Legendary critic Andrew Sarris (1928-2012)
by Sam Juliano
Famed auteur critic Andrew Sarris passed away at age 83 during this past week, and movie fans have lost one of the greatest and most intelligent film adherents. Sarris is one of the last from the generation that first greeted foreign cinema on these shores, and many of his reviews (like the masterpiece he wrote on Bergman’s The Seventh Seal) are models in deft interpretation and thematic assessment. Of his generation depleted by the passings of Pauline Kael, Dwight MacDonald, James Agee, Vincent Canby and a few others, only Stanley Kauffmann (age 96) and John Simon are still living. I once got the opportunity to speak to Sarris back in 1998, when he appeared at the Lincoln center Barnes & Noble to sign his new volume on criticism and to moderate a discussion on contemporary cinema. I asked why the science-fiction film Gattaca seemed to be lost in the shuffle, and he went off on a tangent as to why he loved teh film so much and complimented me on my similar taste, Indeed, as a close friend reminded me a few days ago, there was no other critic who I agreed with as much as I did with Sarris. My annual ‘ten-best’ list shown remarkable similarity in choices, and I well remember back in 1987 when Sarris called Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun the best films of the year, and a few years later one of the best of the decade. It was a position I fully endorsed. But there are so many more instances, much too numerous to document here. Sarris was an original, who forged his own path, and wasn’t afraid to engage in contentious dialogue, particular the combative Kael, with whom he engaged in some of the most hearted critic wars on record. Sarris, who was married to fellow film critic Molly Haskell up until his death from complications of a fall, was in his element with the French New Wave directors, Bergman, Antonioni and Ophuls. He’s on record as proclaiming the latter’s Lola Montes as the greatest film ever made. His most celebrated published volume is The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968, a work in which he asserted that there were 14 essential “American” directors who stood above all others, and this included Europeans who director a number of films stateside: Flaherty, Ford, Griffith, Hawks, Keaton, Welles, Lang, Lubitsch, Murnau, Ophuls, Von Sternberg, Chaplin, Hitchcock and Renoir. At that time he downplayed the significance and artistry of Lean, Kubrick and Wilder, but later recanted on the latter, elevating him to the top rank with the others. Sarris had the highest respect for Bergman, Antonioni and the French New Wave, all of whom commanded a good deal of his focus through the years. Sarris, who is said to have greatly influenced fellow critics Hoberman, Turan, A.O. Scott and Armand White, was in turn influenced himself by the Cahiers du Cinema. He wtote for many years, including stints for the New York Bulletin, the Village Voice and The New York Observer, and was a Professor of Film at Columbia University.
Dee Dee continues to promote the John Garfield petition, linked on the sidebar. All fans of the iconic actor and film in general are urged to take a few seconds and sign the written plea to a Warner Brothers executive to release a box set of the actor’s films. A number of Wonders in the Dark readers have already tendered their signatures, and Dee Dee an the WitD staff are hoping for more.
The long-awaited William Wyler blogothon at The Movie Projector is officially underway, and Sunday’s opening day salvos include some superlative essays from Jon Warner on Dodsworth and Brandie Ashe on The Little Foxes, Clara with a poem on Roman Holiday, and Jim Lane on Hell’s Heroes. Monday’s lineup includes several more Wyler essentials, that are well worth investigating.
The Film Forum’s three-week ‘Spaghetti Western Festival” concluded this past Thursday, but not before Yours Truly and family members took in six more features to bring the final total to 21 films seen of the 26 shown. Of the five not seen, two (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More) have been seen several times over the years, leaving only three that have never been seen yet to this point. In any case this was easily one of the most entertaining and essential festivals ever staged at the theatre, and it has led to further investigation. I was happy to receive my copy of Alex Cox’s 10,000 Ways To Die in the mail this week, and have read through the first few chapters. Fascinating stuff!
With Sammy in tow for all the spaghetti westerns, and Lucille for most, I saw:
Django Kill **** (Tuesday afternoon) Spaghettis at Film Forum
Hellbenders **** (Wednesday evening) Spaghettis at Film Forum
The Big Showdown *** (Wednesday evening) Spaghettis at Film Forum
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ***** (Thursday) Spaghettis at Film Forum
Death Rides a Horse **** (Thursday) Spaghettis at Film Forum
Django **** 1/2 (Thursday) Spaghettis at Film Forum
The Intouchables **** (Friday night) Angelika Film Center
The French audience pleaser THE INTOUCHABLES is being currently lauded as the second-highest grossing film in French history. The film chronicles the unlikely friendship between a wealthy tetaplegic and a poor young French/Sengalese man who lands a job attending the disabled man in a bizarre twist of circumstances. The film skillfully brings laughter and tears together, and makes some telling insights on personal relationships and self-confidence. The film won the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix award given to the best film at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Award for Best Actor to both Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy in 2011. Omar Sy received the César Award for Best Actor on 24 February 2012 for the role of Driss (defeating Jean Dujardin).
In the U.S., a review published in Variety finds the movie “offensive”, “which flings about the kind of Uncle Tom racism one hopes has permanently exited American screens”. In the film Driss (Omar Sy) is of Senegalese descent. Most French journalists do not understand such an interpretation and highlight the cultural issue that America has with anything linked to ethnicity. I couldn’t agree more on this point.
The spaghetti western festival ended with some exceptional entries in the genre including Sergio Leone’s masterful THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, and Sergio Corbucci’s exceptional DJANGO. I am hoping to say more about this unforgettable experience in the near future.
Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet in the French “The Intouchables”
I managed to update some of the links from last week:
Jaime Grijalba takes a penetrating look at the Chilean film “Efectos Especiales” at Exodus 8:2, which he considers a flat-out masterpiece. Grijalba writes here with much passion: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2012/06/cine-chileno-del-2012-7-efectos.html
John Greco offers up an excellent review of Richard Fleischer’s “The Narrow Margin” at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/the-narrow-margin-1952-richard-fleischer/
Judy Geater at Movie Classics has posted a fantastic contribution to the ‘Mary Pickford blogothon’ with a fascinating review of one of the star’s most celebrated films, the 1910 “Daddy Long Legs”: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/daddy-long-legs-marshall-neilan-1919/
Tony d’Ambra has posted a terrific capsule and screen cap display on Phil Karlsen’s “The Brothers Rico” at FilmsNoir.net: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-brothers-rico-1957-the-life-style-of-the-mob-executive.html
Laurie Buchanan talks about ‘luck’ in her marvelous new post “Lucky Bamboo” at Speaking From The Heart: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/lucky-bamboo/
David Schleicher features his Top 60 comedy list in a buffo presentation at The Schleicher Spin: http://theschleicherspin.com/2012/06/10/the-spins-top-60-comedies-of-all-time/
Samuel Wilson has penned a terrific review of Chahine’s “Cairo Station” at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2012/06/cairo-station-1958.html
Jon Warner’s buffo contribution to the Wyler blogothon is a magnificent review of “Dodsworth” at Films Woorth Watching: http://filmsworthwatching.blogspot.com/2012/06/dodsworth-1936-directed-by-william.html
Joel Bocko’s latest post at The Dancing Image is a fascinating hodgepodge titled “Fragments of Cinephilia”: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2012/06/fragments-of-cinephilia-pt-ii.html
Terrill Welch presents ‘Squared to the Sea,’ a beautiful new series at the Creativepotager’s blog: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/3845/
Jason Marshall names “Aniki Bobo” #2 film of 1942 in a stellar review at Movies Over Matter: http://moviesovermatter.com/2012/06/20/aniki-bobo-best-pictures-of-1942-2/
Roderick Heath has posted a fantastic and comprehensive essay on the beloved swashbuckling Errol Flynn adventure epic “The Sea Hawk” at Ferdy-on-Films: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/2012/the-sea-hawk-1940/14810/
At Scribbles and Ramblings Sachin Gandhi has some great movie match-ups, set in football terms: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2012/06/euro-2012-group-standings-quarter-final.html
Craig Kennedy has announced the winners of the Los Angeles Film Festival at Living in Cinema in a marvelous report: http://livingincinema.com/2012/06/24/laff-awards-jury-and-audiences-prizes-all-is-well-drought-beasts-of-the-southern-wild-birth-story-and-searching-for-sugar-man-honored/
Roderick Heath has posted “an academic piece” on the film “Gallipoli” at This Island Rod, and it truly looks like spectacular stuff: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2012/05/civic-mythology-sequence-from-gallipoli.html
Ed Howard has penned another fantastic piece at Only the Cinema, this time on John Ford’s first film, “Straight Shooting”: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2012/06/straight-shooting.html
Richard R.D. Finch has posted a superlative review on Fassbinder’s “Fox and His Friends” at The Movie Projector: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2012/06/fox-and-his-friends-1975.html
Patricia at Patricia’s Wisdom offers up the perfect “beach novel” with “The Brevity of Roses”: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2012/06/the-brevity-of-roses-linda-cassidy-lewis/
At Cinemascope the amazingly prolific and resilient Shubhajit Laheri keeps up the pace with a provocative capsule review on “Hiroshima Mon Amour”: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2012/06/hiroshima-mon-amour-1959.html
Craig Kennedy has penned a terrific essay on “Prometheus” at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2012/06/07/prometheus-2012/
At Doodad Kind of Town Pat Perry’s splendid contribution to the For the Love of Film Preservation blogothon is on Hitch’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”: http://doodadkindoftown.blogspot.com/2012/05/hitch-does-rom-com-for-love-of-film.html
Just Another Film Buff has penned a terrific capsule on Satoshi Kon’s 1997 “Perfect Blue” at The Seventh Art: http://theseventhart.info/2012/05/19/ellipsis-61/
At The Blue Vial Drew McIntosh leads up with “off the Wall” which brings “Silver Load” and the great John Alton into focus: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2012/06/off-wall.html
J.D. takes on Sidney Lumet’s 1986 feature “Power” in a captivaing essay at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2012/06/power.html
At The Last Lullaby, the ever delightful filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman takes a look at part sixteen of his long running quartet series: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2012/04/favorite-four-part-sixteen.html
At Vermillion and One Nights Murderous Ink has written an extraordinary scholarly piece on gender roles in post-war Japan, making compelling reference to 1949’s “Green Mountains”: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2012/05/someone-who-looks-like-gary-cooper.html
There’s plenty of good stuff up at The Long Voyage Home by way of capsules and screen caps courtesy of Peter Lenihan: http://thelongvoyagehome.blogspot.com/
Stephen Russell-Gebbett at Checking on my Sausages again offers up a thoughtful post, this one on the film “Super 8”:http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2012/05/unearthing-grief-and-love-in-super-8.html h
Greg Ferrara at Cinema Styles has written a splendid essay on ‘The Ranking of Rock’: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2012/06/insincerity-insecurity-and-self.html
A notable artistic collaboration leads the way at Michael Harford’s heartening Coffee Messiah’s blog: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2012/05/collaborations.html
Hokahey has penned a terrific takedown of “Battleship” at Little Worlds: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2012/05/boom.html
At The Cooler Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard discuss two-time Cannes winner Michael Haneke for the latest phenomenal ‘Conversations’ dialogue: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2012/05/conversations-michael-haneke.html
Adam Zanzie has posted a superlative review of Lawrence Kasdan’s “Dreamcatcher” at Icebox Movies: http://www.iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/dreamcatcher-2003-lawrence-kasdans.html
Dave Van Poppel has a tremendous batch of short reviews up at Visions of Non Fiction on the Toronto Film Festival: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com
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My most treasured autograph:
‘For Joel,
I forgive you being a Paulette.
Cheers,
Andrew Sarris 12/4/2006’
RIP
Ah Joel indeed, this should be treasured, and it’s a true classic!
Love it! Thanks for sharing it here my great friend!
Sam, I’m glad you got to see The Intouchables and that you enjoyed it. Crowd pleaser or not, I think the film has a lot going for it. The Caesar for Omar Sy raises my eyebrow a bit but then the Cannes jury has a mind of its own. Monday I’ll be seeing Magic Mike for a little funtime – and next I’m wading into my DVDs of Breaking Bad Season 4, hopefully to finish before Season 5 begins soon. Also – I’m still diddling around with my list of Best Comedies and hope to have it for you by July 1st.
Pierre—
I did indeed remember what you had said about the film before heading in, and subsequently well understand your enthused reaction. Sy was absolutely marvelous, though I know the win over Dujardins was still eye-opening. But heck Dujardins won just about everything else, so that was a case of the French seemingly wanting to spraed around the love, especially since the Best Picture and Director Caesars went to THE ARTIST. (Speaking of THE ARTIST my friend, the blu-ray and DVD combo set is releasing tomorrow…I’ll be in line for my copy! Ha!) Dennis has been urging me to tackle BREAKING BAD for quite some time, and great to hear you are also an advocate! I am definitely hoping in a big way that your comedy list will be submitted! Thanks as always my friend.
Ha! I’ve had June 26th on my calendar for weeks and weeks in anticipation of The Artist being released on DVD. Have saved my birthday gift certificate for the occasion!
Well you know Sammy I remember when we went to Barn Nobel to see Sorris and you made Lucille wait outside in the rain and I said to you she is in the middle of a pregnancy how can you do it and you said to me “she is the most understanding woman a man can ever ask for” and we waited on that line for two hours for you to get Sorris’s autograph and then we went to the Outback and then when we went home and looked at your book I told you it would be worth something one day, remember? And then look what happened EBAY got invented and now your autograph has really gone up in value so I hope you are keeping it in a safe place because that’s going to be an inheritance for one of the children as long as you haven’t let Dennis borrow it yet I hope you didn’t. I remember that he had a cough that night and you were worried about him but look he lived a long time so I don’t think you should be sad you should be celebrating his life because he had a wife and he wrote a lot and he did things that made himself and many other people like you happy so that’s a way to live that not many people even get to do. I can’t believe you didn’t mention Sawdusty it was all over the news this weekend he deserved to get convicted but now they are saying his lawyers threw the case because they are against molestation and when it goes up for appeal if he can get a good lawyer he might have a chance to beat some of the charges but I don’t think he should he did terrible things and should die in jail because people need to be sent a message that those kind of things are not allowed. I remember when Robert Dinero was in the Intouchables and now they used the title for another movie so they must have had to spend a lot of money to get the title and if it’s a good movie then I guess it was worth it. Peace and Blessings.
I couldn’t have said it better myself, Jack.
I’m still trying to figure out what the fuck he said at all. You’re a better man than me Pierre….
Performance art, Dennis – plain and simple!
Yes indeed Pierre, this is performance art of hysterical proportions! Jack is a true classic, and he never fails to leave me in stitches, if not left thinking!
Jack, I do remember you telling me about Sarris’s signature, but ebay or not I will cling to my autographed volume of THE AMERICAN CINEMA. Sarris was one of my all-time favorites. And as far as Sawdusty, that’s a very sad story. I am always predisposed to be lenient, but few seem to be shedding tears for him. His crimes greatly affected so many and cost Paterno his job and his honor, and probability accelerated his own passing. It doesn’t seem like a planned appeal with reverse much either. Thanks as always my friend!
Thanks Sam for the kind mention. And it was great reading and replying to your wonderful comments to the film reviews I’ve posted in the last week.
It is indeed a sad day for film lovers that Andrew Sarris, one of the finest & most respected film critics, has passed away. The heartfelt eulogy that you’ve written on him, along with how much you personally agreed with Sarris’ points of view on the various movies over the years, was heartwarming read.
Also, great to know that you managed to see as well as revisit another horde of renowned Spaghetti Westerns, including, among others, the masterful The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Now that this marathon participation has drawn to its end, what’s the next endeavour you are planning?
Anyway, here’s what I saw this past week:
– the terrific black British comedy by Hal Ashby, Harold & Maude
– the delectable French noir Le Dos au Mur
– a new Hindi release called Gangs of Wasseypore (what I watched was the 1st part of a 6-hour extravaganza, being released in 2 parts)
– the bleak & memorable early Chabrol film, Les Cousins
Shubhajit—
You posted some terrific reviews on some seminal films, so it was a real treat to read and respond there! Thanks for your kind words on the Sarris reflections, and yes, it was a sad day to see him exit. Sadder still that he died as a result of complications from a fall, not even from a sustained illness. Sarris was an idol to many of us during out college years. Well, you are certainly right about THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, and yes the spaghetti western festival was far greater than I could ever have imagined, even if people like Quentin Tarantino, J. Hoberman and Alex Cox have always considered it the most entertaining of all genres. As to what is up next, the Film Forum’s Universal Studios 100th Anniversary Festival launching on July 13th and running for four weeks will provide for multiple apperances, though I will NOT be there EVERY night remotely. Ha! I have about ten appearances lined up, and this includes some doiuble features where you get two films for the price of one. The Sirks and Siodmaks are definite and my kids are thrilled to be able to see the Universal horrors, some of which are offered as ‘triple’ features (3 for the price of 1)
http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/universal_100#nowplaying
Look forward to your coming reviews on HAROLD AND MAUD, LES COUSINS and the others! Thanks as always my friend!
Sarris? Really? This was news to me. His criticism was often humorous and informative at the same time.
Not much to report on this end. I finally finished the fifth and final season of THE WIRE and am still left in awe by the accomplishment of this “novel” for television. My highest recommendation for this show goes out to anyone who has yet to take it on and the rewards it yields form in the brain in a way that you feel like you’ve lived some hard times on the streets of Baltimore and have learned something about some of the most desperate and darkest corners of our humanity. HBO truly delivered a masterpiece with this series and, along with DEADWOOD, ROME, SIX FEET UNDER and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, proved that they were so much more than THE SOPRANOS.
That said, I’ve been ripping through the past four season of BREAKING BAD on Blu Ray disc. With the fifth and, weep, final series slated to begin July 15 (9pm), I thought it would be only right and fair to bone up on the story of Walter White, the lowly chemistry teacher that slowly makes a play to becoming one of the most powerful drug king-pins in the world. Looking back on these past glorious seasons of episodes, I relaized I am in full agreement with the critics that have praised this show as one of the greatest in the history of the medium. Consistently sited as one of the years ten best (and, most times, in the No. position), I cannot help think that those not familiar with, or watching, the show are missing out on alot. Nobody better be calling my phone or trying to speak to me the moment the title credits pop up on the big screen next month.
Will be heading out to the movies this week to take a peek at the new Pixar film, BRAVE, and will be bringing you my views on it next week. While the critics seem split down the middle on this one (and I’m in shock as Pixar usually receives unanimous praise for their works), I think I’ll have to find out for myself as I honestly feel the artists creating these movies have a perfect track record thus far…
Aside from all of this, I’m dividing my time between painting the library in my apartment and tapping out some reviews for what may possibly be placers in the count-down for this years comedy poll (I hope Sam will take a few of these).
I don’t think I have to say that Sam’s recent marathon viewing of the spaghetti western festival is an amazing feat of stamina.
Rome better than The Sopranos… I don’t think so Dennis. I’ll give you Deadwood and The Wire though. The other two shows you mentioned I need to view again. Six Feet Under will be tackled very soon.
Well, Dennis, I have seen the entire first season of DEADWOOD, have watched ROME, and nearly the entire run of SIX FEET UNDER and THE SOPRANOS, so I can certainly join you in celebrating some of the work you speak of here. I have not seen THE WIRE yet, and have only seen a few episodes of CURB, but at some point I’ll get to those, especially THE WIRE. Great to hear these marvelous assessments here! I would definitely not put ROME ahead of THE SOPRANOS myself, but fair enough. It just never accomplished what it had hoped to do with the scattered focus, but I do love that period as much as any other, like so many others. I will also take a look at BREAKING BAD during the summer, and also plan to see BRAVE later this week. I will then take a second look at Bob Clark’s superbly-written essay!
Thanks as always my friend!
SAM (and others)…
I don’t think I can stress enough how much all of these shows mean to me and how much I admire and enjoyed them.
However, and this is a BIG however, if I am honest with myself, I could not sleep at night on a lie. If I were to tell you that I thought THE WIRE or THE SOPRANOS were best I would be going against everything I hold near and dear in the film and art that I love so much. I cherish creativity, ingenuity and originality above everything else in film. I’m also a big admirer of the truly cinematic in the sense that I believe intelleigence should walk hand in hand with breathtaking visuals. Story, and writing that goes that extra mile to surprise, also adds to the overall effect for me. I cherish the film or the TV show that makes logical sense in the world we live in these days but doesn’t shy away from an over the top moment or a sequence of unadulterated bizarreness. So, if I am truly honest with myself and my opinion on TV shows in the States means anything, then the show I implore you to race into head first, to savor and rewatch, is:
BREAKING BAD.
Quite honestly, I haven’t been this impressed with a TV show since the days of SEINFELD and THE X-FILES.
It’s just that good.
The best show on TV right now…
Sam,
Thanks again for the shout out. Sarris will be missed. His works were my introduction to serious film writing, his Village Voice articles were a bible. Weather wise, we have been having rain for the past four or five days on and off until yesterday when tropical storm Debby dumped something like eight inches or rain and is predicted to be dumping another six or more inches today before slowly moving on. Needless to say it’s wet out there.
I want to announce that I have just started a Twenty Four Frames page on Facebook. postings will cover all types of film, all genres and all categories: classic and current Hollywood, Foreign, Independent, documentaries and everything else. Part of what will be included will be linking articles from some of my favorite blogs and WitD, along with others, will be there. I have already linked Bob Clark’s review of BRAVE and will definitely be sharing the Comedy Countdown and others articles in the future. Just started this over the wet weekend so there is not much as of now but that will change. All who are on FB I hope will LIKE the page and participate in discussions and sharing your thoughts.
On the movie front…
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (***1/2) Two nice performances highlights this Armageddon comedy/drama. The film seems to be being pushed as a straight out comedy so those looking for one will be disappointed. It has an intimate, emotional climax that works surprisingly well, though I think some in the audience were expecting the world to blow up with some kind if CGI wild special effects or maybe even be saved from its pending doom. Neither happens. The filmmakers take a much more mature path than both of those scenarios.
Picture Snatcher (***) – The film’s pace is as fast as a speeding bullet and James Cagney talks even faster in this vintage Warner Brothers flick. Cagney is his usual cocky, tough self. This pre-code is filled with sexual innuendo, and sadly, violent behavior toward women.
Stardust Memories (****1/2) – Woody’s wicked look at fame, celebrities and admiration. The film skewers the pretentious world of the artist, the critics and fandom. In the process he pays tribute to Fellini “8 1/2” and Preston Sturges’ “Sullivan’s Travel,” both with the same theme of a successful filmmaker suffering through the pains of success, reverence and the meaning of life.
Cry Terror! (**1/2) Disappointing thriller though it may still resonate with modern audiences due to a terrorist type bomb threat on a plane. James Mason is wasted, Inger Stevens shrieks and Rod Steiger does a variation of the psychotic act he would continue to perform in later roles. Neville Brand is the only one in the cast with a fun role as a Benzedrine addicted villain. However, a weak implausible script, unnecessary voiceovers and a ending that fails to elicit any sort of tension due to weak editing and direction. The only real highlight are location scenes of 1950’s NYC.
The Boss (***1/2) – based on the true story of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast. John Payne gives a tough, riveting performance as a man driven by greed and resentment. Better than expected. Nice cinematography by Hal Mohr. A brutal, uncompromising look at political corruption.
Chicago Confidential (**) Another low budget crime film focusing on union corruption. Too much voice over used to cover up a weak script and bland direction.
Crime of Passion (***) – Mix a passionate, ambitious woman with a laid back man and your results equal murder. Unfortunately, the only passion in this film is in the title. Barbara Stanwyck is a career woman whose police officer husband (Sterling Hayden) lacks ambition. After they marry, he forbids her to work and she becomes desperate for something more in her life than afternoon gin games with the ladies. Stanwyck is always a joy to watch but the film leave you wanting something more stimulating just like Stanwyck’s character desires.
I couldn’t agree with you more on STARDUST MEMORIES. Alas, most critics have bashed the film but, the few that can look past the defacement Allan is supposedly walk away learning more about the director and his fears about life and art then they do in just about any film he has made to date.
Visually the film is arresting and the use of the black and white help ponticate the nightmarish/freak world that unwanted celebrity brings on the unsuspecting. In actuality, I now through seeing Allen in interviews that he always ranked this particular film as one of his own favorites as, he said, it was only one of two or three that actually hit the screen intact from brain to camera. Basically, what I think he’s saying is that the film came closeset to his original vision as he was writing it out.
So many wonderful things abound in this film that I never quite understood the back-lash so many viewers have brought to it. It also contains some of Woody’s funniest one-liner moments.
The scene where he’s visiting his sister as her yoga class is breaking down for the day is just one of those scenes and this line, in particular, always kills me…
Sandy (Allen)-to his sisters obese friend, she’s wearing a oversized T-Shirt with the words “Sexy Bitch” on the front. The woman is bruised severely about the face and neck and she’s sporting a black eye:
“Oh, hi Irene. What the hell happened?”
Sandy’s Sister: “Would you believe it? Two men broke into her house. They tied her up and then they robbed her and raped her for hours.”
Sandy: “Oh, my God! Are you OK?”
Irene: “I’m gonna be fine. I didn’t resist. I just let them do what they wanted to me. I just couldn’t resist.”
Sandy: “Well, knowing you Irene, it comes as no surprise.”
LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!
Dennis – I have to admit I did not like the film when I first watch it back in 1980 but subsequent viewings changed my mind. It’s great, and ranks up there with his best. I agree there are some funny, funny lines. It’s also, most likely, hsi most abstract film with the editing jumping here and there. That may have been why it turned off so many. I love the Fellini style opening, just brilliant.
I’ve been a big fan of Stardust Memories from the get-go. Upon its release, I think it was just to subtle and un-Annie Hallish for the public to relate.
I think I was just one of those folks who wanted Woody to continue making those “funny” films. Fortunately, for myself, I learned to apprecicate growth in an artist and respect change. And as Dennis points out this film is damn funny.
John–
You wrote a lovely remembrance yourself of Sarris at TWENTY FOUR FRAMES:
http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/andrew-sarris-1928-2012/
….and I know well you were in the baby boomer ranks who appreciated and grew up with his peerless film criticism. John, we’ve had some thunderstorms up north here as well over the past few days, but it has served to cool things off, so no problem at all. I haven’t yet (believe it or not) gotten with the Facebook scene, though all my kids are regulars by now. I am thankful to you for including WitD and Bob Clark’s BRAVE review, and appreciate further linking. I hope to get with that soon enough!
Wow that was quite an incredible week you had watching stuff, and as always your capsules are superb! I haven’t yet seen KEEPING A FRIENS, CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL and CRIME OF PASSION, but it appears that only the first one mentioned is worth seeing. You are just about right as far as I’m concerned on PICTURE SNATCHER, and couldn’t agree more on STARDUST MEMORIES, a Woodman film that has grown on me over the years. I much appreciate the terrific dialogue here on the film between you and Dennis. I liked THE BOSS a bit less, but can’t offer any argument to your assessment on it and on CRY TERROR! which is ultimately forgettable.
Have a great week my friend. Thanks as always for the spectacular wrap!
Sam –
We saw a preview for THE INTOUCHABLES when we were at the theatre for THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. It’s definitely a film we want to see.
Just hearing the soundtrack to THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY transports me — immediately — to being 10-years-old. After seeing the movie at the matinee, all of the kids on the block (including my sister and I) bought candy cigarettes and let them dangle from our lips, Clint Eastwood-esque. Oh yea, we were baaaaaaad.
Thank you for pointing to Speaking from the Heart.
Laurie—
I have no doubt at all that you will be most affected by THE INTOUCHABLES, and hope you do get a chance to see it in the upcoming weeks. Ah yes, Morricone’s THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY score is one of the all-time greats, and it’s one never forgotten once heard. Ha that’s a funny story about the candy cigarettes there!!! But I can well imagine in those days that Eastwood and company impressed kids, who lined up to see his films. Thanks as always my very good friend and have as great week!
As always, thanks for the shout-out Sam! Sarris will be sorely missed and it goes without saying he was one of the film critic greats. He was one of the few critics I enjoyed reading even I didn’t agree with his opinion on a film. His reviews were always well-written and smart – two qualities that seem to be lacking in a lot of contemporary criticism.
Thanks very much J.D.! Yes, Sarris will surely be missed, especially as he was still active up until the unfortunate fall that precipitated his demise. He was indeed one of the greats, and yes always a pleasure and enrichment to read even in the case of disagreement, and he was a unique intellectual whose vast experiences can’t be matched today by anyone.
Sam –
Good morning and thanks, as always, for linking to my long-on-hiatus blog. (I must get a post up explaining the long absence….)
Sarris’ passing last week was indeed a great loss. I was thrilled by your anecdote of meeting him and sharing your passion for GATTACA (which I’ve not seen, but feel I must make a point of seeing it, based on this story!) How wonderful to have met the man. News of his death filled me with a nostalgia for my freshman year in college when I first learned about the auteur theory and afternoons spent in the college library reading his reviews in THE VILLAGE VOICE. I even remember where and when I obtained my paperback of THE AMERICAN CINEMA, and my hours of poring over it. There was even a wonderful article in PEOPLE magazine, way back when about how he and Molly Haskell met and fell in love, and I think I may still have that issue around somewhere! (and this would have been in the 1970s….)
With my move to the new home coming up around the end of July, writing and extensive film vieiwng remain “on hold” for now. Marlon and I did spend yesterday afternoon watching a Great Performances broadcast of Gounod’s FAUST from the Met, directed by Des McAnuff (don’t believe it was a current production), which we liked, followed by watching Ralph Fiennes’ CORIALANUS. The latter a fine film, and where the hell was Vanessa Redgrave in the Best Supporting Actress awards slates for 2011???? She was mesmerizing!
Have a great week, Sam – and all at WITD!
Pat–
Your absence from DOODAD KIND OF TOWN is most understandable considering the circumstances. I know you were reading Sarris at that impressionable age and time, and I well relate to the hours spent in college libraries reading him (and Kael, Canby, Kauffmann, Simon, Macdonald and the others) The story of Sarris meeting Haskell will always bring a smile to your face, and the realization that the man achieved his dreams both in his professional and private life. There was a point in time I recall when both wrote for the Village Voice at the same time! THE AMERICAN CINEMA is still today one of the most essential of film volumes. It is at least partially depressing to think of those long ago days in the 70’s and of the great times we had watching the new foreign films and reading about them! With the move imminent, it’s more than understandable that you won’t be able to write. I did see that McAnuff production of FAUST live at the Met, and agree it’s captivating and musically ravishing! I also liked CORIOLANUS and declared a number of times that Redgrave deserved a Best Supporting Actress nod, and for me even the final win!
Have a great week Pat! Thanks so much as always!
So only Kauffmann and Simon remain from that 70’s fraternity. I also read that Sarris also founded the National Society of Film Critics. It was a treat to meet him. I’m sure you’ll hold that memory.
Yankees-Mets? Looks like 5 of 6 for the Bronx Bombers.
Great to hear Dee Dee’s Garfield petition is attracting so many signatures!
Great point there Peter about Sarris’ crucial involvement in the formation of the elite National Society of Film Critics, a groups that still thrives. I do indeed retain a fond recollection of that meeting with him 14 years ago.
Yes, the Yanks had the Mets’ number this year for sure!
Dee Dee’s tireless work for the Garfield petition is yet another example of her dedication to a worthy cause. Thanks as always my friend!
Also, as a thirtysomething not-exactly-Brad-Pitt-lookalike bachelor living with his mother obsessively writing about movies (from an initially obscure perspective) who went on not only to achieve fame but, more impotantly marry a cool, super-smart, and (ahem) drop-dead gorgeous bride (and fellow film fanatic to boot!) Andy Sarris should be an inspiration to bloggers everywhere. He truly lived the dream!
Oh how true this is Joel. he really lived the dream. Haskell is everything you attest to here, and no doubt Andrew had a happy life!
Good Morning Sam and all, I enjoyed the reviews and you definitely made me want to see THE INTOUCHABLES, It sounds like my cup of tea for sure. I remember seeing the Good,the Bad and The Ugly along the way. I had to pay for my own movie going as a child and I remember being so disappointed that I had not saved my funds for something I would have liked better. I remember they had perfected spurting blood with all the shoot ’em ups….I was nauseated by the technique. Then a week later, I did not have the funds to go and see the musical THE MUSIC MAN with Robert Preston, a live performance and so all those feelings are loaded into my thoughts about westerns and making choices.
Thank you for sharing the book review…I have 15 books ahead for JULY…I am reading like crazy these days…good thing it is still raining!
Patricia—
There is little doubt that you will be completely smitten with THE INTOUCHABLES. It’s an inspiring film with humor and tears and real sense of purpose. That’s food for thought as far as seeing THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY on the big screen, and then having to pass on the magnificent THE MUSIC MAN. Westerns are most assuredly NOT everyone’s cup of tea, especially those who aren’t interested in all that screen violence for whatever purpose. Great to hear you have gotten the opportunity to read a lor as of late, as you might not when summer really kicks in. In any case that was a terrific book review you posted, and hope many get a chance to head over to PATRICIA’S WISDOM! Have a great week my friend! Many thanks.
Hello Sam and everyone.
Well, it’s been a hard and sad week this one that passed, but it’s looking up and I’m looking forward to all the work that will come this time around.
I’m familiar with most of the names of the westerns you saw, but I must say that I’ve watched none of them, even if I do have Good,Bad,Ugly in my house I’ve never got around it, that will change soon.
My week movie wise:
– Eaten Alive (1977, Tobe Hooper) *** The follow-up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the best and sickest horror movies of all time, was a dissapointment for me because of how fake it all looks, even if it was based on a real story: the sets and the acting and the characters look cardboard in comparison. There’s also a strange structure to the whole movie, but whatever, it’s Hooper and we’re used to that, and there’s also some great cinematography involved here, so that’s nice. Overall, forgettable.
– Efectos Especiales (2011, Bernardo Quesney) ***** Well, I did a full review of my pick for the best film of the 2011 on my blog, so that’s that.
– Madagascar (2005, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath) ***1/2 Animated movie for kids and that excels at that. The plot is simplistic and it takes oportunistic points here and there, but it’s not an awful experience and it’s quite enjoyable, thanks above all to the penguins, maybe the greatest animated group in a long time. The animation is Ok, even if a bit jerky at times, and of course it won’t be on the level of Pixar animation.
– Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath) ***1/2 While inferior in some spots, this one is augmented because of the importance of the penguins in the plot and their constant back and forths as a forced child’s plot about four different values of being different, being alone, being an outcast or being in love are mixed together and somehow find themselves being resolved in an adecuate way. That old lady was annoying.
– Unknown Pleasures (2002, Jia Zhangke) **** A comedy about the youth in China and how they are in the middle of a struggle between tradition and what occident comes and tries to take over the culture of the orient. Quite critical about the stance of the country in regards of their own culture and as what censorship takes place in regards of what really can be said and what gets there.
– The Kingdom of Fairies (1903, Georges Méliés) **** A short from the french master that attains greatness thanks to a complicated and classic storyline, as well as some great customes and sets. Recommended for that.
Thanks Sam and have a good week!
Jaimie:
The loss of your Grandmom is a very sad time, one I can myself recall in my own life. The memories will always be there and she will live in your heart. I hope the rest of your family is holding up at this terrible time. I am so sorry you suffered through this at this time my friend.
If you do see THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, you will have watched one of the true spaghetti western masterpieces, and I’m certain it will inspire you to watch more. Great to see you continue your survey of Melies’ work, with that glowing and insightful capsule assessment of FAIRIES, and agree on your assessment of the Zhangke film, one that is certainly poised to gain support in the comedy countdown voting. I am less of a fan of the MADAGASCAR films than you are but what you say in applying their artistry and value is more than fair enough. There are a few very big fans of those films living in this house. EATEN ALIVE is definitely lower tier horror, and your assessment seems to be on target. As far as EFECTOS -a film you treated beautifully in a top-notch review at EXODUS 8:2 that leads up the link section below, I definitely want to see it! I wish you and your family the very best, and thanks as always.
Thanks for the link, Sam.
I posted another one about Late Spring up. And more to come.
It is sad to hear that Andrew Sarris died. I read some of his reviews and books many years ago, and immediately influenced by his view on cinema, especially on Hollywood auteurs. I haven’t paid attention to his works much recently, partly because of limited availability here, but I would like to revisit. Which of his works do you recommend?
MI
MI: Great to hear you have posted another essay on LATE SPRING, one of my favorite films! I will be heading over to VERMILLION AND ONE NIGHTS soon! Yes it was sad to see Sarris go, especially when you consider that another great American critic, Stanley Kauffmann, is still writing at 96. I’d say that Sarris two essential volumes are:
The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968
and
Confessions of a Cultist
….but his last volume, ‘You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet’ makes some vital additions/changes to the first volume that reflect his re-evaluations.
Thanks as always my very good friend! Have a great week!
Thank you for the list!
CULTIST is the one I always wanted to read. Since it’s your recommend, I will just go Amazon and put it in my cart. I have read THE AMERICAN CINEMA, his seminal work, but your mention of “YOU AIN’T HEARD NOTHING, YET” is surprising news to me. I wonder how he revised his own classic. Wow. That’s another one thrown into my cart!
Mi: That book is essential Sarris mainly because it covers that vital period from the mid 50’s till around 1970, the richest period for foreign language masterpieces. Sarris was his scholarly height at that time. I do notice though that the book isn’t cheap though. Ugh. But yeah it’s really great, as others who frequent these pages can attest to. His major revisions in YOU AIN’T HEARD NOTHING YET were to add some directors to his canonical listing. The addition of Wilder, who Sarris confessed he underestimated was a major ‘alteration.’
Ah, it seems CONFESSIONS is out of circulation. Hmm. I wonder if they reprint the book for this occasion. Many excellent film study books fell into out-of-print black hole and never came back. Once, I waited two years to find a readable copy of Brownlow’s book (at decent price) in used book market.
Anyway, thanks for the advice!
MI
MI: It is available on amazon! And the hardcover is actually cheaper!
http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Cultist-1955-1969-Andrew-Sarris/dp/B001MUXTB4/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340685411&sr=1-1&keywords=confessions+of+a+cultist
This is the best price ($14 US) with a few more expensive copies in paper.
Ah, thanks!
This is much more reasonable!
Hi Sam! Thanks for the kind mention! I was very glad to participate in the Wyler Blogathon and it was my first time joining one of the those. You put together a fine essay yourself on Ben Hur which I just read through. Great stuff. Well travel has kept me from seeing any films in the last few days. I’ve missed seeing Moonrise Kingdom all week even though it was within my grasp! So frustrating to have travel keep me from it! I’m hoping next weekend perhaps it will finally come to Kalamazoo so I can see it at home. I will also put the finishing touches on my comedy list in the next week. It’s all but tidied up as we speak, but a couple Ealing Comedies remain and I won’t finalize until I’ve seen them. Wow you must have had a ton of fun with the Spaghetti Westerns and I wish I could have seen them on the big screen as they’re meant to be seen, like you have. Anyways, it’s late here so will be signing off. Have a great week my friend!
Jon–
Thanks for the exceedingly kind words. Your own essay on DODSWORTH was stupendous and a fantastic contribution to the Wyler blogothon. I much appreciate the terrific comment you placed under my review. I could well imagine that travels wrecks havoc on movie plans, but you know the routine well by now I’m sure. I sure do hope that MOONRISE KINGDOM does arrive in Kalamazoo this coming week, and I’m confident you will fall for it. Geez, it’s doubtful anyone has worked as long, as passionately and as diligently as you on that comedy list! When you attack a project you really leave no prisoners, and I salute you for that! There are some great Ealing comedies as I’m sure you have already discovered. Yes the spaghettis on the Film Forum screen were divine, and it was one of the greatest festivals ever for a host of reasons. Have a very great week my friend. Thank you!
Sorry I’m late — I’m off my usual routine and am distracted trying to slap my comedy list into final shape; you’ll have it shortly, I hope. Sarris’s death does bring the heroic age of film criticism nearly to a close. Those people thought film could make a difference in life, and I don’t see much of that same conviction anywhere now. As for Intouchables, I wonder if the French understand the concept of the “magic negro,” the term I see most often used to describe the film’s protagonist in hostile American reviews. I don’t know if a non-American film can really have a “magic negro,” but that’s the label a character of color gets if his main purpose in a movie seems to be to make a white person’s life better. From what I’ve read about the French film, the main character has more of his own character arc than the typical “magic negro” gets, but I defer to your firsthand experience. For my part I saw Brave and felt it was getting a bum rap from people who read the film’s production history into the film, which is really a far more thematically coherent affair than some allow. That it’s a thing of nearly unparalleled beauty no one can deny. At home, along with Cairo Station I saw John Flynn’s Rolling Thunder, an overrated revenge picture with W. Devane and T.L. Jones as troubled ‘Nam vets; Edward L. Cahn’s Curse of the Faceless Man, a seeming natural for this sometimes-visionary primitive yet weighed down by unnecessary narration and a monster who must move all-too carefully given his makeup; Howard W. Koch’s Violent Road, the first American imitation of The Wages of Fear but too tepid for its own good; Rosselini’s Paisan, a major contender in next week’s poll, though I’m not telling my vote yet; Ida Lupino’s The Bigamist, starring the director, Joan Fontaine and an inevitable Edmond O’Brien, here in more quiet guilty-conscience mode but still noirish in his unrestrained longings; and Liu Chia- Liang’s Executioners From Shaolin, a semi-historical drama noteworthy for the strenuous courtship of martial artists and a definitive villain role for Lo Lieh. Enjoy your week.
Samuel—
You are certainly never late here, and your steadfast submissions are always a special treat! You really sized up the situation with Sarris when you noted the end of an era, a time from the critics through criticism was the end all in cultural circles. But i never thought of it in the way that you brilliantly describe it here–thinking that film could make a difference in life! Truth be said there, there is still a towering giant living – 96 year-old Stanley Kauffmann, who miraculously writes still for THE NEW REPUBLIC in a position he’s held since 1958. (54 years, incredibly!) Kauffmann was always my personal favorite, though I think I tended to agree with Sarris more than any other critic, and then of course there is the brilliant Kael, who was also exasperating. I will be utterly thrilled to see a comedy ballot from you, especially as I know well your incomparable background of the early years. I much enjoyed your discussion there about the “magic negro” and agree in essence of what you are basically contending. The Europeans though, have little tolerance for American hostility towards films with the so-called ethnic slant. THE INTOUCHABLES is innocuous enough and tastefully done in any case. I agree Rossellini’s PAISAN is formidable (I rate it highly as well) and I have actually seen THE CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN and own a decent-quality bootie on DVD. You are quite right about the monster’s makeup! And I also though Lupino’s film interesting. Nice to hear that BRAVE is worth seeing. I hope to do so with a few of the kids later this week. Thanks as always my friend for the buffo wrap!
Sam, what a wonderful story about meeting Sarris. He was one of the first critics that I must have read but certainly one of the most influential in inspiring countless film lovers. I used to look forward to chasing down the foreign film titles from his top 10 lists and was always playing catching up. He will be sadly missed…
Thanks for the mention. Yes there are indeed some great film matches that have been drawn. The spotlight is finally close to a conclusion which is a relief. I can then return to normal film viewing…
Thanks very much for your glowing regard for Sarris and the very kind words my friend! Sarris will always provide hours of fascinating reading, and just yesterday I was poring through his first volume again. He was one of a kind, that’s for sure! I’ve greatly enjoyed your film matches and plan on following them through. Thanks as always my friend. Have a great week!
A great tribute to Andrew Sarris, Sam – I’ll admit I haven’t read much of his work but will do so now. Also impressed by your stanima to the end with the spaghetti Western marathon. I’ve just signed Dee Dee’s petition re John Garfield – one of my favourite actors too.
I finally saw ‘Hugo’ this week – on blu-ray after missing it at the cinema – and liked it very much;it is so gorgeous to look at and so clear that Scorsese was having a lot of fun with it. In terms of older films, I just saw a couple, ‘Ivan the Terrible Part 1’ (1944) and ‘The Little Foxes’ (1941). I will admit I am a bit bewildered as to why everyone likes the Eisenstein so much – it looks wonderful but is so agonisingly slow. It must be a lack in me rather than in the film, since I know it is acclaimed as a masterpiece… so I’ll aim to read around it and then have another try. I loved the Wyler, though – Bette Davis at her best, and Herbert Marshall is great too. Looking forward to watching more of his films over the coming few days to tie in with R.D.’s blogathon!
Hope all at Wonders have a good week.
Judy–
Very happy to hear you have joined the John Garfield petitioners. I know you have the highest regard for his work. Thanks for the kind words re the spaghetti western festival, which was a big surprise. My son Sammy nearly matched me, seeing 20 to my 21. LOL! But he enjoyed it greatly. Andrew Sarris is one of the all-time great American critics, and his work will always have a prominent place on bookshelves devoted to film. Fabulous news that you loved HUGO!!! It is indeed a ravishing watch. The Eisenstein is badly dated, and doesn’t stand with Eisenstein best works, imo. The critical response to IVAN hasn’t held the highest rung in the last two decades from what i have read. THE LITTLE FOXES is a screen classic, I completely agree. Have a great week my friend! I’ll be following the final days of the Wyler blogothon for sure!
So sad about Sarris, one of the great film critics, although what he saw in junk like ‘Hatari!’ and ‘Topaz’ I’ll never know, just a Pavlovian response to the names of Hawks and Hitchcock on the marquee I suppose. Condolences to widow Molly Haskell, another fine film critic.
Mark, Sarris did occasionally embrace junk. I don’t see a problem with him liking HATARI (many others like that as well) but yeah TOPAZ is rather eye-opening. Yes, some critics do endorse the director first and the film second, and a good argument can be made for that happening in this instance. Molly in her own right is indeed another distinguished film scribe.
Thanks as always my friend!
And Molly adores Hawks’s ‘Man’s Favorite Sport’, another film that leaves me cold. Ah well, Molly was great when she co-hosted TCM’s The Essentials a few years back.
Why, oh why do I have to dislike movies everyone seems to love so much? I hate disagreeing with Sam too often. As you know I recently posted my review of The Intouchables and I touch on the implicit racism of the movie. Just because French critics don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Like I said to your comment, there was a time when Americans would have thought you were crazy if you told them minstrel shows were racist. “No they aren’t,” they might say. “They’re loving tributes to the sweet colored folks and their adorable piccaninnies!” Yeah, but it’s still racist and so is this movie. Oh, and beyond that aspect, which isn’t even why I dislike the movie so much, it just isn’t a good movie.
I did get out to see Safety Not Guaranteed, a mostly cute, quirky movie with a silly ending. Not great, but not terrible either. Good for a rainy day Netflix movie.
But thanks as always Sam. I appreciate your support!
Jason, I completely understand, these things happen! I don’t think the same perceptions are the same in France as they are here. The directors use remarkable restraint, and the leads are marvelous, effectively sidelining the racist issue. The story is based on real-life characters and situations, and the issue at hand here isn’t race at all, but class disparity. Cluzet looks quite a bit like Dustin Hoffman.
Still, I respect and understand your position, regardless.
I do very much want to see SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, but I’ll have to work it in, as the coming week will surely include BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. Thanks as always my friend! Great to see you have hitting the theatres as of late! Have a terrific weekend!
Sam, thanks so much for the great mention.
Like you, I was very sad to hear of Sarris’ passing. He was such a key figure and an important link from the great findings of the Nouvelle Vague to the young generation of the “New Hollywood”. I’m definitely an auteurist and so always felt great affinity with Sarris in that respect.
It was calm for me this week on the movie-watching front but definitely hope to change that here very soon.
Here’s to another awesome week. Thanks so much, Sam, for all that you do!
Thanks as always my great friend but stopping in, and for as always injecting this thread with positive energy! I know you are a devout auteurist, and have hugely respected Sarris’ criticism. he did indeed define a generation, and the likes of him won’t be seen again. He was certainly one of America’s greatest scholarly film critics, and his body of work remains as vital today as when it was written. Have agreat week my friend! Thanks again!