ABSTRACT This paper examines the film reviews of Kenneth Slessor, an Australian poet, journalist and war correspondent best known for his contributions to Australian poetry between the two world wars. His film reviews of early Hollywood, British, and Australian sound cinema were an important part of his journalism at Smith’s Weekly from 1931 to 1940. Mostly overlooked until recently these reviews reveal a sophisticated approach towards the new (sound) cinema. The criteria he advanced for evaluating film and the range of qualities he discerned, criticised and celebrated in films were based on appreciating film as a unique artform with its own formal repertoire and modes of production. While such standpoints are now familiar in film reviewing, at the time he was writing such standpoints were just coming into being. Close attention to Slessor’s film reviewing discloses a fecund critical imagination attuned to cinema’s range. He deserves wider recognition as a distinctive voice on the cinema in general and Australian cinema in particular.

中文翻译：

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肯尼斯·莱瑟（Kenneth Slessor）的电影评论：有声电影的电影美学

摘要本文考察了澳大利亚诗人，新闻工作者和战争通讯员肯尼斯·史莱瑟的电影评论，他因两次世界大战之间对澳大利亚诗歌的贡献而闻名。他对好莱坞，英国和澳大利亚早期电影院的电影评论是他从1931年至1940年在《史密斯周刊》上进行新闻报道的重要组成部分。直到最近，这些评论都被人们忽略了，这些评论揭示了对新的（声音）电影院的精妙做法。他提出的用于评估电影的标准以及他在电影中辨别，批评和庆祝的品质范围是基于对电影的欣赏，因为电影是一种独特的艺术形式，具有自己的正式曲目和制作方式。虽然现在在电影评论中已经熟悉了这种观点，但在他撰写本文时，这种观点才刚刚形成。对Slessor的电影评论的密切关注揭示了与电影院范围相适应的丰富的批判性想象力。作为普通电影院，尤其是澳大利亚电影院的独特声音，他应得到广泛的认可。