About …

With only 8,000-odd titles so far, Cinefile cannot hope to offer you the same breadth as IMDb.  If it’s information you are after, that is certainly still the place to go.  However, what I can promise is greater depth of analysis and a historical approach which sets the film in its context.  What I have tried to do is strike an objective tone and avoid the informality of much online reviewing; if the results are too academic for your taste then I make no apologies! Another advantage of Cinefile over other online review sources is consistency: you know I have written all the material, yep, typed out every sorry word of it, and so you will be able to take that into account in appraising your own responses, for like it or not I am bound to yield to the odd predilection and aversion.

History

I started making lists when I was about eleven, about the time I learnt to type and desperately needed something to type up.  Before too long the lists became chronological, hence the historical angle: you have to strike a balance between judging a film by the standards of its time and against how well it has stood the test of time.  At university I started keeping a diary of personal reactions, which became gradually more academic until Cinefile as a Works database was born in around 1995 thanks to a pupil, Ben Lamb (here’s to you, Ben, if you are reading this).  The final breakthrough in 2012 saw Cinefile move online, with the invaluable help and expertise of another pupil, Nick Rogers. In 2020, thanks to Andrew Frost’s technical wizardry, I took the step of moving away from the original website platform to something more modern - I hope you like it.

Site content

Did I mention that I have seen all the films? You can therefore expect relevant, accurate comment, and while I like to be as measured as the next man, where would be the fun of authorial practice if one were not allowed to indulge the occasional dash of polemic? The downside is that I may not have seen your film, so do please let me know of howling omissions (of which I may not be aware).

Criteria for inclusion are loose to say the least. Majorly ‘made for the big screen’, but Duel is in there, and the Dekalog. Mostly feature films, but there are plenty of shorts and the odd cartoon. Finally, I have begun including the Netflix-style series, back as far as Twin Peaks and even Edge of Darkness (1985), as they have proved so comparable with the cinema in terms of quality and ambition, and other big screen directors such as Von Trier and Spielberg have worked in the genre.

The bulk of the site is of course the Cinefile film guide, but I shall be adding postings from time to time and using it to publish my other writings.  Happy browsing and let me know what you think!

- David Clare