A Critical Cinema 5 is the fifth volume in Scott MacDonald's Critical Cinema series, the most extensive, in-depth exploration of independent cinema available in English. In this new set of interviews, MacDonald engages filmmakers in detailed discussions of their films and of the personal experiences and political and theoretical currents that have shaped their work. The interviews are arranged to express the remarkable diversity of modern independent cinema and the interactive community of filmmakers that has dedicated itself to producing forms of cinema that critique conventional media.
Scott MacDonald is the author of the four previous volumes of A Critical Cinema and The Garden in the Machine: A Field Guide to Independent Films about Place (2001), all from California.
"Critical Cinema 5, and indeed the entire series, is a monumental achievement. MacDonald's detailed knowledge of many branches of cinema, and his subtle and generous insight, allow him to frame his interviews with the most important independent filmmakers in such a way as to elicit the most interesting aspects of their perceptions of their work and its context. The scholarship is superior, and MacDonald writes clearly, honestly, and elegantly."—David E. James, author of The Most Typical Avant-Garde
"Both MacDonald and his subjects are thoughtful, articulate, engaging. The result is a work that is as readable as it is informative and insightful."—William Wees, author of Light Moving in Time
461 pp.6 x 9Illus: 73 b/w photographs
9780520245952$36.95|£31.00Paper
Jan 2006