Manny Farber Studies

Last updated February 23, 2010

Distinguished scholars Robert Polito and Patricia Patterson discuss Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, a collection of Farber's film criticism that spans his early weekly reviews for The New Republic and The Nation to his later essays (some written in collaboration with his wife, Patricia Patterson). Farber's unusual and pointed prose was credited by many with reinventing film criticism. Later, he devoted himself to his painting and taught film and art at UC San Diego from 1970 to 1987. Courtesy of UCtelevision January 14, 2010

Well, looky here at this, says Film Studies For Free: a remarkably rich and informative, hour-long discussion about the work of legendary American film critic Manny Farber. And there's another, half hour shorter documentary embedded at the foot of this post that tackles the subject of Farber's painting, and places it in the context of his film-critical work, to a certain extent.

FSFF adds to the experience by providing some links to other choice scholarly material about Farber. Readers might also like to revisit FSFF's monumental links post The Value of Style: Film Criticism in Scholarship. 

There's another Farber related post coming up at this here blog very soon [now posted], so y'all come back now, and we'll ditch the possibly unconvincing, and certainly irrelevant, American accent...

• Patrick Amos and Jean-Pierre Gorin, 'The Farber Machine', Rouge, 2008
• Miriam Bale, 'Farber/Hawks', The House Next Door, November 22, 2008 
• Franklin Bruno, 'In praise of termites', The Believer, December 2004/January 2005
• Edward Crouse, 'Negative Space Man: Former film critic Manny Farber and his theories of reel-ism', Metropolitan,October 11, 1999
• Manny Farber, 'Review of Clash By Night (June 16, 1952)', excerpted from Manny Farber, Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, Edited by Robert Polito
• Manny Farber, 'Badlands, Mean Streets, and The Wind and the Lion', (with Patricia Patterson, September 23, 1975), xcerpted from Manny Farber, Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, Edited by Robert Polito
• Manny Farber with Patricia Patterson, 'The New Breed of Filmmakers: A Multiplication of Myths', July 20, 1975, From Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, edited by Robert Polito (The Library of America). Reprinted by The Auteurs: Notebook
• Manny Farber, 'Canadian Underground', First published in Artforum, January 1969, Luxonline, February 16, 2010
• Manny Farber, 'Carbonated Dyspepsia' (1968) 
• Manny Farber, 'White Elephant Art and Termite Art' (1962)
• A. S. Hamrah, 'Only Angels Have Wings: Insoluble Farber', Fipresci, Issue 4, 2008
• Rich Kelley, 'Interview with Robert Polito about Farber on Farber', The Library of America e- Newsletter, 2009
• Bill Krohn, 'My Budd by Manny Farber,' Rouge, 2008
• Adrian Martin, 'The Qualities I Like: Impressions of Manny Farber', Rouge, 2008
• Donald Phelps, 'Critic Going Everywhere [on Manny Farber]', Rouge, 2008
• Jonathan Rosenbaum, 'Thinking About (Personal) History Lessons: The Movie Paintings of Manny Farber', Rouge 2008
• Jonathan Rosenbaum, 'They Drive By Night: the Criticism of Manny Farber', JonathanRosenbaum.com, August 18, 2008
• Girish Shambu, 'Termite Art vs. White Elephant Art', girish, June 05, 2006
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  Duncan Shepherd, 'Debt', San Diego Reader, May 25, 2006
   
  

Manny Farber and Hugh Davies of Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
[The video package about Manny Farber begins eleven minutes in].

Learn about two men who are helping to put San Diego on the art world's map: Hugh Davies, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and local painter Manny Farber. In the studio with Gloria Penner are: Stephanie Hanor, Assistant Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and Robert Pincus, Art Critic, San Diego Union-Tribune.