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For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Synopsis For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism is the first documentary to dramatize the rich saga of American movie reviewing. Directed by Boston Phoenix critic, Gerald Peary, For the Love of Movies offers an insider’s view of the critics’ profession, with commentary from America’s best-regarded reviewers, Roger Ebert (The Chicago Sun-Times), A.O. Scott (The New York Times), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Kenneth Turan (The Los Angeles Times). We also hear from young, articulate, Internet voices, including Harry Knowles (ainitcoolnews.com) and Karina Longworth (spout.com). Their stories are entertaining, humorous, and personal. Those who hear them may gain new respect for the film critic profession, knowing the faces and voices, and also the history. From the raw beginnings of criticism before The Birth of a Nation to the incendiary Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates of the 1960s and 70s to the battle today between youthful on-liners and the print establishment, this documentary tells all. With narration by Patricia Clarkson. Short synopsis For the Love of Movies is the first documentary to dramatize the rich history of American film criticism -- from the raw beginnings before The Birth of a Nation to the current battle for audience between youthful website populists and the veteran print establishment. Tagline For the Love of Movies is the first documentary to dramatize the rich, entertaining history of American film criticism. Director's Note I have been a film critic for thirty years, writing for magazines and newspapers, and, the last twelve years, for the Boston Phoenix. This is a “pro-critic” film. At a time when American critics are being laid off and fired, and when their influence has diminished, For the Love of Movies is an unapologetic defense of a profession under siege. I know intimately many of my colleagues, and had unprecedented access interviewing them for the camera. I talk to several dozen critics, including writers for newspapers (The New York Times, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, etc,), magazines (Entertainment Weekly, The New Republic, etc.), blogs and websites (aintitcoolnews.com, spout.com.). My first desire is for an audience to become intimate with the reviewers behind the bylines, so it can be understood how critics think about and see movies. How did they come to their jobs, and to their abiding love for cinema? Those interviewed vividly describe scenes from movies which, seen as children, made an indelible impression, and which transformed their way of viewing. Also, today’s critics comment on American critics of the past – Robert E. Sherwood, Otis Ferguson, James Agee, etc. – whose work inspired them. I offer a history of American film criticism, from the time of The Birth of a Nation to Bosley Crowther’s 27-year reign at The New AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism York Times, from Ebert-Siskel on TV to amateur reviews on the Internet. I touch upon the infamous Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates, and show the antagonist relationship between youthful web reviewers and veteran print critics. There have been American critics who, simply, are great literary stylists. Among these: Andrew Sarris, Pauline Kael, James Agee, and Manny Farber. A further object of my documentary is to spread appreciation for such first-rate prose and original thinking. I hope that this film motivates audiences to consider reviews by the best American critics, whether in print or the web, as a key component in watching movies in a deeper, more thoughtful, way. AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Crew Biographies Director/Writer – Gerald Peary Gerald Peary has been a much-published North American film critic for more than thirty years. His cinema articles have appeared in many newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe, and in film periodicals around the world, including Film Comment, Cineaste, Sight and Sound, and Positif. Since 1996, he has been a weekly film critic and columnist for The Boston Phoenix. He is a member of the National Society of Film Critics, and FIPRESCI (the International Film Critics Association). He has been president of critics' juries at many festivals, including Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam, Bangkok, and Vienna. A Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Peary heads the film program at Suffolk University, Boston. He was a Fulbright Scholar, studying Yugoslavian Film Comedy in Belgrade, and Acting Curator of the Harvard University Film Archive. Since 1997, he has been programmer of the Boston University Cinematheque. His eight books include John Ford: Interviews and co-editing the anthologies, The Classic American Novel and the Movies, The American Animated Cartoon, and Women and the Cinema: A Critical Anthology. He has worked in film production as a story editor for the documentary filmmakers, Errol Morris and Ron Mann, and he has written screenplays in collaboration with the Serbian filmmakers, Slobodan Sijan and Srdjan Karanovic. Producer – Amy Geller Amy Geller began in film as a television field producer and production manager for J. Arnold Productions, with work shown on network television, A&E, HBO, MTV, and CNN. Since, Geller has been producer and line producer on numerous shorts and documentaries, including the docudrama Murder at Harvard, a PBS/BBC broadcast for "American Experience." She also produced the Sundance Institute-supported, Stay Until Tomorrow (2005), an independent feature that won prizes at several film festivals. The War That Made America, a four-hour PBS mini-series in January 2006, was Geller's most ambitious, high-budget production, a narrative film recreating for television the French and Indian War. Geller currently works as a Supervising Producer for NKP Media in Newton, MA, producing videos for major publishing clients that include Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Houghton Mifflin, and Pearson. Executive Producer – Ellen Poss Ellen Poss, a graduate of the University of Chicago and a retired physician, has executive produced several documentaries including Martha Swetzoff’s acclaimed “Theme:Murder” (1998). AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Co-Editor – Sabrina Zanella-Foresi Sabrina Zanella-Foresi has made films since 1991, directing, producing, and editing more than 20 experimental and non-fiction shorts and videos. Her feature-length editing credits include: Shadow of the House: Photographer Abelardo Morell (2007), directed by Allie Humenuk; Twisted (PBS Independent Lens, 2007), directed by Laurel Chiten; A Jew Among the Germans, (PBS Frontline, 2005), directed by Marian Marzynski; Damrell’s Fire (PBS, 2005), American Wake (2004), and Touched (2003). She was consulting editor/co-editor on several documentaries, including Anya: In and Out of Focus (2004) and Buddy (2005). Zanella-Foresi also has six years of university teaching experience in Film/Video Production and Film Studies at Boston University, Harvard University, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts—Boston, and the Massachusetts College of Art. Co-Editor – Aleksandar Lekic Aleksandar Lekic, a native of Serbia, works as a film/video technician at Suffolk University, Boston. He has been an all-around video-production professional for the past 10 years. As a producer/videographer/editor, he has focused on documentary profiles of non-profit organizations which do charitable work around the globe. His documentary shorts have appeared on PBS, WorldlinkTV, and Serbian national television. Lekic also edited and coproduced short fiction films for the LA-based film company, Anima Films. Composer – Bobby B. Keyes The Boston Phoenix says guitarist Bobby B. Keyes "evokes an entire era of classic playing." He has recorded with Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E. King, New Kids on the Block, and Robin Thicke, and been a studio player at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. One of the great guitarists of New England, Keyes defines our American musical heritage with his unique and original blend of rock, country, rhythm & blues, swing, and jazz. His songs can be heard on his CD, “Lady Luck,” and in live performance with the Mystix and the Bobby Keyes Trio. AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Cast Narrator – Patricia Clarkson The legendary character actress is at the top of her career with recent performances in Elegy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Phoebe in Wonderland. A winner of two Emmy Awards for her role of Aunt Sarah on TV’s Six Feet Under, Clarkson has appeared in numerous first-rate American independent films, including High Art (1998), Far From Heaven (2001), The Station Agent (2001), Pieces of April (2003), and Lars and the Real Girl (2007). A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Clarkson studied drama at Fordham University, where she graduated summa cum laude, and earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama. Her film debut was in The Untouchables (1987). In order of movie appearance: Harry Knowles Elvis Mitchell Roger Ebert Stanley Kauffmann Michael Wilmington B. Ruby Rich Scott Weinberg Wesley Morris Owen Gleiberman Stuart Klawans Richard Schickel John Powers Lisa Nesselson A.O. Scott Harlan Jacobson Manny Farber Jonathan Rosenbaum Andrew Sarris Molly Haskell Kenneth Turan J. Hoberman Bosley Crowther Pauline Kael Lisa Schwarzbaum Rex Reed Richard Corliss Penelope Spheeris Leonard Maltin John Waters Liz Smith David D'Arcy Michael Szymanski Critic, aintitcoolnews.com Ex-critic, The New York Times Critic, The Chicago Sun-Times Critic, The New Republic Ex-critic, The Chicago Tribune Correspondent, The Guardian Critic, Cinematical.com Critic, The Boston Globe Critic, Entertainment Weekly Critic, The Nation Critic, Time Magazine Critic, Vogue Critic, Screen International Critic, The New York Times Correspondent, USA Today Ex-critic, The New Republic Ex-critic, Chicago Reader Critic, The New York Observer Ex-critic, The Village Voice Critic, The LA Times Critic, The Village Voice Ex-critic, The New York Times Ex-critic, The New Yorker Critic, Entertainment Weekly Critic, The New York Observer Critic, Time Magazine Director, "Wayne's World" Critic, "Entertainment Tonight" Director, "A Dirty Shame" Columnist, New York Post Ex-correspondent, National Public Radio Ex-critic, Zap2it.com AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Karina Longworth Jami Bernard Sarah Polley Richard Linklater Jeff "The Dude" Dowd Doug Liman David Sterritt Marshall Herskovitz Critic, Spout.com Ex-critic, New York Daily News Director, "Away From Her" Director, "A Scanner Darkly" Producer, "Ocean of Pearls" Director, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith” President, The National Society of Film Critics Co-producer, "Traffic" AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism CREDITS Written and Directed by Gerald Peary Produced by Amy Geller Executive Producer Ellen Poss Narrated by Patricia Clarkson Edited by Sabrina Zanella-Foresi Aleksandar Lekic Original Score by Bobby B. Keyes Thrillionaire Records Cinematography by Craig Chivers Nick Kurzon Amy Geller Edward Slattery Producer Sharon Brooks Associate Producers Robin Berghaus Kathryn Fox Robert Ribera Arndt Peemoeller Associate Editor Motion Graphics Director Howard P. Stern, the abstractory Field Producer Jennie Punter Research Coordinator Kathleen Murray Post-production Consultant Todd Davis Sound Recordists Jason OʼNeill Gregory Gagnon AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Sound Design and Mix Robert Todd Color Correction/ Online Dave Allen, Julia Dixon Eddy, Eddy/Allen Editorial Online Editor Elias Mallette Additional Camera Bobby Bastarche Nina Davenport Robert Fresco Joe Swanberg Beth Cloutier Mark Dennis Assistant Editors Cici Hall-Hamel Christina Hunt William Adam W. Parker Additional Voices Kevin Carragee Jason Carter Ed Hoopman Nina Huntemann Kim Romano Lewis D. Wheeler Additional Music Kevin Berwersdorf DJ Flack John Koczera Kevin MacLeod Siba BK Studio Musicians Billy Novick, Clarinet/Saxophone Jim Gwin, Drums Marty Ballou, Bass Tom West, Piano Eric Goldberg, Accordion Matt Leavenworth, Violin Sean Hurley, Bass Craig Macintyre, Drums Bobby Keyes, Guitar/Bass/ Piano/Drums/Programming Recording Engineer Joseph Thomas AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Additional Research Julie Buck Elizabeth Klink Elias Savadas Production Assistants Sarah Carlson Mario Contreras Garth Donovan Karen Jackson Ezequiel Luka Frank Ross Online Editing Consultant Michael Amundsen Original Illustrations Roger Jones Graphic Design Anya Vedmid Website Eric Martin, Futura Studios Nina Huntemann Intern Coordinator Kim Romano Interns A.C. Abbott Kirstin Allen David Chin Megan Nimura Jenna Quartararo Andrius Skrabulis Caitlin Walsh E&O Counsel Karen Shatzkin, Shatzkin & Mayer, P.C Production Counsel Sandra Forman Fiscal Sponsor Central Productions Narration recording Splash Studios, NY: Barbara Parks Nathan Morgan Michelle Bablo . This documentary has been funded in part by the Poss Family Foundation, the LEF Foundation, the Helios Foundation, and our friends and family. It was produced in association with the Filmmaker-In-Residence Lab, WGBH Boston. AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected] For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism The producers also wish to thank our friends, family, and colleagues for their financial and moral support during the seven years it took to complete FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES. Technical Details For the Love of Movies was shot on digital video starting in 2001 in New York, Chicago, Boston, and at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Montreal International Film Festival, and the Cannes International Film Festival. The running time is 80 minutes. Copyright © AG Films LLC 2009 AG Films * 59 Pemberton St. * Cambridge, MA 02140 * [email protected]
