As a wise person once said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”
The same sentiment might apply to movies.
Although nothing can compare with the experience of sitting in a darkened theater absorbing flickering images and stuttering sound, I’d argue that movie lovers can still pull plenty from the pages of books.
I recommend two new books by my former college film professor, Jon Lewis.
During my years at Oregon State University, I took three or four classes from Dr. Lewis and enjoyed every one of them. I loved his insight, his smart, funny comments about cinematic history, and his enthusiasm for classic 1970s auteurs like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.
He had nothing but scorn for the studio system and a deep-seated interest in film censorship — which might explain why he mentioned “Deep Throat” with such surprising regularity.
He also had a broadly New Yawk accent, yet to be softened by years of living in Oregon.
(In fact, I recall my Japanese roommate, Yuki, coming home in tears freshman year because she simply could not understand her new prof. That was Jon, naturally.)
Lewis’ latest book, “American Film: A History”, takes a hard look at Hollywood history, ignoring lists of celebrities and “must-see” films. Instead, the film professor turns his focus on the business and culture of moviemaking, highlighting the struggle between artists, society and studios.
He teams up with co-editor Eric Smoodin for “Looking Past the Screen: Case Studies in American Film History and Method.” It’s a collection of essays about the role of audiences, academics and the media.
Knowing Jon, both of these books are sure to offer valuable insight mixed with his own dry wit. Enjoy.
***
The former editor of Cinema Journal magazine, Jon Lewis has appeared in two documentaries about film censorship: “Inside Deep Throat” and the excellent “This Film Is Not Yet Rated.”
He’s also written five other book I recommend checking out:
- “The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture”
- “Whom God Wishes to Destroy…Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood”
- “The New American Cinema”
- “Hollywood v. Hard Core: How the Struggle over Censorship Saved the Modern Film Industry”
- “The End of Cinema as We Know It: American Film in the Nineties”
***
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.
