Film

Sculpting with time

by Campbell Thomson •

March 2013, no. 349

The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies and What They Did to Us by David Thomson

Allen Lane, $49.99 hb, 603 pp, 9781846143144

Film

Sculpting with time

by Campbell Thomson •

March 2013, no. 349

Mothers of America
let your kids go to the movies!
get them out of the house so they won’t know what you’re up to
it’s true that fresh air is good for the body
but what about the soul
that grows in darkness, embossed by silvery images …

These lines from Frank O’Hara’s 1960 poem ‘Ave Maria’ seem wistfully nostalgic now that you can watch Lawrence of Arabia on your iPhone on a tram, an Israeli missile vaporising a Hamas leader, your friend’s Bali holiday on Vimeo, the latest in S&M on an iPad, or a 3D vampire zombie franchise blockbuster in your home theatre, should you be so inclined.

Campbell Thomson

Campbell Thomson is a Melbourne writer and barrister. He practises criminal, native title, and environmental law. He produces and acts, most recently with Othello at 45downstairs. He is a judicial officer for the Australian Rugby Union and a rugby tragic. He was an officer in The Black Watch in Germany and Northern Ireland. His most recent poems were published in Overland, Cordite, and Rabbit. He used to talk about films on ABC local radio.