Many of you may know that an anthology of writings about various aspects of David’s career has been in the works–partly because many of you contributed to it. Twenty-five to be precise, plus, as the cover above states, a foreword by me and a preface by Damien Chazelle. It has been edited by Charlie Keil and Murray Smith, two alumni of the Film Studies area of the Dept. of Communication Arts here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Editing collections of essays is a daunting task, so hats off to Charlie and Murray!

Those of you who did not write for it may have attended the “Roundtable – David Bordwell” at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Chicago in March. It was an event aimed at rememberimg David but also at announcing the approaching publication of the book.

It’s hard to get a precise number by counting heads in a photograph of such a large room, but I gave it a try and think there were roughly ninety to a hundred people attending, many of whom chimed in during the Q&A that followed the presentations. The panel consisted of Charlie Keil as moderator and Murray Smith, Katherine Spring, and Jeff Smith, all four contributors to the volume.

The book’s publication date is December 8, 2026, but I got the image above from pre-order pages that have already appeared on Amazon.com and Rutgers University Press’s website. Amazon’s page just says “by Professor Charlie Keil (Editor, Contributor), & 26 more.” The Rutgers site lists the names of all the authors, who do add up to 26, though that includes me but not Damien, which seems rather odd. No titles of the essays, but at least you know the contributors. Both sites include this description, which does give some sense of the contents:

When David Bordwell died in 2024, he left behind a legacy of film scholarship and criticism whose influence is unmatched. Co-author of a pair of textbooks adopted across the globe and the main force behind a blog read by thousands, Bordwell has influenced generations of film students, filmmakers, and film critics. Observing Film Art examines the breadth of Bordwell’s work through the perspectives of those who knew him best, collaborators, former students, and critics among them. This is the first collection devoted to the work of Bordwell, and it gives equal attention to each facet of his prodigious scholarship, structured to highlight his interest in theory, history, and analysis and criticism. The cornerstones of his approach to film study, including formalism, cognitivism, and historical poetics, are all examined in detail, as are key works, including The Classical Hollywood Cinema (coauthored with Kristin Thompson and Janet Staiger) and Narration in the Fiction Film.

At this point, Amazon’s prices for hardback, paperback, and Kindle are the same as Rutgers’ for the hardback, paperback, and ebook (ePUB or PDF).

BUT, if you go to Rutgers’ site and click on this option, you can get a leaflet that contains a code for a 30% discount.

My thanks to all who attended the SCMS panel and participated in the lively Q&A, who contributed essays to Observing Film Art, and who will read it and remember David fondly. Thanks also to Colin Burnett for the photos of the Roundtable event.

Kristin here

Last year at the Le Giornate del Cinema Muto film festival in Pordenone, Italy, attendees had the first opportunity to purchase Lea Jacobs’ fresh-off-the-presses book, John Ford at Work: Production Histories from 1927 to 1939. It was also given away as one of the perks for higher-level donors.

The title says “Production Histories,” but Jacobs covers more than that phrase might seem to suggest. She has drawn on the strengths of the film-studies area of the Department of Communication Arts here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One of those is the academic study of the film industry, established by Prof. Tino Balio with his United Artists: The Studio Built by the Stars (University of Wisconsin Press, 1976), the first of his string of books on the industry. I think it’s safe to say that David and his colleagues favored an aesthetic approach to film analysis, as in David’s books The Films of Carl-Theodor Dreyer (University of California Press, 1981) and Narration in the Fiction Film (University of Wisconsin Press, 1985 and still in print), followed by many others. Another area that is studied here is technology, such as books on the introductions of Technicolor and of stereophonic sound.

These three approaches were combined in The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production, by David, Janet Staiger, and me (Routledge & Kegan Paul and Columbia, 1985, still in print). In it we examined how the mode of production in Hollywood and the development of new technologies affected the norms of style and narrative established across the history of Hollywood cinema.

Jacobs has carried forward this approach, though rather then surveying the entire industry, she focuses in on one filmmaker in a period when substantial changes were happening in both the studio system and the technology of filmmaking. Most of the chapters follow a pattern that makes the three topics clear. First a summary of the various studios Ford worked for in this period and how the different producers and crews affected his style. Next is an explanation of changing technology–not just the obvious introductions of sound and color, but a more nuanced account with the important development of sound re-recording and the rapid improvements of faster black-and-white film stocks. Finally, Jacobs analyzes the films to show the effects of these changes on their style.

In the Introduction she lays out this approach in relation to faster negative stocks:

This study will not only explore the way in which Ford’s lighting schemes developed across the 1930s, but also the impact of these innovations on other aspects of his style, particularly his use of the long take, and the way in which the predilection for deep space compositions, evident from his very first silent films, becomes one of the defining features of his style in the late 1930s films. (pp. 3-4)

I found that this book needs to be read slowly and carefully. As Ford moves around among studios, different cinematographers, producers, script writers, and actors work with him from film to film, all having their influences. Gradually some of these people work more consistently with Ford and become a loose but important team. Chief among these are Darryl F. Zanuck on the producing side and cinematographer Bert Glennon on the filmmaking side. Glennon was so crucial that the cover photo wraps around the book, with Ford on the front and Glennon on the back. Keeping track of all the people and studios requires close attention.

Jacobs accomplishes what most authors hope for: that the reader finishes by wanting to re-watch again films seen before, sometimes confident that her analyses will reveal them as much better than one had thought. I, for example, saw The Prisoner of Shark Island, one of the films she examines in detail, long ago and wasn’t impressed. So long that I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but I was probably still in grad school, and I probably saw it on a worn 16mm print at one of the ubiquitous film societies that flourished at the university in the 1970s and 1980s. Lea’s frame enlargements for this and other films of the era were gorgeous and revealed a vastly different film than I had seen.

Fortunately our departmental Cinematheque film series celebrated the book’s arrival with a brief Ford series, one of which was a gorgeous 35mm print of Shark Island. Between the set design by William Darling and lighting by Glennon, the visuals were dramatic and beautiful. I don’t know if it will make this year’s list of The Ten Best Films of … 1936; there’s some pretty stiff competition. Still, although I wouldn’t quite put the film among Ford’s masterpieces of the decade, for me it has climbed quite close to that status.

Few would deny that Ford’s masterpieces of this period were Stagecoach and Young Mr. Lincoln (below), both made, alongside Drums Along the Mohawk, in what Jacobs rightly terms his annus mirabilis, 1939. Jacobs provides detailed analyses of both, again stressing the importance of Glennon’s cinematography.

The thoroughness and complexity of Jacobs’ book reflects an enormous amount of research in archives, trade papers, and published interviews and studies. (Do not miss the bibliography!) The process took years, and David and I heard about it as it inched forward, awaiting the results impatiently. The wait was worth it, and now I look forward to the next volume, mostly covering the post-war years when Ford had his own production company. Undoubtedly the result will again be an urge to re-watch familiar films and see them in a different light.

John Ford at Work was published by John Libbey and is distributed through Indiana University Press. In this day of soaring prices for academic books, this one is available in paperback for $32.00, with an ebook costing a whole penny less. The physical copy may look relatively short at first, but picking it up reveals a surprisingly heavy tome resulting from the fine coated paper that makes the illustrations come out superbly. Double columns and small print squeeze a lot of information into a small book.

The Informer (1935)

Back in 2024, I was contacted by two Romanian film professors, Andrei Rus and Doru Nitescu of the Universitatea Nationala de Arta Teatrala si Cinematografica “I.L.Caragiale.” They had translated David’s and my textbook, Film History: an Introduction, the first of our books to appear in Romanian. As part of the activities around its release, they kindly offered me a Doctor Honoris Causa from their university. Of course I accepted, and my sister Karen and I headed for Bucharest. It was a moving ceremony (me giving my acceptance speech below) and a lovely visit to Bucharest.

That visit helped lead to the Criterion Channel’s new March program of Romanian New Wave cinema. The lineup of films which became available on March 1 is:

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005), 12:08 East of Bucharest (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2006), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Christian Mungui, 2007), Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009), Aurora (Cristi Puiu, 2010), Tuesday, After Christmas (Radu Muntean, 2010), and Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu, 2016)

Naturally I prepared for the trip by watching as many Romanian films as I could find, in part because it was hinted that I could meet some of the most prominent of the New Wave directors during my visit, which proved to be the case. We had all too short a conversation with Christian Mungiu, who runs a film festival and had to dash off to introduce someone after the starter course. Andrei and I dined with Radu Jude. Doru, Karen (on the right below), and I had a very pleasant and lengthy dinner with Cristi Puiu and Anca Puiu, his wife and producer. She played a considerable role in helping organize the Criterion series.

After I returned to the USA, I contacted my friends at Criterion and asked whether Puiu’s Sieranevada, which I blogged about from the 2016 Vancouver International Film Festival, might be a candidate for release on DVD/Blu-ray. It was unavailable in the US in any format. In my entry I wrote, “Watching the lengthy opening shot, which largely involves the main character’s car being double parked and blocking a DHL truck, I did quickly realize that I was seeing a terrific film.” Finally seeing it again, I could appreciate the elaborate staging as the characters move in and out among the crowded group of vehicles.

It turned out that Criterion’s schedule of disc releases was already planned for years ahead. The option of a program of Romanian New Wave cinema, however, was a possibility. Soon it became a reality, and the Head of Programming for the Criterion Channel, Aliza Ma, made it happen. It didn’t quite make into the 2025 schedule, which would have coincided with other celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of The Death of Mister Lazarescu‘s release. It won numerous prizes, most notably the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes. It is considered to have launched the Romanian New Wave.

Shortly thereafter Christian Mungui’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (2007) won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. It dealt with the harsh punishments for those who had or performed abortions under the Communist Regime, as the woman trying to help her friend end her pregnancy encounters suspicious hotel staff and a very reluctant abortionist (see bottom). It cemented worldwide awareness of important films coming from Romania. These directors and others have continued to make films that show up at international festivals and win or are nominated for awards. I particularly like Police, Adjective (2009), which also won the Un Certain Regard Award, as well as the FIPRESCI prize.

Some of the films are grim, others have a surprising amount of humor mixed in. The most overt comedy in this group is Porumboiu’s 12:03 East of Bucharest. It takes place on the sixteenth anniversary of the rebellion that toppled the Communist reign and Nicolae Ceausescu. Three men in a provincial city form a panel in a rather makeshift television studio to discuss what acts of rebellious heroism they or anyone else in their city accomplished on that fateful day.

The Channel’s series is an excellent opportunity for people unfamiliar with the movement to get an introduction to some of its most important films. Those who saw some or all of them when they came out can watch those unavailable on home video to see them again.

For anyone who enjoys this series, here are some suggestions for a further exploration of the Romanian New Wave.

You may wonder why there is only one Christian Mungui film in this series, given that he’s one of the most widely known of these filmmakers. It’s probably because Criterion already offers access to two excellent films by him. Beyond the Hills (2013) which David blogged about from the Vancouver Film Festival, will remain available on the Channel and on a Criterion Collection disc DVD or Blu-ray. Mungui’s Graduation (2016), which David blogged about, also from Vancouver, is available on Criterion discs.

I’d like particularly to recommend Mungui’s R.M.N. (2022), an excellent film about immigrants working in a small town and encountering resistance from the locals. It doesn’t seem to have had a release in the USA, but a British Blu-ray by Picture House is available through Amazon America and UK.

Those who enjoy the two films by Corneliu Porumboiu might want to check out his 2019 film The Whistlers (La Gomera, 2019), which David blogged about from the Torino Film Festival. It’s available from a number of streaming services for a fee and free for subscribers to Apple TV+.

I unfortunately did not see all of Radu Muntean’s Tuesday, After Christmas. I could only find it via a used DVD on eBay. It froze halfway through, and nothing could coax it to proceed. So I shall finally find out what happened in the end by watching it on the Channel. I have seen his suspenseful later film Întregalde (2021), available on a Grasshopper DVD.

Recently Radu Jude has become a highly popular and prolific Romanian director. One might ask why he is not represented in this series. Possibly there were rights problem, but one could argue that his distinctive style places him outside or at least on the fringes of the New Wave. I have only seen three of his films, the relatively early and more conventional The Happiest Girl in the World (2009) and somewhat more eccentric Everybody in Our Family (2012), as well as the definitely eccentric Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023) at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

Speaking of which, for those in Madison and surrounding towns who plan to attend this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival, Jude’s KONTINENTAL ’25 will be on the program. Variety‘s review says it retains his “dark absurdist edge.” (The schedule will be available online on March 5.) It’s playing at many other festivals as well.

The Channel’s Romanian program will remain online for a year.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Cristi and Anca Puiu for help with this entry.

Kristin here–

Last autumn I was contacted by Nick, aka The Voice of Nick, asking for my consent to his creating an audio-book of The Frodo Franchise. This was quite a surprise—a pleasant one of course. Naturally I gave him the go-ahead.

I wrote The Frodo Franchise for two main reasons. First, after The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001, the wild enthusiasm created a new generation of fans. That enthusiasm reminded me of the Tolkien rage that followed the 1965 Ballentine publication. I was fifteen at the time and became an instant fan. The fact that Tolkien’s work could generate a similar level of devotion thirty-five years later intrigued me.

Second, it rapidly became obvious that much of what was happening around the film was going to have a huge impact on the film industry. Sophisticated digital effects were invented specifically for Jackson’s films in his own filmmaking facilities. New Line created one of the most successful online publicity campaigns in the infancy of the Internet. Fans followed suit and created their own sites devoted to the films. The filmmakers actually cooperated with the videogames producer, an unheard-of thing in those days. Actors had their faces scanned for the action figures. In short, the films were one of the most influential franchise series in a time when big franchises were becoming vital to the Hollywood studios.

Through extraordinary luck on my part and Kiwi hospitality on the part of the filmmakers, I was able to interview dozens of people, including all the main designers, key figures at Weta Digital, and Peter Jackson himself. Beyond that I talked with representatives of Electronic Arts, Air New Zealand, and various government officials who “leveraged off” the films to transform New Zealand itself. Witnessing part of the post-production work on the trilogy was an extraordinary privilege and joy. I hope with the release of the audiobook, what I learned during that period will be shared with fans who continue to adore these films.

The paper version of the book came out in 2007. But enthusiastic fans are experiencing anniversary re-releases of Peter Jackson’s trilogy and enjoying casting news for the upcoming film, The Hunt for Gollum. New licensed products continue to be made. Tours of New Zealand/Middle-earth still sell out. I agreed to write an epilogue for the audiobook, discussing some of the enduring strength of the franchise and the unabated enthusiasm of the fans.

Now I’ll turn this entry over to Nick for him to explain how he became a fan and why he decided to share his enthusiasm with others.

Hi everyone – I’m Nick, better known under my narrator and content creator persona as The Voice of Nick. I recently had the opportunity to produce a special new audiobook release of The Frodo Franchise, in honor of The Fellowship of the Ring’s 25th anniversary, and I’m proud to say the audiobook version is now available worldwide.

I’m one of the new generation of Tolkien fans described in The Frodo Franchise, who was introduced to the world of Middle-earth by Peter Jackson’s films as a boy. I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the first film for a school friend’s birthday party, but I was immediately hooked from that point on. My brother and I collected the toys, played the EA games, and devoured every minute of the incredible Extended Edition films along with their behind-the-scenes documentaries. Since then I’ve grown to appreciate all things Tolkien, reading his unfinished epics, and then delving into the various Finnish, Norse and Old English legends thanks to his influence. And of course, I read The Lord of the Rings every year!

I was gifted a copy of The Frodo Franchise last year by a friend and couldn’t believe I hadn’t read it before. It touched on every aspect of not just the films I loved, but the licensed products, promotions (yes, I had all the talking Burger King toys!), internet fandom (I was happy to see Figwit included!), and home video releases that I spent so much time with. It was pure luck that I would find the book right on the eve of Fellowship’s 25th anniversary. Then, when Kristin and publisher UC Press agreed to license me the rights to create this new audiobook, Kristin graciously wrote a brand new epilogue addressing all the amazing things the franchise has been up to in the years since its original publication.

The Frodo Franchise audiobook is now available on Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Storytel, Kobo, and is rolling out across all other major platforms. It’s also available in the systems for libraries nationwide, so ask your local library about stocking it in their catalogue if you’d like to listen that way!

If you’d like to see more of me, you can find me on YouTube, where I livestream creative work, language study, game development, gameplay videos and behind-the-scenes audiobook production.

To give one example of the lasting power of these films, I introduced my mother to LOTR in 2003 by dragging her to a theater to see The Return of the King, and since then she’s been a fan right along with me. Last year, over 20 years after that introduction, the two of us went to The Return of the King live orchestra performance at Radio City in New York (above). These movies are important and have brought an incredible richness to my life and many of those around me. I’m thrilled to be able to bring this book to a new audience of listeners. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed narrating and producing it.