The Artist

Nov 30, 2009 — The following essay was originally written for Criterion’s website in 2005, on the occasion of the DVD release of Powell and Pressburger’s The Tales of Hoffmann. We have posted it here to coincide with BFI Southbank’s ongoing Hein Heckroth exhibition...

Oct 9, 2025 — Legendary pop duo Sparks—the fifty-plus-year-long project of brothers Ron and Russell Mael—was formed in 1971. Earlier this year, they released their twenty-eighth studio album, MAD!, via Transgressive Records. Their latest release, the EP MADDER!, was released in October.Very few artists...

The actor joins the director of his new film The Piano Lesson in the Criterion Closet, where they shout out the importance of Menace II Society, reflect on the beauty of Jacques Demy and Agnès Varda’s artistic relationship, and praise...

Nov 20, 2018 — In this video, the Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water explains how the mix of terror and lyricism in Charles Laughton’s masterpiece went on to influence his own style.

Aug 18, 2022 — This week’s announcements from Toronto and New York promise tantalizing world premieres and other highlights of the season.

May 2, 2022 — MoMA and the Harvard Film Archive present a program of more than forty overlooked features.

Apr 29, 2022 — This week swerves from the slick cinéma du look to the harshest punk noise.

May 15, 2020 — Directors, actors, and critics look back on their most memorable moments in movie theaters, and the BFI spotlights the best of Japanese cinema.

Jun 25, 2018 — In a new episode of Observations on Film Art, scholar Jeff Smith examines how The Devil and Daniel Webster plays with the conventions of traditional Hollywood editing.

Sep 2, 2026 — As the fall festival season begins, let’s not overlook some of the other unmissable events happening elsewhere.