week 4.

1. What does Kramer argue was characteristic of the bulk of Hollywood film criticism in the 1960s?

-Kramer argued that criticism was based upon a small group of elite directors, who had begun work during the studio era and clung to well-established genres and classic film styles.

2. What was Krael's critique of art cinema and New American cinema. Why did Krael call Bonnie & Clyde the "most excitingly American movie"?

- Krael's critique of art cinema was that it blurred the lines between bad, incomprehensible movies and "art", allowing a lot of bad films to be categorized as art.

- Krael called Bonnie & Clyde "the most excitingly American movie" because it connected with audiences in a way that previously only European films had achieved, while giving Americans a purely American story.

3. Which critics were on opposing sides of the debate over Bonnie & Clyde and why?

- Crowther and Page Cook were both opposed to Bonnie & Clyde. They were both of an older, more conservatory generation. Crowther called it a "cheap piece of bald faced slap stick comedy". Both condemmed it for its graphic nature, inaccurateness and inappropriateness. On the other side,  Krael, Sheed and William Wolf supported Bonnie & Clyde. The three were much more liberally minded than the older critics. Sheed accused Crowther of aiming for more censorship. William Wolf called it "a wonderfully authentic look at the 1930s".