Description
The guest on this week’s episode will need little introduction to anyone who reads film criticism or follows film culture. Jonathan Rosenbaum, one of the most prolific and respected critics of the last half-century, began his career at publications like Film Comment and Sight and Sound in the ’70s, and later became known for his writing at The Chicago Reader. More recently, he’s gained notice for his website, jonathanrosenbaum.net. He is known for his erudite yet accessible writing, and his championing of international cinema, among other things. No less a figure than Jean-Luc Godard once compared him to Andre Bazin.
Jonathan is also the author of numerous books and collections of film writing, the latest of which, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, has just been published by Hat & Beard Press. He describes the career-spanning, chronologically arranged collection as an autobiography of sorts, opening with his earliest published film review from his college days at Bard, before diverging into his many non-film interests. The collection also includes his writings on jazz and literature, and emphasizes Jonathan’s uniquely syncretic approach to criticism.
Jonathan joined FC editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute via Zoom from his home in Chicago to discuss this new book, his time as Film Comment’s Paris correspondent, his appearance as an extra in a Bresson film, and much, much more.
During the 2024 New York Film Festival, Film Comment’s Devika Girish had the chance to chat with Julianne Moore, one of the great American actresses of the last three decades and more. She was at the festival for the premiere of The Room Next Door, the first English-language feature film by Pedro...
Published 11/19/24
When Payal Kapadia won a historic Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her second feature, All We Imagine as Light (the first Indian film to play in competition at Cannes in 30 years), she paid homage to another Cannes prizewinner whose work has deeply influenced her: Miguel Gomes,...
Published 11/12/24