What do you think?
Living images; film comment and criticism
A collection of 131 review of films which originally appeared in The New Republic
- GenresFilm
404 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
May 9, 2023
More Stanley Kauffmann reviews, this time from 1970-1975. The overall tone is the same as previous collections. Kauffmann continues his jihad against Brando. He attacks his performance in The Godfather, calls upon him to "Quit Acting" after seeing the Missouri Breaks, and dismisses Brando's Last Tango performance as a "mixture of Good and Bad".
Kauffmann's likes and dislikes come into sharper focus. He loves Streisand, Pinter, Arthur Miller, Friedkin, Bergman and Ophuls. And movies like: Julia, Cabaret, Pocket Money, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, the Exorcist, French Connection, Fiddler on the Roof, and Little Big Man. They all get high praise.
Meanwhile, Altman, Peckinpah, Woody Allen, Last Picture Show, Godfather I and II, Deliverance, Eugene O'Neil, and Tati get mediocre to poor reviews. Hitchcock is dismissed: His scriptwriters deserve the praise or blame, says Kauffmann.
Sometimes Kauffmann's age and experience (born 1915) helps him out. He notes "What's up Doc" fails as a screwball comedy because its a 30s movie script with 70s actors. Ryan O'Neal isn't Cary Grant or Joel McCrea and Striesand isn't Jean Arthur or Rosiland Russell (to say the least).
Whether you agree or disagree, Kauffmann is knowledgable, concise, and writes with clarity.
Kauffmann's likes and dislikes come into sharper focus. He loves Streisand, Pinter, Arthur Miller, Friedkin, Bergman and Ophuls. And movies like: Julia, Cabaret, Pocket Money, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, the Exorcist, French Connection, Fiddler on the Roof, and Little Big Man. They all get high praise.
Meanwhile, Altman, Peckinpah, Woody Allen, Last Picture Show, Godfather I and II, Deliverance, Eugene O'Neil, and Tati get mediocre to poor reviews. Hitchcock is dismissed: His scriptwriters deserve the praise or blame, says Kauffmann.
Sometimes Kauffmann's age and experience (born 1915) helps him out. He notes "What's up Doc" fails as a screwball comedy because its a 30s movie script with 70s actors. Ryan O'Neal isn't Cary Grant or Joel McCrea and Striesand isn't Jean Arthur or Rosiland Russell (to say the least).
Whether you agree or disagree, Kauffmann is knowledgable, concise, and writes with clarity.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review