Despite its flaws and will to kitsch, «The Lovers and the Despot» has enough enigmas and chills to merit a look, even if some of its spookier moments
involve cinephilia rather than the usual weapons of mass destruction.
In fact, Naremore's work
involves unifying this brand of
cinephilia — what Jonathan Rosenbaum once referred to as «maniacal, unreasoning»
cinephilia — with the critical theories and cultural studies that have dominated academic film discourse.