Download or read book The Permanent Crisis of Film Criticism written by Mattias Frey and published by Film Theory in Media History. This book was released on 2015 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Film criticism is in crisis. Dwelling on the many film journalists made redundant at newspapers, magazines, and other 'old media' in past years, commentators have voiced existential questions about the purpose and worth of the profession in the age of WordPress blogospheres and proclaimed the 'death of the critic'. Bemoaning the current anarchy of internet amateurs and the lack of authoritative critics, many journalists and academics claim that in the digital age, cultural commentary has become dumbed down and fragmented into niche markets. Arguing against these claims, this book examines the history of film critical discourse in France, German, the UK, and the US to demonstrate that film criticism has, since its origins, always found itself in crisis. The need to assert critical authority and anxieties over challenges to that authority are longstanding concerns; indeed, these issues have animated and choreographed the trajectory of international film criticism since its origins.