How many Have You Seen…?

An anthology of 1000 films, one page dedicated to each, its surprising breadth covers from 1895’s L’Arroseur Arrose to 2007 with Sweeny Todd. It is not yet another humdrum of a book endlessly listing the blockbusters you’ve seen and heard about time and time again. The collection has an eclectic range. As a list of films, it is a recommended read. A list, which stimulates the reader to watch a wide range of movies for to really appreciate Thomson’s critique, you must have seen it on screen first.

In his book, David Thomson is not afraid of criticising a film, as he points out during the conversation, it is the scathing reviews one remembers the most. His unique tone and articulate writing style may not be well received by some at first, even seen as arrogant. Is it just hollow – a book of one opinion?

In short – no. He is not the definitive answer and the book doesn’t try to sell this. Even if the reader doesn’t necessarily agree, it is interesting enough to disagree with, as it is packed with facts to fill. Have You Seen…? is the question everyone gives and receives. Thomson’s book is easily accessible and equally fascinating to dip in and out of. Even if you have only seen a few of the films mentioned in this book, it can become a helpers guide manual used to catch up!