For Kids of All Ages: The National Society of Film Critics on Children's Movies

by Peter Keough (Editor), The National Society of Film Critics (Contribution by)

Overview

In For Kids of All Ages,members of the National Society of Film Critics celebrate the wonder of childhood in cinema. In this volume, original essays commissioned especially for this collection stand alongside classic reviews from prominent film critics like Jay Carr and Roger Ebert. Each of the ten sections in this collection takes on a particular aspect of children’s cinema, from animated features to adaptations of beloved novels. The films discussed here range from the early 1890s to the present. The contributors draw on personal connections that make their insights more trenchant and compelling. The essays and reviews in For Kids of All Ages are not just a list of recommendations—though plenty are included—but an illuminating, often personal study of children’s movies, children in movies, and the childish wonder that is the essence of film.

Contributors include John Anderson, Sheila Benson, Jay Carr, Justin Chang, Godfrey Cheshire, Morris Dickstein, Roger Ebert, David Fear, Robert Horton, J. R. Jones, Peter Keough, Andy Klein, Nathan Lee, Emanuel Levy, Gerald Peary, Mary Pols, Peter Rainer, Carrie Rickey, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Michael Sragow, David Sterritt, Charles Taylor, Peter Travers, Kenneth Turan, James Verniere, Michael Wilmington, and Stephanie Zacharek.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538128596
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/27/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter Keough writes frequently on film as a correspondent for the Boston Globe. He was the film editor for the Boston Phoenix from 1989 until the publication’s demise in 2013. His writing has also appeared in the Chicago Reader, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Sight & Sound, Boston Magazine and numerous others. Keough has been a member of the National Society of Film Critics since 1992 and his writing has appeared in several of their anthologies. He is the editor of Flesh and Blood: the National Society of Film Critics on Sex Violence and Censorship (1995) and Kathryn Bigelow Interviews (2013). Keough lives in Boston, MA.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. From Child to Critic 

From Toddler to Auteurist: A Film Critic, the Early Years by Gerald Peary
Children of the Hydra: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Special Effects Master Ray Harryhausen by James Verniere
How Seeing Airport (1970) as a Kid Grounded My Critical Sensibility by Charles Taylor
Revisiting Old Yeller (1957) and Yellow Submarine (1968) by Peter Keough
Light in Auggie: In Wonder (2017), a Deformed Child Isn’t the Only Flawed Character by J. R. Jones
The Many Kinds of Movie Wonder by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Infant Cinema in Querelle enfantine/A Childish Quarrel (1896) by Robert Horton

2. Adventures in Animation 

The Ageless Wonder of Bambi (1942) by Michael Wilmington
Raising the Art of Animation to a Higher Level in Up (2009) by Peter Keough
Of Eternity and Beyond: Toy Story 3 (2010) by John Anderson
Spinning Gold from Plastic in The Lego Movie (2014) by Andy Klein
The Spirit of the West Is Alive and Well in Rango (2011) by Michael Wilmington
Weirdness for Both Kids and Adults: The Triplets of Belleville (2003) by Gerald Peary
Bear Meets Mouse in Ernest & Celestine (2012) by Michael Sragow
Underground Comedy in The Boxtrolls (2014) by John Anderson
Ideals Crash to Earth in The Wind Rises (2013) by Michael Sragow
The Red Turtle (2016) Is a Myth in the Making by Peter Rainer

3. Beast Fables

Into the Wild: Four Variations on The Jungle Book by Michael Sragow
An Ape Shall Show the Way: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) by Michael Sragow
Long Live the King: King Kong (1933) by Jay Carr
No Reining in White Mane (1953) by David Sterritt
In Babe (1995), a Pig Shows the Way by Carrie Rickey
Accidental Tourist: Babe: Pig in the City (1998) by Stephanie Zacharek

4. Dreams, Fantasies, and Nightmares

There’s No Film Like Oz: The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Michael Wilmington
The Animated Enchantment of Song of the Sea (2014) by Justin Chang
A Dream of Evil in The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Robert Horton
Careful What You Wish For: The Red Shoes (1948) by Sheila Benson
Between the Fantastic and the Mundane: The Curse of the Cat People (1944) and Poltergeist (1982) by David Sterritt
Fauny Girl: Innocence Finds a Way through Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) by Peter Keough
Beauty and the Beast Within: Four Versions of Beauty and the Beast by Peter Keough

5. Well Adapted (or Maladjusted)

The Three Ages of Little Women: 1933, 1949, and 1994 by Carrie Rickey
A Consummate Christmas Carol (1951) by Michael Wilmington
Dancers Bring to Life Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971) by Sheila Benson
Enchantingly Blunt: A Little Princess (1995) by John Anderson
Martin Scorsese Pays Tribute to Cinema and Childhood in Hugo (2011) by Emanuel Levy
Smart Times at Beverly Hills High in Clueless (1995) by Kenneth Turan
Henry James’s Dark Screwball Comedy: What Maisie Knew (2012) by Gerald Peary
From Neverland to Shadowlands: Hollywood’s Romance with Children’s Book Authors by Peter Keough
Mary Poppins Returns, and She’s Closer to the Feisty Original by J. R. Jones

6. Matters of Life and Death

Children of War: Germany Year Zero (1948) and Forbidden Games (1952) by Morris Dickstein
A Search for Hope in the Ruins: The Search (1948) by Emanuel Levy
Innocent Bystanders: Five Films about Kids Growing Up in an Unforgiving World by Jay Carr
Politics Makes for Poor Parenting in A World Apart (1988) by Peter Rainer
Iran’s Child-Centered Films by Godfrey Cheshire

7. Ordinary Heroes

Punk Heroines in We Are the Best! (2013) by Sheila Benson
Dancing “By Myself ” in The Band Wagon (1953) by Stephanie Zacharek
Growing Up Female in Lady Bird (2017), The Fits (2015), and Leave No Trace (2018) by Robert Horton
Perverse Conversion in The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) by Robert Horton
Boys Will Be Girls in Ma Vie en Rose (1997) by Nathan Lee
Flower Power: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005) by Godfrey Cheshire
Uneasy Rider by Peter Keough

8. Extraordinary Heroes

Terror Tactics in Batman Begins (2005) by Peter Keough
Black Panther (2018) Makes Superhero History by Peter Travers
Wonder Woman (2017) Enters the Pantheon by Michael Sragow
Children’s Crusades by Peter Keough
Superpowers Run in the Family in Incredibles 2 (2018) by Michael Sragow

9. Home Movies

The Family Values of Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017) by Peter Keough
Bearing the Burden of Growing Up in Christopher Robin (2018) by Michael Sragow
A Family Melodrama without the Drama in A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) by David Sterritt
Not Such a Merry Little Christmas in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) by Emanuel Levy
Life without Father in The Railway Children (1970) by Sheila Benson
A Child Is Lost in Loveless (2017) by Peter Rainer
A Child Is Found in Our Little Sister (2015) by Robert Horton

10. From Critic to Child

Where the Kids Are: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Hip Heroes: Elf (2003) and Shrek (2001) by Kenneth Turan
Being a Grown-Up Is Fun in Hatari! (1962) by Charles Taylor
Borderline Taste: Crossing Generations with The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) and ¡Three Amigos! (1986) by Peter Keough
All of the Feels: Inside Out (2015) by David Fear
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) by Roger Ebert
Watching Boyhood (2014) with a Boy and Eighth Grade (2018) with an Eighth Grader by Mary Pols

Appendix: MPAA Ratings
Permissions
Index
About the Editor and Contributors

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/01/2019

These lovingly curated essays and reviews cover a range of films, from those that have entertained children to ones that evoke a childlike sense of wonder to those that explore childhood, including its downsides. Children are centered in the Lumière brothers' 50-second-long Querelle enfantine (1896), while a missing child powers the soul-crushing Loveless (2017). Using this broader application of "children's movies," Keough (Kathryn Bigelow: Interviews) compiles newly commissioned and previously published pieces from members of the National Society of Film Critics. Organized by topics that include animation and book adaptations, the chapters each include a thoughtful introduction from Keough. Each movie, even if mentioned only in passing, is listed in an appendix, along with its MPAA rating and content advisory. While an anthology of essays by film critics might sound like dry reading, this engaging volume is anything but. The book is designed to overwhelm one's hold list, and the writing is potent, passionate, and personal. Roger Ebert's letter to his grandchildren after watching E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) with them reminds readers of the power of cinema and the importance of make-believe. VERDICT This compelling meditation on cinematic representations of childhood is a must for film buffs.—Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

Library Journal

10/14/2019

Film critic Keough presents a splendid group of essays from fellow reviewers in celebration of children’s cinema. Parents seeking viewing suggestions will find plenty, but the focus is on learning to view movies critically, as in Ebert’s description of his grandchildren’s first viewing of E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial. More than a doting grandfather’s story, it illustrates how even young children can intuitively understand a filmmaker’s stylistic choices. Essays about the authors’ own formative film experiences have an irresistible earnestness. Critic James Verniere’s fascination with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and its Ray Harryhausen special effects led him into his school’s library in search of books about Sinbad, and later, into a film reviewing career. Keough’s connection to Old Yeller is a memorable if heartbreaking story revealing how films can resonate with significant events (such as a pet’s death) in one’s life. Each selection is a gem, particularly Carrie Rickey’s on Little Women’s many adaptations. Glancing at the contributor list gives the only reason for pause: out of 28, only four are women. Otherwise, Keough has assembled an admirable collection that cinephiles will want to read straight through as they embrace a “wondrous immersion into another world.” (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

As a film critic for French Review at the Cannes Film Festival between 1978 and 1981, I, like Peter Keough and all the other critics in this scintillating collection of essays, worshipped at the altar of cinema. Their earliest encounters on the silver screen paved the way for these writers to look at movies about children in a more critical manner as adults. Their connections with their youthful viewing triggers our own memories as we relive our own dreams and sometimes our nightmares conjured up on screen. From the first souvenirs of a Lumière Brothers ground-breaking home movie to the literally uplifting narrative of an animated UP these film essays speak to the eternal child within us.

John Michalczyk

Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, there is a whole world of movies (for all ages) outside the confines of animated blockbusters (for the whole family). This thoughtful, entertaining collection introduces parents and children to all kinds of movies, from all over the world, from Meet Me in St. Louis and Germany Year Zero to The Rider and Paddington 2.

A. S. Hamrah