As good new films grow fewer, books on the cinema multiply. Is critical attention the sign of a dying art? Or is it that more films now merit scrutiny? It's tempting to think that they do - until we remember how many critics anatomise trivia, how much trash still accumulates, and how often this month's masterpieces turn into the schlock of yesteryear. No: the fact is that movie critics have changed.

LRB 15 May 1980 | PDF Download