Raymond J. Haberski Jr. is assistant professor of history at Marian College in Indianapolis.
"A must-read for critics and would make a sure-fire addition to the
library of movie buffs everywhere." -- Online Film Critics
Society
"A provocative study.... While there are many titles dealing with
film culture, It's Only a Movie! takes the subject much further and
ponders the strangest of societal phenomenon, America's love affair
with motion pictures, the ramifications of this media in kneading
contemporary thought, and the relevance of aesthetics in an
information age." -- Film & History
"A splendidly researched and argued account of American film
criticism's first golden age." -- Bright Lights Film Journal
"Engages with issues of fundamental concern to anyone with an
involvement in film studies." -- Sight and Sound
"Examines the origin of film criticism, exposes the critics who got
a little too critical and even explores whether cinema is an art
worthy of critique." -- Video Age
"Haberski's survey of film criticism makes compelling reading,
covering a subject on which rather little has been written." --
Journal of American History
"If you like thinking about movies, rather than just sitting for
some entertainment, and are interested in the American history of
film criticism, this is a book you will enjoy." -- Schmack
"In this fine study of movies and cultural critics, Raymond
Haberski does what few other writers on the subject manage: He
places the endless debates over the cultural value of movies within
the larger question of what culture should be.... A good read and
an important work." -- David Steigerwald
"In this informative and entertaining work, Haberski uses
historical perspective, logical and chronological structure, and an
unassuming but convincing voice to trace the shifting role of
movies in American culture." -- Library Journal
"My hope is that somehow -- despite television, the Internet, and
the flood of bland journalism -- the old critical prowess can be
revived. There was gallantry in that chivalric jousting, even if
the knights were frequently errant." -- John Simon, National
Review
"Producing an interesting survey of familiar ground from a unique
perspective, Haberski has written a book that will serve both
serious students of the cinema and those looking for an
introduction -- a fine achievement." -- Choice
"The author raises some fascinating and controversial issues about
filmmaking, such as how a director can become a genuine artist
while turning out commercial pictures in the factory atmosphere of
a film studio." -- Gene D. Phillips
"The story Haberski tells has, in current Hollywood parlance, a
good arc." -- Wilson Quarterly
"This brilliant feat of cultural storytelling re-stages a running
tussle between traditional ideas about high Art and spontaneous
popular appreciation that has wracked English-language film
writing." -- Audience Magazine
"This is the story of how an entertainment became an art -- how
people learned to take movies seriously without losing the pleasure
movies give. It's a longer and more complicated story than it might
seem, touching on many personalities and ideas, and, in doing it
full historical justice, Raymond Haberski's book tells us
something, as well, about how American culture acquired its
self-confidence." -- Louis Menand
"This witty take on the importance of movie marketing includes
excepts from influential critics such as Pauline Kael and Andrew
Sarris." -- Variety
"Thought-provoking and meaningful.... If you are interested in
20th-century American culture, art, sociology or, most importantly,
film, then you will want to take a look." -- Lexington
Herald-Leader
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