Sight & Sound
Encyclopedia
Sight & Sound is a British
monthly film
magazine
published by the British Film Institute
(BFI).
Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today. Sight & Sound was published quarterly for most of its history until the early 1990s, apart from a brief run as a monthly publication in the early 1950s, but in 1991 it merged with another BFI publication, the Monthly Film Bulletin
, and started to appear monthly. The journal was edited by Gavin Lambert
from 1949 to 1955. From 1956 to 1990 it was edited by Penelope Houston
, and then in its relaunched form by Philip Dodd
. It is currently edited by Nick James. The magazine says it reviews all film releases each month, including those with a narrow art house
release, as opposed to the more mainstream focus of its competitors. Sight and Sound also currently features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.
Every decade, Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time. Critics are asked to provide a top ten list; in 1992, directors were invited to participate in a separate poll. The individual results are eclectic; in the most recent poll, 885 different films received at least one mention from one voter. Even the top-of-the-list consensus has its limits. In 2002, both the critics and the directors selected Stanley Kubrick
films in their top ten; however, the critics chose 2001: A Space Odyssey
, while the directors preferred Dr. Strangelove. The Sight & Sound accolade has come to be regarded as one of the most important of the "greatest ever film" polls. Roger Ebert
described it as "by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies--the only one most serious movie people take seriously." The first poll, in 1952, was topped by Bicycle Thieves
. The five subsequent polls (1962–2002) have been won by Citizen Kane
(which finished 13th in 1952). Just two films have appeared in all six of the magazine's six decennial polls: The Battleship Potemkin
and La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game).
Sight & Sound has in the past been the subject of criticism, notably from Raymond Durgnat
, who often accused it of elitism, puritanism and upper-middle-class snobbery, although he did write for it in the 1950s, and again in the 1990s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
monthly film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
(BFI).
Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today. Sight & Sound was published quarterly for most of its history until the early 1990s, apart from a brief run as a monthly publication in the early 1950s, but in 1991 it merged with another BFI publication, the Monthly Film Bulletin
Monthly Film Bulletin
The Monthly Film Bulletin was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a narrow arthouse release. The MFB was edited in the mid-1950s by David Robinson, in the late...
, and started to appear monthly. The journal was edited by Gavin Lambert
Gavin Lambert
Gavin Lambert was a British-born screenwriter, novelist and biographer who lived for part of his life in Hollywood...
from 1949 to 1955. From 1956 to 1990 it was edited by Penelope Houston
Penelope Houston (film critic)
Penelope Houston is a British film critic and journal editor. In 1947 she was the first editor of the short-lived film journal Sequence founded by Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz and Gavin Lambert. From 1956 to 1990, she edited Sight & Sound, the journal of the British Film Institute, and was a...
, and then in its relaunched form by Philip Dodd
Philip Dodd
Philip Dodd is a British broadcaster, writer and editor. He is chairman of the creative industries company Made in China.-Early career:...
. It is currently edited by Nick James. The magazine says it reviews all film releases each month, including those with a narrow art house
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
release, as opposed to the more mainstream focus of its competitors. Sight and Sound also currently features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.
Every decade, Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time. Critics are asked to provide a top ten list; in 1992, directors were invited to participate in a separate poll. The individual results are eclectic; in the most recent poll, 885 different films received at least one mention from one voter. Even the top-of-the-list consensus has its limits. In 2002, both the critics and the directors selected Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
films in their top ten; however, the critics chose 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
, while the directors preferred Dr. Strangelove. The Sight & Sound accolade has come to be regarded as one of the most important of the "greatest ever film" polls. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
described it as "by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies--the only one most serious movie people take seriously." The first poll, in 1952, was topped by Bicycle Thieves
Bicycle Thieves
Bicycle Thieves , also known as The Bicycle Thief, is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of a poor man searching the streets of Rome for his stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Luigi...
. The five subsequent polls (1962–2002) have been won by Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
(which finished 13th in 1952). Just two films have appeared in all six of the magazine's six decennial polls: The Battleship Potemkin
The Battleship Potemkin
The Battleship Potemkin , sometimes rendered as The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm...
and La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game).
Sight & Sound has in the past been the subject of criticism, notably from Raymond Durgnat
Raymond Durgnat
Raymond Durgnat was a distinctive and highly influential British film critic, who was born in London of Swiss parents...
, who often accused it of elitism, puritanism and upper-middle-class snobbery, although he did write for it in the 1950s, and again in the 1990s.
Further reading
- Pam Cook and Philip DoddPhilip DoddPhilip Dodd is a British broadcaster, writer and editor. He is chairman of the creative industries company Made in China.-Early career:...
(eds): Women and Film. A Sight and Sound Reader, London: Scarlet Press, 1994, 287 p. - Jacqueline Louviot: Le regard de Sight and Sound sur le cinéma britannique des années 50 et 60 (What Sight and Sound Saw: Sight and Sound on British Cinema during the Fifties and Sixties), French doctoral thesis, University of Strasbourg II, 1997, 980 p.
- David Wilson (ed): Sight and Sound. A Fiftieth Anniversary Selection, London: Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
in association with BFI Publishing, 1982, 327 p.