The Towrope

Aug 23, 2016 — Tony Richardson’s era-defining exploration of sexuality, race, and working-class life brought a uniquely female perspective to England’s Free Cinema movement.

Sep 25, 2015 — Some months ago, we invited Criterion Facebook fans to submit their questions for director Wes Anderson, six of which he responded to on the commentary track on our release of Moonrise Kingdom. The following clip from the commentary features a...

Oct 16, 2014 — Repertory PicksThe Loft Cinema in Tucson, Arizona, is kicking off its annual Loft Film Fest tonight with a very special event. The Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry will appear in person for a screening of The Last Picture...

May 29, 2012 — Harriet Andersson’s Monika is both an erotic object and an empowered female protagonist in Bergman’s groundbreaker.

Jun 28, 2011 — Raymond Queneau’s Zazie dans le métro is the funniest book ever written in, and about, the French language. When it came out in 1959, it “made the whole of France laugh,” Jean-Paul Rappeneau, who helped Louis Malle adapt it to...

The musician and member of Portishead talks about the overwhelming experience of watching Antichrist, a score he cowrote for The Passion of Joan of Arc, and his memory of a BBC broadcast of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

Apr 19, 2022 — Frank Tashlin directs Jayne Mansfield to her cartoonish limits in this outrageous showbiz satire that is a testament to the power of bad taste.

Mar 31, 2026 — Violently nihilistic, simultaneously energizing and crushing, Tsui Hark’s remake of the martial-arts classic One-Armed Swordsman captures the zeitgeist of pre–1997 handover Hong Kong.

Apr 25, 2025 — A busy week brings writing on the LA Rebellion, Jean-Luc Godard, and Elaine May, and a conversation with Pedro Almodóvar.

Mar 19, 2024 — One of the first postrevolutionary Iranian films screened and celebrated internationally, Amir Naderi’s autobiographical masterpiece is a lyrical exploration of childhood that showcases the director’s gift for radical simplicity.