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Lancaster University Television.
Produced for Lancaster University Television, UK.
48 minutes; Available from Films for the Humanities and Sciences at 800-257-5126 or www.films.com.
Reviewed by Roy R. Behrens, Department of Art, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-0362, U.S.A. E-mail: ballast@netins.net


No one reads art criticism today, not even artists, but the 19th century British art critic John Ruskin was one of the most famous, widely-read authors of his time. His writing is admired for its clarity and resonance, but also because he was interested in not just art, but the larger, more important issue of "the art of seeing." "Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think," he wrote, "but thousands can think for one who can see." In this rich, fascinating film biography, expertly written and narrated by Michael Wheeler, we are offered a breathtaking virtual tour of the natural and architectural landmarks (the Swiss Alps, the Gothic cathedral at Rouen, Venetian architecture, and Brantwood, his secluded home) that shaped his core beliefs on art, life and industrialization. The film argues convincingly that the Digital Revolution is comparable in scale to the Industrial Revolution, and that Ruskin anticipated a surprising number of today's social problems when he warned of the long-term collateral harm of mass production. (Reprinted by permission from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 16, No. 1, Autumn 2000.)