The films of Claire Denis : intimacy on the border /

Vecchio's beautifully designed anthology is a worthy tribute to a film director whose greatness overcomes the conventional adjectives (female, French). Considering the importance of Claire Denis (b. 1946), it is surprising that there are not more book-length studies of her in English. Eponymous works by Martine Beugnet (2004) and Judith Mayne (2005) are both excellent; Vecchio's collection is even stronger and takes the filmmaker's career up to White Material (2010, thus stopping short of Bastards, 2013). The Films of Claire Denis begins with a section of interviews-with the regular composers of her music, with her film editor, with a recurrent actor (Alex Descas), and finally with Denis herself. Jean-Luc Nancy, who also contributes an essay, conducted the interview with Denis. Nancy wrote L'Intrus (2000), from which Denis adapted-or "adopted" (as Nancy says)-her 2004 film, and the Nancy-Denis "collaboration" is always fascinating. Vecchio follows the interviews with a series of consistently first-rate critical essays that discuss how these highly sophisticated, visually remarkable films treat gender, travel, colonialism, and cinematic expression. Vecchio has curated a brilliant volume, one that takes art as seriously as philosophy and politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Steven C. Dillon, Bates College