The esteemed film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum has
brought global cinema to American audiences for the last
four decades. His incisive writings on individual
filmmakers define film culture as a diverse and
ever-evolving practice, unpredictable yet subject to
analyses just as diversified as his own discriminating
tastes. For Rosenbaum, there is no high or low cinema,
only more interesting or less interesting films, and the
pieces collected here, from an appreciation of Marilyn
Monroe's intelligence to a classic discussion on and
with Jean-Luc Godard, amply testify to his broad
intellect and multifaceted talent. ''Goodbye Cinema,
Hello Cinephilia'' gathers together over fifty examples
of Rosenbaum's criticism from the past four decades,
each of which demonstrates his passion for the way we
view movies, as well as how we write about them.
Charting our changing concerns with the interconnected
issues that surround video, DVDs, the Internet, and new
media, the writings collected here also highlight
Rosenbaum's polemics concerning the digital age.From the
rediscovery and recirculation of classic films, to the
social and aesthetic impact of technological changes,
Rosenbaum doesn't disappoint in assembling a magisterial
cast of little-known filmmakers as well as the familiar
faces and iconic names that have helped to define our
era. As we move into this new decade of moviegoing - one
in which Hollywood will continue to feel the shockwaves
of the digital age - Jonathan Rosenbaum remains a
valuable guide. ''Goodbye Cinema, Hello Cinephilia'' is
a consummate collection of his work, not simply for fans
of this seminal critic, but for all those open to the
wide variety of films he embraces and helps us
understand. |
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