Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons (Hardcover)

by Jonathan Rosenbaum (Author) "There's surely no more famous lost film than Erich von Stroheim's Greed, a silent film made in 1923 and 1924 and released by MGM in..." (more)
Key Phrases: narrative correctness, asthenic syndrome, film canons, New York, Chicago Reader, Orson Welles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In combining his reviews from the Chicago Reader with writing he's done for other magazines, Rosenbaum doesn't so much argue in favor of specific canons of film masterpieces as defend the very process of choosing films of artistic or cultural significance that deserve to be remembered and merit repeat viewing. His global approach is evident from the opening section, "Classics," which discusses films from Germany, France, Russia, Hungary, China and Belgium; even the two American selections (Greed and Rear Window) were made by expatriate directors. Rosenbaum largely ignores mainstream Hollywood; except for a review of Pretty Woman (negative) and A.I. (positive with reservations), Stanley Kubrick is about as commercial as it gets. Instead, Rosenbaum rails against an attitude he sees perpetuated by American studios and critics alike, in which a film isn't worthy of discussion unless it's in wide release or prominently displayed on the video shelves. He'd rather call readers' attention to things they probably wouldn't have seen otherwise, yet his treatment of individual films and filmmakers is accessible without being dumbed down, filled with perceptive insights and fascinating juxtapositions (the Coen brothers, for example, come up in a chapter-long comparison with Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski). A closing list of 1,000 favorite films is sure to spark debate among cineastes (Ishtar) while offering a long checklist of films to watch.
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From Booklist
Film lovers seeking critical guidance more discerning than daily newspaper reviews but less daunting than scholarly journal articles depend on a handful of critics who write about rarefied films for a general audience. Among the best is Rosenbaum, who plies his trade in the weekly Chicago Reader. This collection of his work is largely concerned with the formation of a canon of cinematic masterpieces. Nearly all the review subjects in the book are obvious canon fodder, including acknowledged classics Greed and Rear Window, such challenging recent films as Satantango and Archangel, the avant-garde works Flaming Creatures and *Corpus Callosum, and even such "disputable contenders" as A.I. and Eyes Wide Shut. Pieces on master directors, including Samuel Fuller, Orson Welles, and Hou Hsiao-hsien, offer glimpses of further canon-worthy films. Rosenbaum appends a list of his 1,000 favorites, "a personal canon" based on "pleasure and edification" rather than historical or popular impact. 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. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801878403
• ISBN-13: 978-0801878404
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #819,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to a new world of cinema, June 9, 2004

By	[e-mail] (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Jonathan Rosenbaum's new volume of film criticism is somewhat different from his earlier collections. Long critical of the hegemony of Hollywood and the way commerical hype has overshadowed criticism, Rosenbaum's new book pays strikingly little attention to movies the average American is likely to have heard of, let alone seen. Whereas past volumes contained notable polemics against Woody Allen, "Mississipi Burning," and "Forrest Gump," Hollywood pictures are rather rare here. There are Rosenbaum's vigorous defences of "Eyes Wide Shut," and "A.I.", as well as a unsurpringly contemptuous article on "Pretty Woman." There is a cold dissection of the evasions of "Taxi Driver" that is especially acute about how Travis Bickle's racism is whitewashed, so to speak. "Fargo" is compared to Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Decalogue" and does not come off well in the bargain. There are unsurprisingly respectful articles in praise of "Greed", "M", "Rear Window," and Orson Welles. Somewhat on the edge of the average American moviegoer's consciousness, there are articles in praise of "Ghost Dog," and "Waking Life."

But overall this is a book that is decidedly internationalist and highbrow in its choice, although Rosenbaum's reasoning can lead to the most surprising choices. One should look at the appendix where Rosenbaum lists his one thousand favorite movies, with his favorite one hundred starred with an asterix. Rather strikingly, only six Oscar winners for best picture make the list, and only one, "The Best Years of Our Lives," makes his top one hundred. Only one nominee for Best Picture since 1988, 1998's "The Thin Red Line," makes the list. Yet almost every major film-maker appears on this list at least once. Although James Cameron is one of the few exceptions, Blake Edwards appears with "The Party," while Brian de Palma appears twice, including 2002's underrated "Femme Fatale." This is a list where Steven Spielberg is represented by his two biggest commercial disappointments. This is a list where "Bram Stoker's Dracula," trumps "The Godfather" movies, where "Bitter Moon" outraces "Chinatown" and "Tess," where "King of Comedy," beats "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and "Goodfellas," and where "The Young Girls of Rochefort" and "Guys and Dolls," are Rosenbaum's favorite musicals. At the same time "Ishtar" is one of Rosenbaum's favorite Hollywood films from the eighties. Meanwhile Chaplin, Welles, Hitchcock, Godard, Bresson, and Kiarostami take pride of place.

Looking from this list back to the book proper we see many articles which help explain the many movies on the list that American readers are unlikely to have heard of. The choices are almost defiantly internationalist, highbrow and experimental, and with the exception of J. Hoberman, it is hard to think of any comparable critic sharing the same values and willing to ignore the middlebrow consensus. Who would have thought, before looking at this book, that the most important filmakers in the world today came from Iran and Taiwan? Who would remind its readers that French cinema is not dead but in fact making major works deserving of our attention? Who, on the other hand, would object to the inaccurate sneer that the French are overly fond of Jerry Lewis, but devote an article to one of his directors, Frank Tashlin? In reminding us of Hollywood directors who need to be remembered, who would choose Otto Preminger? And so we get praise of Communist documentarian Jorge Iven's final film. We also read about the perestroika experiment "The Asthenic Syndrome," and the 7 hour Hungarian film "Satantango." Although he praises experimental films from Guy Maddin and Raul Ruiz, he can also praise Jacques Rivette's "Up Down Fragile," as a subtly utopian unprofessional musical. He can devote an article on Bunuel to one of his least known works "The Young One." And he can praise him, Anthony Mann, Charles Burnett, Bela Tarr and other film makers for their moral subtlety and their generous sympathy in the way they eschew simple moralism and simple heroes and villians.

How does one praise a critic when one hasn't seen, or even heard of most of the movies he reviews? Looking more closely I might wish that he expanded his criticism of Robert Warshow and his comments in praise of "My Son John," an anti-communist thriller that Warshow argued was an attack on rational thought. And comparisons between the post-war Soviet film scene and cold war Hollywood strike me as a bit glib. On the other hand, Rosenbaum possesses striking virtues, such as independence of mind, a strong appreciation of the formal qualities of a film, and an intense curiosity about other cultures. Anyone reading this book will learn about hordes of filmmakers who have not received their due. These are invaluable qualities, especially in a world where many critics are simply bought and paid for, while others are just not very bright, and others still are so numbed by trivial Hollywood blockbusters they're suckers for the fall and winter Oscarbait.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worldly Criticism, June 29, 2005

By	Mr. Bloom (New York) - See all my reviews

Rosenbaum proves himself once again to be among the most knowledgeable and eloquent film critics in print today. Unlike some of his other volumes such as "Movie Wars," Rosenbaum doesn't discuss the grim realities of corporate Hollywood so much (although he does comment on filmmakers who have been treated unfairly by the system), as he evaluates directors and films which he believes are of historical and artistic importance, such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Eric Von Stroheim, Yasujiro Ozu, and Sam Fuller. Rosenbaum writes with clarity and insight on a number of film-related topics, such as screenwriting and mise en scene. He's remarkably intelligent and has a keen eye for film aesthetics; he's passionate about the French director Jacques Tati which is slightly problematic because Rosenbaum worked as an assistant for Tati for a time which may slant his opinions of the auteur. Never the less, Essential Cinema is one of the best collections of film criticism I've read in a while, and his personal favorite 1,000 movies list is a valuable resource, though I disagree with a number of selections. The book is a worthwhile purchase for any cinephile.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Book, August 19, 2004

By	Franck Moore (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

A inexhaustible book, that truly deserves its title. Jonathan Rosenbaum is a sparkling writer, an absolute master in film criticism and analysis, and his brilliant fight in favor of the diversity and quality of cinema is historical.