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For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism is the first documentary to dramatize the rich saga of American movie reviewing. Directed by The Boston Phoenix critic Gerald Peary, For the Love of Movies offers an insider's view of the critics' profession, with commentary from America's best-regarded reviewers, Roger Ebert (The Chicago Sun-Times), A.O. Scott (The New York Times), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Kenneth Turan (The Los Angeles Times).
We also hear from young, articulate, Internet voices, including Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News) and Karina Longworth (spout.com). Their stories are entertaining, humorous, and personal. Those who hear them may gain new respect for the film critic profession, knowing the faces and voices, and also the history. From the raw beginnings of criticism before The Birth of a Nation, to the incendiary Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates of the 1960s and 70s, to the battle today between youthful on-liners and the print establishment, this documentary tells all. With narration by Patricia Clarkson.
Official Selection (select list): SXSW, Independent Film Festival of Boston, Hong Kong International Film Festival
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Director's Statement:
For a hundred years, virtually the history of American movies, film critics have championed this medium they so unabashedly love. They advise audiences in deciding what movies to see, and why. Better, their reviews illuminate the film-going experience, suggesting paths for readers to enter cinema more deeply, thoughtfully, appreciatively.
I have been a film critic for thirty years, writing for magazines and newspapers, and, the last twelve years, for The Boston Phoenix. This is a pro-critic film. At a time when American critics are being laid off and fired, and when their influence has diminished, For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism is an unapologetic defense of a profession under siege.
I know intimately many of my colleagues, and had unprecedented access interviewing them for the camera. I talked to several dozen critics, including writers for newspapers (The New York Times, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, etc.), magazines (Entertainment Weekly, The New Republic, etc.), blogs and websites (Ain't It Cool News, spout.com.)
Along with Producer Amy Geller, (PBS's Murder at Harvard and The War that Made America), we set off to capture the voice of these critics on film. My first desire is for an audience to become intimate with the reviewers behind the bylines, so it can be understood how critics think about and see movies. How did they come to their jobs, and to their abiding love for cinema? Those interviewed vividly describe scenes from movies which, seen as children, made an indelible impression, and which transformed their way of viewing.
Also, today's critics comment on American critics of the past—Robert E. Sherwood, Otis Ferguson, James Agee, etc.—whose work inspired them. I offer a history of American film criticism, from the time of The Birth of a Nation to Bosley Crowther's 27-year reign at The New York Times, from Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel on TV to amateur reviews on the Internet. I touch upon the infamous Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates, and show the antagonistic relationship between youthful web reviewers and veteran print critics.
There have been American critics who, simply, are great literary stylists. Among these: Andrew Sarris, Pauline Kael, James Agee, and Manny Farber. A further object of my documentary is to spread appreciation for such first-rate prose and original thinking. I hope that this film motivates audiences to consider reviews by the best American critics, whether in print or the Web, as a key component in watching movies in a deeper, more thoughtful, way.
— Gerald Peary
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 For the Love of Movies website
Crew:
Writer/Director: Gerald Peary
Producer: Amy Geller
Editor: Aleksandar Lekic and Sabrina Zanella-Foresi
Composer: Bobby B. Keyes
Cast:
Patricia Clarkson
James Agee
Jami Bernard
Vincent Canby
Bosley Crowther
David D'Arcy
Roger Ebert
Manny Farber
Owen Gleiberman
Molly Haskell
J. Hoberman
Harlan Jacobson
Stanley Kauffmann
Stuart Klawans
Harry Knowles
Vachel Lindsay
Leonard Maltin
Janet Maslin
Elvis Mitchell
Wesley Morris
John Powers
Rex Reed
B. Ruby Rich
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Richard Schickel
Lisa Schwarzbaum
A.O. Scott
Robert Sherwood
David Sterritt
Mike Szymanski
Kenneth Turan
Scott Weinberg
Frank E. Woods
Lisa Nesselson
Karina Longworth
Pauline Kael
Otis Ferguson
Richard Corliss
Gene Siskel
Michael Wilmington
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