Episode #70 - Jonathan Rosenbaum (Out 1)

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"The role of criticism was to improve the discourse, but as an intermediary function. The discourse around a film begins before the critic comes along, continues after the critic leaves. But if the critic is doing something right, more avenues are opened up.""

Dedicated listeners of The Cinephiliacs may be familiar with the phrase, "And then I discovered Jonathan Rosenbaum's writing," as countless cinephiles have been inspired by his many words in the Chicago Reader and beyond. Thus, this latest episode of the podcast interviews the man who championed films beyond the canon, exploring cinema through an essayistic, often deeply personal love for the movies. Jonathan discusses his upbringing in Alabama, seeing the French New Wave from the front lines, a short dip into academia, and his role in looking at the strange world of taste culture and its ties to the Hollywood industry. Then, the two dive into the recently restored mammoth of a film that has been waiting to enter the canon: Jacques Rivette's 13 hour Out 1. They discuss this work of connections in post-May '68 Paris that may or may not be a secret Balzac-influenced conspiracy, engaging the viewer to find the fiction in the documentary and the documentary in the fiction.

0:00-2:48 Opening

3:20-11:31  Establishing Shots - Reviews from AFI Fest
12:17-1:02:55 Deep Focus - Jonathan Rosenbaum

1:03:48-1:05:28 Mubi Sponsorship
1:06:32-1:31:10 Double Exposure - Out 1 (Jacques Rivette)

1:31:14-1:33:59 Close / Outtakes

Read Jonathan Rosenbaum's collected work on his website and a page with links to all of his publications.
Jacques Rivette's Out 1 will soon be playing London. Other screening info is here. More info on the UK box set release from Arrow Films and the upcoming US release from Kino Lorber.

 

Notes and Links from the Conversation
—More info on the AFI Film Festival
—Reading on each film from Critics Round-Up: The Lobster, Son of Saul, Right Now, Wrong Then, In The Shadow of Women
—An interview with Rosenbaum on the role of jazz
—Rosenbaum's recollection of getting a B+ on a paper defending Citizen Kane as the opening to Essential Cinema
—Jonathan's capsule for Cassavetes's Shadows. He writes about the original cut here.
—Jonathan's response to Pauline Kael's Raising Kane essay
—Cahiers unique and controversial history is best covered by the translated writings by Jim Hillier.
—Jonathan on the set of Duelle and Noroït.
—Jonathan's "cameo" in Four Nights A Dreamer.
—Jonathan on Tati's Playtime
—Research Notes on where to find Film Culture, New York Film Bulletin, and Moviegoer.
—Noel Burch's Theory of Film Practice
—Jonathan on Tarr's "film factory"
—Jonathan on The Best Years of Our Lives
—The famous Alt-100 American Films
—Godard's interview with Jonathan in the Soho News
—Jonathan's Mandingo capsule, Andrew Britton's full review from Movie, and Robin Wood's defense.
—Jonathan on Ingmar Bergman, and the NYTimes's "edited" article.
—James Naremore's interview with Jonathan
—The Croatian Film Festival dedicated to Movie Mutations
—Jonathan discusses the role of the military and movie violence in his long essay on Joe Dante's Small Soldiers.
—Jonathan's overview of the career of Von Stroheim, as well as single pieces on Greed (and its restoration) and Foolish Wives.
—Jonathan on Out 1 and some additional footnotes, plus a longer career profile. A website dedicated to Rivette provides even more info.
—Jonathan's review of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow
—Dennis Lim's 2006 piece on Out 1.

Theme Music: “Forward” by Northbound

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