"A sharp, erudite, and sensitive mind, wholly committed to the cinema, is here at work. At a time when the idea of the film director as 'auteur' is making a comeback, McElhaney's perspective will no doubt emerge as crucial for the necessary critical realignment between the performativity of Hollywood as a studio system and the achievements of its outstanding masters."

Joe McElhaney is Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Hunter College, The City University of New York.