A Light in the Dark

“[A Light in the Dark] is highly personal, unapologetically opinionated, intermittently whimsical, charmingly idiosyncratic and above all deeply impassioned. It reads, at times, like a love letter to the art that has moved Thomson most. Or a eulogy dedicated to a tradition, and indeed a world, he fears may be on the verge of disappearing.”—Troy Jollimore, The Washington Post

“Thomson’s own genius is his ability to remain one of the leading authorities on cinematic history, without shying away from the controversial. Cinephiles seeking provocative arguments will appreciate his work.”—Lisa Henry, Library Journal

“Compulsive reading: thoughtful and thought-provoking in equal measure. David Thomson’s knowledge is comprehensive and his response to all films humane and entirely uncorrupted by the conventional hagiography of so much writing about film. He’s engagingly unafraid of challenging received opinion.”—Richard Eyre, director 

“David Thomson has spent his life thinking hard and deep about cinema, and so he’s uniquely placed to write this lovely, brutal book about the glory of being a film-maker and vainglory of being an auteur.”—David Hare, screenwriter and playwright 

“A Light in the Dark took over my life for two days. It is a summary of cinema and a requiem. Love and sadness. A prodigious masterwork.”—John Boorman, director

“Let’s face it, David Thomson is probably the very best film critic-historian currently writing.”—Peter Bogdanovich, Air Mail

“Thomson isn’t just in the pantheon of truly great living movie critics, he’s the only one who has written two books that I consider requisites in any home library of serious movie lovers.”—Jeff Simon, Buffalo News

“Thomson’s writing rarely disappoints. He gives us plenty to think about and plenty more to argue about.”—David D’Arcy, The Arts Fuse