Pictures Of Europe: European Cinema In The Nineties

A disappointing 1990 feature-length documentary, made over a three-year period for England’s Channel Four by the usually enterprising and discerning Paul Joyce. Given the array of interesting filmmakers on view — Chantal Akerman, Pedro Almodovar, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Bernardo Bertolucci, Mike Figgis, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Paul Schrader, Istvan Szabo, Bertrand Tavernier, Agnes Varda, Paul Verhoeven, Wim Wenders, and Krzysztof Zanussi — this is certainly not devoid of interest, but the sound-bite format proves less than ideal for the exploration of ideas about the economic, aesthetic, and existential future of European films. Tavernier and Verhoeven are two of the livelier commentators. (JR)

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