Failing Black history
Attempts to “decolonise” school history ignore academic rigour in favour of mere tokenism
War-war leads to jaw-jaw
This is a starkly different interpretation on the proliferation of written constitutions and rams it home with cogency and panache
Out of Africa
To get a handle on African cinema, watch Mandabi
Catholic tastes
Christopher Silvester on films of faith and the canonisation of three children’s divine visions
Beast of Las Vegas
The first title in Yale University’s highly regarded “Jewish Lives” series to be devoted to a murderous scoundrel
Star of the sty
Christopher Silvester on a documentary with a solely animalistic cast
A life in focus
Director Betrand Tavernier was able to admire both blacklisted directors and those who named names
Nomadland takes the hat-trick
From digital streaming to diversity, Christopher Silvester rounds up the longest ever awards season
The men with the megaphone
A new history of movie directors is full of insight, felicitous phrases and subtle put-downs
Dear and hateful
Christopher Silvester shows how Konchalovsky has one of the strangest careers in world cinema