| Cinema Speculation | |
| Author: | Quentin Tarantino |
| Audio Read By: | Edoardo Ballerini Quentin Tarantino |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Subject: | Film |
| Publisher: | Harper |
| Pub Date: | November 1, 2022 |
| Media Type: | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages: | 400 |
| Isbn: | 978-0-06-311258-2 |
| Oclc: | 1348950198 |
Cinema Speculation is a 2022 nonfiction book by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, published by Harper on November 1, 2022.
Cinema Speculation is Tarantino's debut work of nonfiction and combines "film criticism, film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history."[1] The book is a collection of essays organized around "key American films from the 1970s" which Tarantino saw in his youth,[2] ranging from blaxploitation films to all the Best Picture nominees of 1970.[3] It was inspired by the film writing of critic Pauline Kael.[4]
The first and last chapters are autobiographical. Two other chapters are a homage to film critic Kevin Thomas, and a comparison of two generations of film-makers. The rest of the chapters are essays about the following films:
The book was initially scheduled to be published on October 25, 2022;[5] Cinema Speculation was published by Harper on November 1, 2022.[6] It is the second book in a two-book deal Tarantino signed with HarperCollins in 2020. Tarantino promoted the book with a nationwide book tour.[7] The book's cover features a photograph of Steve McQueen with director Sam Peckinpah on the set of the 1972 action crime thriller The Getaway.[8]
Cinema Speculation received favorable reviews, with a cumulative "Rave" rating at the review aggregator website Book Marks, based on twelve book reviews from mainstream literary critics.[9] The book debuted at number five on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending November 5, 2022.[10] Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, writing, "Whether you agree with his assessments or not, he provides the original reporting and insights only a veteran director would notice, and his engaging style makes it impossible to leave an essay without learning something."[11] The Daily Telegraph reviewer Jasper Rees gave the book 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "At times it's like leafing through yellowing back issues of Screen International. At others you feel Tarantino would have made a brilliant Tinseltown gossip columnist."[12]