Richard Linklater

Film scholar Johnson (English, Salisbury Univ.; editor, Conversations with Directors: An Anthology of Interviews from Literature/Film Quarterly) examines the somewhat neglected output of American independent filmmaker Richard Linklater in this entry in the "Contemporary Film Directors" series. While a director such as Hitchcock might be known for his predilection for thrillers, Linklater's career has had no obvious thematic through line. Thus Johnson's studied analysis of Linklater's work strives to turn his disparate output into a recognizable oeuvre. Johnson covers the director's development comprehensively, from his early filmed experiments in Austin, TX, such as Slacker, to his recent spate of studio works, including A Scanner Darkly and Fast Food Nation. The film-by-film discussions offered here are largely successful, focusing both on the philosophical underpinnings behind each movie's uniquely structured narrative and Linklater's distinctive formal devices. In addition to Johnson's critical insights, a lengthy interview with the director is included.