 First edition cover | |
| Author | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Edoardo Ballerini Quentin Tarantino |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Film |
| Publisher | Harper |
Publication date | November 1, 2022 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-311258-2 |
| OCLC | 1348950198 |
Cinema Speculation is a 2022 nonfiction book by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, published by Harper on November 1, 2022.
Cinema Speculation is Tarantino's debut work of nonfiction and combines "film criticism, film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history". [1] The book is a collection of essays organized around "key American films from the 1970s" which Tarantino saw in his youth, [2] ranging from blaxploitation films to all the Best Picture nominees of 1970. [3] It was inspired by the film writing of critic Pauline Kael. [4]
The first and last chapters are autobiographical. Two other chapters are a homage to film critic Kevin Thomas, and a comparison of two generations of film-makers. The rest of the chapters are essays about the following films:
The book was initially scheduled to be published on October 25, 2022; [5] Cinema Speculation was published by Harper on November 1, 2022. [6] It is the second book in a two-book deal Tarantino signed with HarperCollins in 2020. [4] Tarantino promoted the book with a nationwide book tour. [7] The book's cover features a photograph of Steve McQueen with director Sam Peckinpah on the set of the 1972 action crime thriller The Getaway . [8]
Cinema Speculation debuted at number five on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending November 5, 2022. [9] Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, writing, "Whether you agree with his assessments or not, he provides the original reporting and insights only a veteran director would notice, and his engaging style makes it impossible to leave an essay without learning something." [10] The Daily Telegraph reviewer Jasper Rees gave the book 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "At times it's like leafing through yellowing back issues of Screen International . At others you feel Tarantino would have made a brilliant Tinseltown gossip columnist." [11]