David Thomson's magnum opus, 'A Sudden Flicker of Light', is a cinematic masterclass that's been years in the making – and what a masterpiece it is! This 40th instalment from one of our most esteemed film critics, historians, and authors is a bravura performance, a wildly inventive history of the movies that will leave even the most seasoned cinephiles breathless. Described as 'brilliantly eccentric', this sprawling, three-hour epic careens through cinematic history like a runaway train, delivering Thomson's signature blend of incisive insight, provocative argument, and sheer, unadulterated love for the art form.
Thomson's journey takes us on a whirlwind tour of Hollywood's golden age, punctuated by key European and East Asian arthouse contributions. We meet the pioneers: Eadweard Muybridge's groundbreaking photography, Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis', and D.W. Griffith's infamous 'Birth of a Nation'. Thomson guides us through the works of icons like Chaplin, Hitchcock, Monroe, and Spielberg – the latter, in Thomson's view, the most decisive figure in film history. We visit contemporary hotspots with Sean Baker's 'Anora' and even Tracey Emin's 'Why I Never Became a Dancer', illustrating the book's subtitle: 'a revisionist history'.
But what makes this book truly remarkable is Thomson's willingness to challenge the status quo. He lambasts cinema's tendency towards coarsening and 'cultural mob-rule', citing films like King Vidor's 'The Crowd' as proof of its populist-democratic power – a force that remains unyielding, even as audiences watch from the comfort of their own homes. Thomson probes the fundamental question: does cinema limit imagination compared to literature, forcing viewers into submission rather than encouraging expansive thought? This existential doubt fuels much of his analysis.
Thomson takes aim at the very heart of cinema with a provocative stance on the decline of the big-screen experience. He argues that Netflix's 'Adolescence', starring Stephen Graham, has redefined what we think of as a cinematic experience – and it's a view that will spark debate among film fans. Yet his non-hysterical perspective on the commercial forces driving cinema's evolution is a breath of fresh air. Ultimately, this book is both a revisionist critique and an unbridled celebration of cinema's epic adventure throughout the 20th century and beyond.
Thomson's ultimate goal remains unchanged: to tell the 'whole story' of cinema – every twist, turn, and triumph. He contrasts the American New Wave's darker moods with Spielberg's sun-kissed optimism, a juxtaposition that highlights the film industry's ongoing struggle with its own identity. Thomson also provocatively argues that the industry's fixation on 'love' has led it into an 'evolutionary crisis', setting in motion a chain of events that will shape cinema's future.