Film in the Sticks

Film critic, historian and author David Thomson worries that a decline in movie quality signals a divided culture on the wane. "Today, Hollywood easily falls into jaundiced, ignorant views of the Midwest and most other parts," he writes in an e-mail to The Pitch. "I hate this because I think it only widens the gulf that is destroying the country. I think Hollywood now markets to age groups more than sections of the country." Thomson mourns the days when films such as The Magnificent Ambersons sparked a consensus of American identity by satisfying moviegoers from every region. "We are no longer a movie culture, easily addressed by some great work," he says. The price, he adds, is steep. "It's easy to see America as a culture — a way of thinking — in helpless decline." The British-born movie authority, long a U.S. resident, addresses these and other concerns tonight at the Central Branch of the Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library (14 West 10th Street) in a lecture called "How Hollywood Views Middle America." He speaks at 6:30 p.m. Call 816-701-3407 to reserve a seat at the free event. Central Library
Tue., Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m., 2007