ffirs.qxp 9/25/06 1:41 PM Page i Film Guide ffirs.qxp 9/25/06 1:41 PM Page iii Film Guide 50 Years of Movies from Classics to Cult Hits EDITED BY DENNIS LIM John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.qxp 9/29/06 12:13 PM Page iv This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2007 by Village Voice Media, Inc. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc. 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PN1998.V47 2007 791.43'75—dc22 2006022006 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page v C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments xiii Introduction by Dennis Lim 1 A History of Film Criticism at the Village Voice by J. Hoberman 3 L’Age d’Or (Luis Buñuel, 1930) 7 reviews by J. Hoberman and Michael Atkinson The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993) 9 reviews by Georgia Brown and Amy Taubin Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974) 12 review by Jan-Christopher Horak Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969) 15 review by J. Hoberman Aparajito (1957). See The Apu Trilogy The Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray): Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1957), The World of Apu (1959) 18 review by Jonas Mekas L’Argent (Robert Bresson, 1983) 20 review by Andrew Sarris L’Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934) 22 review by Georgia Brown Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) 24 reviews by Andrew Sarris, Jonas Mekas, and J. Hoberman L’Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) 29 review by Andrew Sarris Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara, 1992) 31 review by J. Hoberman v ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page vi vi Contents Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) 32 review by J. Hoberman The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1965) 36 reviews by Margot Hentoff, Andrew Sarris, and Michael Atkinson Beau Travail (Claire Denis, 1999) 39 review by J. Hoberman Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) 41 review by J. Hoberman Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel, 1967) 43 review by Andrew Sarris The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio De Sica, 1948) 45 review by J. Hoberman The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963) 48 reviews by Andrew Sarris and Michael Atkinson Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966) 51 review by Andrew Sarris Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986) 53 reviews by J. Hoberman and Guy Maddin Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960) 57 review by Oliver Stone Café Lumière (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2003) 59 review by J. Hoberman Ceddo (Ousmane Sembene, 1977) 60 review by Tom Allen Céline and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette, 1974) 62 review by J. Hoberman The Chelsea Girls (Andy Warhol, 1966) 64 reviews by Jonas Mekas and Andrew Sarris Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974) 68 reviews by Andrew Sarris and Jessica Winter Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, 1994) 70 review by Georgia Brown Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) 71 review by Andrew Sarris Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990) 73 review by Michael Atkinson The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Paradjanov, 1968) 74 review by J. Hoberman The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) 75 review by Michael Atkinson ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page vii Contents vii Contempt (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963) 77 reviews by Andrew Sarris and J. Hoberman Cutter and Bone/Cutter’s Way (Ivan Passer, 1981) 81 review by J. Hoberman Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai, 1990) 82 review by J. Hoberman Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) 85 review by J. Hoberman Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988) 87 reviews by Amy Taubin and Michael Atkinson The Decalogue (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1989) 90 review by Georgia Brown The Devil, Probably (Robert Bresson, 1977) 93 review by J. Hoberman Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988) 95 review by Georgia Brown Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) 98 review by J. Hoberman Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003) 101 review by J. Hoberman Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001) 103 review by J. Hoberman Earth (Aleksandr Dovzhenko, 1930) 105 review by J. Hoberman Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977) 107 review by J. Hoberman The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981) 108 review by Elliott Stein F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1974) 109 reviews by Jessica Winter and Michael Atkinson Faces (John Cassavetes, 1968) 110 reviews by Jonas Mekas and Andrew Sarris Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) 112 review by J. Hoberman Flaming Creatures (Jack Smith, 1963) 114 review by J. Hoberman The Flower Thief (Ron Rice, 1960) 117 review by Jonas Mekas Flowing (Mikio Naruse, 1956); Late Chrysanthemums (Mikio Naruse, 1954) 118 review by J. Hoberman ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page viii viii Contents Gertrud (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1964) 121 review by Andrew Sarris Glen or Glenda? (Edward D. Wood, 1953) 122 review by J. Hoberman Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis, 1949) 124 review by J. Hoberman Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) 126 review by Tom Allen The Heart of the World (Guy Maddin, 2000) 127 review by J. Hoberman A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) 129 review by J. Hoberman Horse Thief (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 1986) 130 review by J. Hoberman The House Is Black (Forugh Farrokhzad, 1963) 132 review by Michael Atkinson I ♥ Huckabees (David O. Russell, 2004) 133 review by Dennis Lim I Was Born, But . . . (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932) 134 review by Jonas Mekas I’m Going Home (Manoel de Oliveira, 2001) 135 review by J. Hoberman In a Year of 13 Moons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978) 136 review by Andrew Sarris In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000) 138 review by J. Hoberman Irma Vep (Oliver Assayas, 1996) 140 review by J. Hoberman Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1976) 143 reviews by J. Hoberman and Andrew Sarris JLG/JLG (Jean-Luc Godard, 1995) 147 review by Georgia Brown Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) 149 review by J. Hoberman The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983) 150 reviews by Andrew Sarris and J. Hoberman Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955) 153 review by J. Hoberman Landscape in the Mist (Theo Angelopoulos, 1988) 156 reviews by Georgia Brown and Michael Atkinson ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page ix Contents ix Late Chrysanthemums (Mikio Naruse, 1954) See Flowing 157 Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984) 158 review by Dennis Lim The Lovers on the Bridge (Leos Carax, 1991) 158 review by J. Hoberman M (Fritz Lang, 1931) 160 review by J. Hoberman The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942) 161 review by J. Hoberman The Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929) 163 review by J. Hoberman Man’s Favorite Sport? (Howard Hawks, 1964) 165 review by Molly Haskell Marketa Lazarová (Frantisek Vlácil, 1967) 167 review by Michael Atkinson McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971) 168 review by Andrew Sarris The Merchant of Four Seasons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972) 169 review by Andrew Sarris Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943) 171 review by J. Hoberman The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache, 1973) 172 review by Molly Haskell Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) 174 review by J. Hoberman Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993) 177 review by Georgia Brown Night and Fog in Japan (Nagisa Oshima, 1960) 179 review by J. Hoberman Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) 182 reviews by Richard McGuinness and J. Hoberman Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950) 185 review by J. Hoberman Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968) 186 review by Andrew Sarris Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947) 188 review by Kent Jones Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955). See The Apu Trilogy Peking Opera Blues (Tsui Hark, 1986) 189 review by J. Hoberman ftoc.qxp 9/25/06 1:42 PM Page x x Contents Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966) 190 review by Andrew Sarris Pickpocket (Robert Bresson, 1959) 192 reviews by Andrew Sarris and J. Hoberman Pierrot le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965) 194 review by Andrew Sarris Pink Flamingos (John Waters, 1972) 197 review by Jack Smith Platform (Jia Zhangke, 2000) 199 review by J. Hoberman Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) 201 review by T. A. Gallagher The Portrait of a Lady (Jane Campion, 1996) 203 review by Amy Taubin The Power of Kangwon Province (Hong Sang-soo, 1998) 205 review by Chuck Stephens Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004) 206 review by Dennis Lim Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 209 review by Andrew Sarri Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) 210 review by J. Hoberman Punishment Park (Peter Watkins, 1971) 212 reviews by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Michael Atkinson The Puppetmaster (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1993) 213 review by J. Hoberman Real Life (Albert Brooks, 1979) 215 review by J. Hoberman Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) 215 review by Andrew Sarris Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981) 218 review by Andrew Sarris Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (Jonas Mekas, 1972) 220 review by Jonathan Rosenbaum Rose Hobart (Joseph Cornell, 1936) 222 review by J. Hoberman Rosetta (Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 1999) 223 review by J. Hoberman The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) 224 review by Jonas Mekas