential Cinema is a fiercely independent reference book of must-see movies for film lovers everywhere. Num Pages: 472 pages. BIC Classification: APF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 232 x 164 x 32. Weight in Grams: 672.
In his astute and deeply informed film reviews and essays, Jonathan Rosenbaum regularly provides new and brilliant insights into the cinema as art, entertainment, and commerce. Guided by a personal canon of great films, Rosenbaum sees, in the ongoing hostility toward the idea of a canon shared by many within the field of film studies, a missed opportunity both to shape the discussion about cinema and to help inform and guide casual and serious filmgoers alike. In Essential Cinema, Rosenbaum forcefully argues that canons of great films are more necessary than ever, given that film culture today is dominated by advertising executives, sixty-second film reviewers, and other players in the Hollywood publicity machine who champion mediocre films at the expense of genuinely imaginative and challenging works. He proposes specific definitions of excellence in film art through the creation a personal canon of both well-known and obscure movies from around the world and suggests ways in which other canons might be similarly constructed. Essential Cinema offers in-depth assessments of an astonishing range of films: established classics such as Rear Window, M, and Greed; ambitious but flawed works like The Thin Red Line and Breaking the Waves; eccentric masterpieces from around the world, including Irma Vep and Archangel; and recent films that have bitterly divided critics and viewers, among them Eyes Wide Shut and A.I. He also explores the careers of such diverse filmmakers as Robert Altman, Raul Ruiz, Frank Tashlin, Elaine May, Sam Fuller, Terrence Davies, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Orson Welles. In conclusion, Rosenbaum offers his own film canon of 1,000 key works from the beginning of cinema to the present day. A cogent and provocative argument about the art of film, Essential Cinema is also a fiercely independent reference book of must-see movies for film lovers everywhere.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2008
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press United States
Number of pages
472
Condition
New
Number of Pages
472
Place of Publication
Baltimore, MD, United States
ISBN
9780801889714
SKU
V9780801889714
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-50
About Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum is film critic for the Chicago Reader and the author or editor of fourteen books, including Movie Wars: How Hollywood and the Media Limit What Films We Can See, Movies as Politics, and Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism.
Reviews for Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons
A virtuoso collection by one of the finest film critics currently active... His passions are unusually diverse... There's nothing here that won't enrich the reader in some way. If you have seen the film already, you will see it better. If you haven't seen it, you will want to. The Times of London 2004 Rosenbaum's passionate, thoughtful, and richly informed advocacy of the films he cares about earns this book a place on any cinephile's shelf... Rosenbaum, an enormously erudite and deeply reflective viewer unbeholden to academic norms and taboos, is ideally positioned to propose a canon of great works... An essential guide. Boston Globe 2004 Accessible without being dumbed down... Filled with perceptive insights and fascinating juxtapositions... A closing list of 1,000 favorite films is sure to spark debate among cineastes while offering a long checklist of films to watch. Publishers Weekly Every essay demonstrates Rosenbaum's fervent dedication to the cinema and, more important, that he has the knowledge and insight to support his impassioned opinions. Booklist Jonathan Rosenbaum is one of the most invested voices in writing about movies. When there's a subject he's spent decades thinking on, he's nonpareil. Newcity 2004 Essential Cinema... is a chance to enjoy a bunch of reviews from the best long form critic on the planet. Memphis Flyer 2004 Rosenbaum is one of those rare film critics who isn't too cool to tell us when a film gives him excitement, pleasure, and hope... Sometimes Rosenbaum becomes so strident about 'the lies' that Hollywood films and their publicists feed us that you want to whack him on the head with a copy of Entertainment Weekly. But, we need to hear about film lies from someone. And besides, there's no such thing as Jonathan Rosenbaum lite. Jewish Herald-Voice 2004 [Rosenblaum's] canon is not exclusively Western, goes beyond purely aesthetic considerations, is a process of selection rather than reportage, and sees cultural criticism as valid. Reference and Research Book News This is a road map for anyone who cares about discovering new cinematic terrain. Choice 2004 Rosenbaum proves he is an essential critic, one we mustn't fail to read. Senses of Cinema 2005 Important book.
Steven Peacock Film Studies 2005 His observations on film composition are astute and thought-provoking... Essential Cinema is essential reading for the movie buff.
Rebecca Oppenheimer Howard County Times 2008
Steven Peacock Film Studies 2005 His observations on film composition are astute and thought-provoking... Essential Cinema is essential reading for the movie buff.
Rebecca Oppenheimer Howard County Times 2008