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I Found it at the Movies

Reflections of a Cinephile

Philip French

I Found It At The Movies by Philip French
10% off eBook (EPUB)
Categories: 20th Century, 21st Century, Film
Imprint: Carcanet Film
Publisher: Carcanet Press
Available as:
eBook (EPUB) Needs ADE!
(Pub. Jul 2011)
9781847778215
£19.95 £17.95
Paperback (220 pages)
(Pub. Mar 2011)
9781847771292
Out of Stock
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  • For nearly half a century Philip French’s writing on cinema has been essential reading for filmgoers, cinephiles and anyone who enjoys witty, intelligent engagement with the big screen. His vast knowledge of the medium is matched by his love for it. I Found It at the Movies collects some of the best of Philip French’s film writing from 1964 to 2009. Its subjects are as various, entertaining and challenging as cinema itself: Kurosawa and the Addams family; Satyajit Ray and Doris Day; from Hollywood and the Holocaust to British cinema and postage stamps. I Found It at the Movies is an illuminating companion to the world of the cinema.

    I Found It at the Movies is the first of three collections of Philip French’s writings on film and culture.

    Cover design:
    StephenRaw.com.

    He wears his learning lightly, and isn’t afraid to bring politics and history relevantly in. It is a pleasure to read an expert film book which doesn’t seem to have been written by a man who thinks the world stops when the house lights go on again - Gavin Millar, The Listener
    Philip French was born in Liverpool in 1933. He did his national service in the Parachute Regiment and was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and in the United States at Indiana University, Bloomington. He spent most of his career as a talks producer for BBC Radio. He wrote movie essays and ... read more
    Philip French's I Found It at the Movies is an apparently random but charming collection from the Observer critic's nearly 50 years of writing on film. These pieces are elegant and learned, and they hark back to the era when French's predecessor CA Lejeune could usefully dismiss the mawkish home-front drama Millions Like Us with three words: 'And millions don't.'
    Nick Curtis, Evening Standard, Film Books of the Year 2011
    Praise for Philip French A 'welcome and overdue collection' 

    Sergio Angelini, Journal of British Cinema and Television



    'He never comes across as pretentious and his prose is often wistful and amusing...Breezing through the book is a delight.'

    Lee Pfeiffer, Cinema Retro  

    'In a critical landscape now dominated by amateurism and the taking of theatrically extreme positions, what a pleasure and an education it is to read the work of a judicious professional.'
    Jonathan Barnes, Times Literary Supplement

          'This collection is a joy from the opening page to the final credits: to open it at any given page is to soak up Phillip's range of interests, terms of reference, knowledge, understanding and humour.'
    Dan Carrier, The Camden New Journal


      'The publication of this book brings home to the reader the qualities that made Philip French stand out from other film reviewers. His ability with words was special and is evidenced throughout Notes from the Dream House... No review here is unworthy of attention'
    Mansel Stimpson, Film Review Daily


      'The book is a compact reminder of French's immense knowledge of film and the cinematic world... Notes from the Dream House is solid proof of the fact that French left nothing unseen.'
    Laila Obeidat, The London Magazine


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