Film snobbery captured

Posted at 2:36 PM on March 29, 2006 by Euan Kerr

Over the last couple of weeks I have been dipping into "The Film Snob's Dictionary" by David Kamp with Lawrence Levi. It's a scathing but informative and amusing "guide to all that is held sacred by Film Snobs, those perverse creatures of the repertory cinema."

In addition to entries from Agee, James and Ai No Corrida to Zahn, Steve and Z Channel, the book is filled with useful features, like how to tell is a flick is a movie or a film.

As the book points out: "It's a movie if it makes the cover of "Premiere." It's a film if it makes the cover of "Cahiers du Cinema."

It's a movie if its makers slipped lots of amusing stuff into the end-credits so you'd stay behind to watch them. It's a film if its end-credits are normal, boring end-credits, but everyone around you stays to watch them anyway."

It makes me laugh aloud, while also warming my cheekbones with a slightly embarrassed sense of self-recognition.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories