Documentary filmmaker Mark Moskowitz turns literary sleuth in this marvelous tale of a vanished novelist. Enchanted by the 1972 novel The Stones of Summer, Moskowitz was surprised to discover no subsequent trace of the author, Dow Mossman. This led him on a roundabout search for the man, including nicely freewheeling detours to talk about writing with critic Leslie Fiedler and editor Robert Gottlieb, among many distinguished others. Although Moskowitz's detective format is so... (Full plot summary below)
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Documentary filmmaker Mark Moskowitz turns literary sleuth in this marvelous tale of a vanished novelist. Enchanted by the 1972 novel The Stones of Summer, Moskowitz was surprised to discover no subsequent trace of the author, Dow Mossman. This led him on a roundabout search for the man, including nicely freewheeling detours to talk about writing with critic Leslie Fiedler and editor Robert Gottlieb, among many distinguished others. Although Moskowitz's detective format is somewhat labored, the story of Mossman's retreat from writing is fascinating, and the joy of books (and talking about books) is always front and center. The suspense of Moskowitz's quest becomes real, and Stone Reader contains moments that would be implausible if they were in a fiction film--except, of course, they aren't made up. Bibliophiles of every stripe need to see this movie; and if you're not a book lover already, it may make you one.
Leave your thoughts about Stone Reader.
| NewsweekDavid AnsenIt's rare enough when a documentary achieves cult status. Rarer still when it actually changes lives. The Stone Reader, a movie about the love of reading, manages to do both. |
| Palo Alto WeeklyJeanne AufmuthReaders and non-readers alike will thrill to the spare elegance of this stirring documentary. |
| Old School ReviewsJohn A. Nesbitweakly copies Michael Moore's dogged pursuit and film style |
| Laramie Movie ScopeRobert RotenIt is about that almost mystical connection between authors and their readers. |
| One Guy's OpinionFrank SwietekA great literary mystery...even though its subject is an author who, from the purely practical point of view, was a 'failure,' it proves an uplifting, even joyful, experience. |
| Rediff.comJeet ThayilStone Reader is the story of a Quixotian quest by a man who is more than an ideal reader. Mark Moskowitz is the sort of reader writers live for. |
| Entertainment TodayBrent SimonThe most improbably thrilling movie you'll see in 2003 -- an utterly absorbing, invigorating celebration of creativity and its symbiotic and replenishing relationship with the human spirit. |
| New York ObserverAndrew SarrisAn unalloyed treasure for any viewer who has ever felt transformed by reading a good novel. |
| Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. AndersonThe film doesn't exactly sell you on the merits of The Stones of Summer, but it does make you want to run out to the bookstore to pick up some Kafka or some Faulkner. |
| Movie HabitMarty MapesWho'd have thought that a documentary about reading could be so much fun? |
