William Rothman

Since receiving his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University in 1974, he has authored numerous books, including Hitchcock: The Murderous Gaze (1982), The “I” of the Camera: Essays in Film Criticism, History and Aesthetic (1988), and Tuitions and Intuitions: Essays at the Intersection of Film Criticism and Philosophy (2019).

[1] He was "part of a modern wave of thinkers to apply questions of philosophy to the medium of movies"[2] during the 1980s, and his work contributed to the emergence of the sub-discipline that has come to be known as “film-philosophy.”[3] Rothman has also written on aspects of film theory and on the writings of Stanley Cavell, an American philosopher who made film a major focus of his work.

[7] After submitting his dissertation[8] in 1973, he accepted a position as assistant professor in Cinema Studies at New York University.

"[9] In 1986, Rothman became Director of the International Honors Program on Film, Television and Social Change in Europe and Asia.

[16] Rothman has published critical essays on films ranging from the works of Alfred Hitchcock and other “classical” directors (e.g., George Cukor, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Yasujiro Ozu, Jean Renoir, Billy Wilder) to more contemporary filmmakers (e.g., Chantal Akerman, the Dardenne brothers, Abbas Kiarostami, Terrence Malick).