Synopses & Reviews
Over the past decade, as digital media has expanded and print outlets have declined, pundits have bemoaned a andldquo;crisis of criticismandrdquo; and mourned the andldquo;death of the critic.andrdquo; Now that well-paying jobs in film criticism have largely evaporated, while blogs, message boards, and social media have given new meaning to the saying that andldquo;everyoneandrsquo;s a critic,andrdquo; urgent questions have emerged about the status and purpose of film criticism in the twenty-first century.and#160;
and#160;In Film Criticism in the Digital Age, ten scholars from across the globe come together to consider whether we are witnessing the extinction of serious film criticism or seeing the start of its rebirth in a new form. Drawing from a wide variety of case studies and methodological perspectives, the bookandrsquo;s contributors find many signs of the film criticandrsquo;s declining clout, but they also locate surprising examples of how criticsandmdash;whether moonlighting bloggers or salaried writersandmdash;have been able to intervene in current popular discourse about arts and culture.
and#160;In addition to collecting a plethora of scholarly perspectives, Film Criticism in the Digital Age includes statements from key bloggers and print critics, like Armond White and Nick James. Neither an uncritical celebration of digital culture nor a jeremiad against it, this anthology offers a comprehensive look at the challenges and possibilities that the Internet brings to the evaluation, promotion, and explanation of artistic works.and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;
Review
andquot;This is a great and highly important volume for film studies as a discipline and cultural and media studies more generally.andquot;
Synopsis
Now that well-paying jobs in film criticism have largely evaporated, while blogs, message boards, and social media have given new meaning to the saying that andldquo;everyoneandrsquo;s a critic,andrdquo; urgent questions have emerged about the criticandrsquo;s status and purpose. In Film Criticism in the Digital Age, ten scholars from across the globe, as well as critics and bloggers, come together to consider whether we are witnessing the extinction of serious film criticism or seeing the seeds of its rebirth in a new form.and#160;
Synopsis
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, there has been a proliferation of German historical films. These productions have earned prestigious awards and succeeded at box offices both at home and abroad, where they count among the most popular German films of all time. Recently, however, the country's cinematic take on history has seen a significant new development: the radical style, content, and politics of the New German Cinema. With in-depth analyses of the major trends and films, this book represents a comprehensive assessment of the historical film in today's Germany. Challenging previous paradigms, it takes account of a postwall cinema that complexly engages with various historiographical forms and, above all, with film history itself.
Synopsis
Film criticism is in crisis. Dwelling on the many film journalists made redundant at newspapers, magazines, and other 'old media' in past years, commentators have voiced existential questions about the purpose and worth of the profession in the age of WordPress blogospheres and proclaimed the 'death of the critic'. Bemoaning the current anarchy of internet amateurs and the lack of authoritative critics, many journalists and academics claim that in the digital age, cultural commentary has become dumbed down and fragmented into niche markets. Arguing against these claims, this book examines the history of film critical discourse in France, German, the UK, and the US to demonstrate that film criticism has, since its origins, always found itself in crisis. The need to assert critical authority and anxieties over challenges to that authority are longstanding concerns; indeed, these issues have animated and choreographed the trajectory of international film criticism since its origins.
Synopsis
Film criticism is in crisis. Bemoaning the current anarchy of Internet amateurs and the lack of authoritative critics in a time of laid-off film reporters, many journalists and scholars claim that cultural commentary has become dumbed down and fragmented in the digital age. Mattias Frey, arguing against this idea, examines the history of film discourse in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He demonstrates that since its origins, film criticism has always found itself in crisis: the need to show critical authority and the anxieties over challenges to that authority have been long-standing concerns.
About the Author
MATTIAS FREY is a senior lecturer in film at the University of Kent. He is the author of
Postwall German Cinema: History, Film History, and Cinephilia and co-editor of
Cine-Ethics: Ethical Dimensions of Film Theory, Practice, and Spectatorship.
and#160;CECILIA SAYAD is a senior lecturer in film at the University of Kent. She is the author of Performing Authorship: Self-Inscription and Corporeality in the Cinema and O Jogo da Reinvenandccedil;andatilde;o, a Portuguese-language study of Charlie Kaufmanandrsquo;s filmography.and#160;and#160;