How to go to the Movies
An appreciation of Quentin as a movie critic
By Heather Kelly
Film reviewing was yet another aspect of Quentin's genius but one which must have been especially close to his heart as he was a lifelong movie buff. His film essays were first published in the magazine "Christopher Street" and were later collected for the book "How to go to the Movies". In the introduction to that book Quentin lists three ways to go to the cinema, "incessantly", "reverently" and "critically".
"We must take to each cinema two pairs of spectacles. While we plunge into each picture as though it were happening to us, we must also watch it from a distance, judging it as a work of art". That is surely the ideal way to watch any film.
When Quentin goes on to discuss stardom and stars he refers only to women.
He quotes Orson Welles who, when asked "What is a star?", replied "A star is a woman".
In the chapter on stars Quentin lists some of the women he most admired, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davies and, much to my delight, Mae West who has always been a special favourite of mine. He captures her style perfectly,
"Miss West struck with faultless aim at the very heart of the matter; she lampooned sex. Indeed she sent up everything including herself".
"Miss West ruled the movie industry not with a scrowl but with a lazy, self-indulgent tyranny...She was so completely self-aware that she could afford a large amount of self-mockery".
He is equally astute and witty in his comments on the other stars, writing of Marlene Dietrich's "immaculate insolence" and Joan Crawford, "If she had any ability as an actress...it lay in transforming her face into a mask of fear or hatred or grief".
The rest of the book is dedicated to Quentin's movie reviews and here I am reminded of an article on essays.
"An essay is a thing which someone does himself; and the point of an essay is not the subject but the charm of personality...the essential thing is that the writer shall have formed his own impression,...and the charm of the essay depends upon the charm of the mind that has conceived and recorded the impression".
The writer of that piece could have been thinking of Quentin, for surely it is the charm of his mind which makes up the larger part of the appeal of these film essays.
This may seem like a contradiction in terms but surely the main reason why anyone reads "How to go to the Movies" is not for the films in themselves but for Quentin's impressions of the films.
I hope that the following examples will serve to illustrate my point.
Writing of "The Pope of Greenwich Village" Quentin makes a very wise comment,
"It must be obvious to the merest simpleton that the greater skill which a book is written or a film is directed, the more devastating the harm that it may do."
In his review of "1918" he writes
"The past is a mistake....it is the irrevocable time through which I have lived that fills me with despair. What makes my heart so heavy is the realization that issues that were once all-important are now so trivial."
I was especially pleased by his tribute to James Mason, another particular favourite of mine, in "The Shooting Party",
"The value of this film, apart from its beautiful, lugubrious photography and its consistently good acting, lies in the fact that it provides us with one last glimpse of Mr Mason...I was pleased that though his final appearance was not in a memorable picture, his part in it was honorable and that he played it to perfection."
Also read Heather's Favourite Books and Quotes
Heather Kelly
Ireland
16 October 2007
Film reviewing was yet another aspect of Quentin's genius but one which must have been especially close to his heart as he was a lifelong movie buff. His film essays were first published in the magazine "Christopher Street" and were later collected for the book "How to go to the Movies". In the introduction to that book Quentin lists three ways to go to the cinema, "incessantly", "reverently" and "critically".
"We must take to each cinema two pairs of spectacles. While we plunge into each picture as though it were happening to us, we must also watch it from a distance, judging it as a work of art". That is surely the ideal way to watch any film.
When Quentin goes on to discuss stardom and stars he refers only to women.
He quotes Orson Welles who, when asked "What is a star?", replied "A star is a woman".
In the chapter on stars Quentin lists some of the women he most admired, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davies and, much to my delight, Mae West who has always been a special favourite of mine. He captures her style perfectly,
"Miss West struck with faultless aim at the very heart of the matter; she lampooned sex. Indeed she sent up everything including herself".
"Miss West ruled the movie industry not with a scrowl but with a lazy, self-indulgent tyranny...She was so completely self-aware that she could afford a large amount of self-mockery".
He is equally astute and witty in his comments on the other stars, writing of Marlene Dietrich's "immaculate insolence" and Joan Crawford, "If she had any ability as an actress...it lay in transforming her face into a mask of fear or hatred or grief".
The rest of the book is dedicated to Quentin's movie reviews and here I am reminded of an article on essays.
"An essay is a thing which someone does himself; and the point of an essay is not the subject but the charm of personality...the essential thing is that the writer shall have formed his own impression,...and the charm of the essay depends upon the charm of the mind that has conceived and recorded the impression".
The writer of that piece could have been thinking of Quentin, for surely it is the charm of his mind which makes up the larger part of the appeal of these film essays.
This may seem like a contradiction in terms but surely the main reason why anyone reads "How to go to the Movies" is not for the films in themselves but for Quentin's impressions of the films.
I hope that the following examples will serve to illustrate my point.
Writing of "The Pope of Greenwich Village" Quentin makes a very wise comment,
"It must be obvious to the merest simpleton that the greater skill which a book is written or a film is directed, the more devastating the harm that it may do."
In his review of "1918" he writes
"The past is a mistake....it is the irrevocable time through which I have lived that fills me with despair. What makes my heart so heavy is the realization that issues that were once all-important are now so trivial."
I was especially pleased by his tribute to James Mason, another particular favourite of mine, in "The Shooting Party",
"The value of this film, apart from its beautiful, lugubrious photography and its consistently good acting, lies in the fact that it provides us with one last glimpse of Mr Mason...I was pleased that though his final appearance was not in a memorable picture, his part in it was honorable and that he played it to perfection."
Also read Heather's Favourite Books and Quotes
Heather Kelly
Ireland
16 October 2007