Criterion Introduces a New Series on the Current Featuring Film Historian Peter Cowie

Criterion announced today that they are introducing a new series of essays by author and film historian Peter Cowie entitled “Flashbacks.” Cowie, who’s appeared on numerous Criterion releases including quite possibly the best commentary track they’ve ever produced – for Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour, will attempt to recount stories from his sixty year career of some of the biggest names in all of cinema from his time as head of international operations at Variety, to his experiences writing catalogues for Janus Films in the 1960s, and all the way back to when he was a critic for small London film magazines.

He says, “Throughout all this traveling to festivals and getting to know directors, I’ve kept notes on every film I see, as well as jottings in the wake of encounters, planned and otherwise, with movie talent. Sifting through them following a house move recently, I thought it would be fun to share some of the more amusing and off-beat stories,” and “I hope they will offer a sequence of entertaining snapshots of personalities past and present, revealing the human beings behind the movies.”

Cowie admits that he hasn’t had the most orthodox career path in cinema, making his adventures with actors, directors, and studio execs seem all the more interesting. Even in the post announcing the series he quickly recounts an anecdote about escaping an Artic sheet of ice in a helicopter with actor Max von Sydow while he was on location with the Swedish actor who was shooting Jan Troell’s 1982 film Flight of the Eagle, and also hints at some run-ins with director Otto Preminger’s notoriously volcanic temper.

I couldn’t be more excited to hear some more of these personal stories about cinemas greatest names. Check out Cowie’s announcement here, and be sure to check back on the Criterion Current for the first essay today!