Film on Paper: The Inner Life of Movies

by Richard Schickel

In absorbing essays on books about film, the distinguished critic Richard Schickel offers more insights into moviemaking on every page than a reader will find in an entire shelf of film encyclopedias. His trenchant observations about films, actors, directors, producers, and the machinations of an always fascinating industry are consistently authoritative and entertaining. Here are charming but clear-eyed appraisals of Hollywood's major players, its low comedy and high self-regard, its bedrock of bourgeois values, its strange and convoluted affair with sex, and its relentless drive to give the customers what they want, regardless of critical failings. Film on Paper promises to be one of the most enjoyable movie books of the year.

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2008

About the author

Richard Schickel is an important American film historian, journalist, author, filmmaker, screenwriter, documentarian, and film and literary critic.

Mr.Schickel is featured in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In this 2009 documentary film he discusses early film critics in the 1960s, and how he and other young critics, rejected the moralizing opposition of Bosley Crowther of The New York Times who had railed against violent movies such as Bonnie and Clyde.
In addition to film, Schickel has also critiqued and documented cartoons, particularly Peanuts.

Schickel was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. He has also lectured at Yale University and University of Southern California's School of Film and Television.

Reviews

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of some of the film book reviews written by Richard Schickel for the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Schickel is a film critic, writer, filmmaker and biographer who has an interesting perspective on films and the film industry and many of these reviews act as a starting point for Schickel to expand upon his views of a subject. It is an interesting read but, as a film scholar, I did find his disdain for film theorists a bit offputting. That said, Schickel really knows his stuff and this book provides an insight into the film industry and its works. Also, although Schickel has written quite a few himself, he does not like star bios at all.

[Kyla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe useful if you were doing some film book collection development and wanted to know what NOT to buy because he doesn't seem to like any of the books. It's kind of odd to read a book of reviews about books. Like a dog chasing it's tail. Only not as funny.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Schickel's previously published book reviews.