I am attending a course on Writing On Film at the Picturehouse Hackney. It is led by Barbara Knorpp and Allan Bairstow.
The first session gave me the opportunity of looking at Andre Bazin again. In my youth I used to read his reviews. I thought I would refer to him here.
See 30.06.11 Post. Bradshaw in the Guardian (11.11.2010) about My Afternoons with Margueritte. (See 30.06.11 Post here) “Gerard Depardieu leaves a trail of saccharine behind him in this sickly tale of friendship between a small-town chump and an old lady. You really need a sweet tooth for this one. Or rather a complete set of dentures made out of Mars Bars and Cream Eggs.”
ANDRE BAZIN : Je ne vois pas quelle autorité morale ni surtout quelle grâce d’état intellectuelle donnerait au critique le monstrueux privilège de décider du sort des oeuvres d’art qu’il n’aime pas. Disons que l’idéal serait de pouvoir aider efficacement celles qu’on aime et de n’avoir que peu d’influence sur le sort des autres“.
My translation: I cannot see what moral authority and specially what intellectual status gives the critic the monstrous privilege to decide of the future of an art work that he does not like. Let us say that the ideal would be to be able to help efficiently those we like and to have little influence on the fate of others. Bazin in What Is Cinema.
Old Age and Feature Films 
Rina, I loved that film and cannot bear either Mars Bars or cream eggs. Does that make me weird? Cheers, Joan
Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 06:54:36 +0000 To: j.padro.a@hotmail.co.uk
I loved it too. Thanks Joan for following me assiduously.
I concur with Bazin, but do any of really take Bradshaw that seriously, a man so easily swayed by hyperbole.
By the way have you see the challenging (critically) book on Bazin, ‘Opening Bazin’?
alan
oops, missed out “us” in the first line
Alan,
you and I may not take Bradshaw seriously but thousands of people read The Guardian and rely on the film critic to chose what film to go and see. He is a menace.