Saluting the Legacy of Roger Corman

Looking back on the last fifty years of film history, the influence of Roger Corman can be seen in everything from B-movie classics to art-house Oscar winners. With his keen eye for talent and eclectic taste, the prolific filmmaker became an indispensable figure in independent cinema when he launched his studio New World Pictures in 1970, finding economical ways to produce and distribute the work of emerging American directors and prestigious international auteurs, as well as Corman’s own trailblazing takes on genre cinema. Back in January, we premiered our second installment of the original Criterion Channel series Adventures in Moviegoing, in which Corman speaks with Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Joe Morgenstern about some of the formative cinematic experiences in his life. This week we’re sharing the above video, a new addition to the program that features Morgenstern highlighting the milestones in Corman’s career and the long roster of talented directors and performers he has cultivated along the way.