Four Contemporary Film Critics You Need to Know

Jul 22, 2011
Sarah Davis

Film draws theorists from all schools of criticism - Sascha Phoflepp

Contrary to claims that film theory is dead, film criticism is in fact thriving. Here are four essential contemporary film critics you should know.

Contrary to popular belief, film criticism is alive and well. Film criticism is commonly distinguished from film reviewing for popular periodicals in that it is associated with academic writing about film. While there has been a sense of paranoia about film criticism with a general claim that it’s dying, there are a number of contemporary film critics whose writings and findings continue to make enormous contributions to cinematic scholarship. Here are four critics every film buff needs to know.

David Bordwell

David Bordwell is arguably the single most influential American film critic out there today. Pick up any general film writing anthology and there is sure to be at least something written by him in there. He has written several books, including the college introductory film textbook, Film Art, that he authored with his wife, neo-formalist film theorist Kristin Thompson. He has impacted film theory with his founding school of thought, cognitive film theory, which applies cognitive psychology to film. His groundbreaking works on the Hollywood star system and classical Hollywood narrative are massive contributions to cinema theory. His blog, updated almost daily, is a gift for the film buff who’s interested in learning more about the art of the moving image from one of the most important critics.

Laura Mulvey

Ever looked closely at a classic Hollywood film and think about the way a female lead character is pictured? British feminist film critic Laura Mulvey has, and her observations about the way a female character is shown developed the idea of the “male gaze.” According to Mulvey, the male gaze is the theory that female characters are “fetishized” by the camera as seen through the male’s point of view, a form of "scopophilia". Think about it. Rarely are we seeing shots through the eyes of a woman’s character. In contrast, women are framed in soft light with an almost palpable sense of pity, adoration, and marvel, distinguishing them from being on having an equal psychological point of view. Mulvey’s idea was published in her Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema in 1975, and film theory has never been the same since.

Molly Haskell

In her revolutionary book From Reverence to Rape (1973), leading American feminist film critic Molly Haskell introduced the concept of “the woman’s film.” In contrast to “male” films, “the woman’s film” is much more self-pitying and follows a pattern. For Haskell there are three times of female characters: the extraordinary woman, the ordinary woman, and the ordinary who becomes extraordinary woman. Self-sacrifice is the resolution of the story. Haskell's other works are great reads for film fans interested in genre theory, classic Hollywood narrative, and feminist film criticism. Fun fact: she is married to critic Andrew Sarris, also profiled here.

Andrew Sarris

If you are enrolled in an intro to film course, it is a guarantee that you will read Andrew Sarris’ “Notes on Auteur Theory.” Sarris is deeply interested in auteur theory and its migration from European cinema to American cinema. Auteur theory is based on the idea that a director is the ultimate, all encompassing “author” of a film with a distinct style that should be readily recognizable. Classic examples include Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and contemporary directors like Wes Anderson.

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Theory." Screen: Autumn 1975: 6-18. Abridged version at Brown University.

Haskell, Molly. "From Reverence to Rape: the Treatment of Women in the Movies." Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Sarris, Andrew ‘Notes on the Auteur Theory' Film Culture Winter, 1962.