The Thing Happens: Ten Years of Writing About the Movies
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.34 (905 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0802114857 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 399 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 0000-00-00 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In a collection of his essays, the film critic explores the principles and practices behind filmmaking, the roles movies play in culture, the style and technique of the world's most celebrated directors, and what reviews tell us about the direction of cinema.
Stylish writing E. Hawkins Although Terrence Rafferty is obviously indebted to Pauline Kael -- they both share, in addition to a mystifying regard for Brian De Palma, a snappy, conversational style -- his prose is a smoother, and his opinions, while always delivered forthrightly, are a little less kinky than Kael's. I think this is an excellent collection of film criticism and appreciation. The long essay on Renoir's 'Rules of the Game' is first rate, and his overviews of several prominent director's careers are right on the money. Anyone who enjoys Pauline Kael will find much to admire in the writing of Terrence Rafferty. When can we have more of. great book of film criticism Rafferty's New Yorker pieces make great reading for anyone who has been watching movies for the last twenty-odd years. The book consists of many reviews of films, plus a few essays on directors.Rafferty tends to be a bit less vivacious than Anthony Lane (my New Yorker critic of choice) and less idiosyncratic than Pauline Kael. He has an exceedingly level head for cinema, though, and a knack for writing about it in a clear way.
Twelve essays evaluate the style and vision of various directors, including Martin Scorsese, Satyajit Ray and Mike Leigh. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. In his reviews (all previously published) of 53 films released since 1986, Rafferty deems David Lynch's Blue Velvet not a "midnight movie" but a "demented matinee"; details how Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing "winds up bullying the audience," and classifies Barbara Kopple's seemingly even tone in the documentary American Dream as "the exaggerated calm of deep shock." Readers will be entertained whether they have s