Customer Reviews

Doomed Bourgeois in Love : Essays on the Films of Whit Stillman

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Critical reaction to the films of Whit Stillman seems to be divided between those who detest his sympathetic treatment of "snotty preppies" and "yuppie scum" and those who find his characters' ironic dialogue so intelligently amusing that they have dubbed him "the WASP Woody Allen." If like me you are among the latter group rather than the former, this book is for you. The nine main essays are written by academics--but only a few of the writers seem to have a background in film criticism, and the essays have an elegance and freshness all too rare in academia today. These are the kinds of essays Cleanth Brooks or Robert Penn Warren would have written had those old New Critics turned their attention to film rather than poetry. And what was surprising even for a Stillman fan like me is that they have sifted the films so carefully that there now can be no doubt: Whit Stillman is not merely an intelligent comic writer/director, he is a major artist.

This is a very good collection of scholarly essays examining the films of Whit Stillman. Presumably, this mean the films are being studied in film classes in our colleges and universities, which means academia is giving these films the respect they deserve.

Essays look at the Stillman's ability to persuade typically reluctant audiences to accept many of the values and conventions educated people are usually taught to scorn. They range from American foreign policy in the Cold War, to disco music, to the writings of Dale Carnegie.
While obviously written for use as a film studies textbook, these essays are also easy enough to understand and enjoy for the average reader as well.

Here's hoping the book soon becomes outdated as Stillman turns out a series of additional films. But until then, these essays look at three of the most brilliant movies of the 1990s. Enjoy them, and then enjoy reading about them, too.

Until I read the above reviews, I never even realized that this book might be meant for university courses! The writing is so fresh and fun and accessible that I'd just assumed it was for Stillman fans like me who, after watching each of his films multiple times, still crave more! Until Stillman comes out with a new film, books about the old films will just have to suffice, I suppose. This is a very readable book. If you, like me, just can't get enough of Whit Stillman, you'll enjoy this book. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I really disagree with some of the authors on some points; some of the reasoning seems a bit forced. Example: Audrey decided to accompany Cynthia to Rick van Sloneker's for the express purpose of seeing if Tom would come rescue her??!! Give me a break. Still, overall it's a great read if you've seen all the films.

We need a book about the fine, vivid, beautiful film art of Whit Stillman, but not this one. An extraordinarily foolish and clunky collection of (mis)readings which calls to mind D.W. Harding's famous observation about the novels of Jane Austen: works which appeal to precisely the sort of people whom the author most despises. The essays commissioned especially for the book are particularly fatuous; the reprinted reviews not quite so appalling. Save your money and buy Stillman's novel 'The Last Days of Disco' instead.

It's not obvious at first glance but this is a book from a publisher promulgating Christian and Conservative thought. It's a book with an axe to grind and an agenda which is not an academic, or even especially high-brow, discussion of Whit Stillman.

If that's your cup of tea and you like Whit Stillman, enjoy. Otherwise, just listen to the commentary tracks on Metropolitan and Barcelona again.