David Thomson: The Big Screen; The Story of the Movies

A marvellous book, marvellously written. To call it a history of film, although partially true, would be to do it a great disservice. It’s a love letter to film and film-makers, to the screen and that light emitter’s extraordinary role and significance in our lives - and its also something of a meditation - on film and its many parts and aspects, but also on history and, even at times, on what it is to be human.

The first part is a more conventional history pf film/cinema/moving image - the terms are all fascinatingly explored and with sparkling and illuminating references to a vast range of work. He always has the ability to come up with wonderfully pungent/perceptive phrases that illuminate something previously thought very well known - and this is the best aspect of the bonk - from start to finish.

In the latter sections he dots around a little more but managing to master an overview dealing particularly interestingly with the impact of TV on film - and vice-versa. Good that he took many TV programmes an put them in a revealing cinematic context - on I Love Lucy and The Sopranos, to mention two of the most illuminating.

You don’t need to have seen or know all of the films - although his comments for those you do invariably shines a new light on them - either as a whole or in part - but he does make you want to see virtually everything that he mentions - a rare achievement for a critic in any area.

A wonderful book then - and a very easy read which cannot always be said about writings on film!