James Naremore

Who is James Naremore?

James Naremore, born James Otis Naremore, is a film, English and Comparative Literature scholar based at Indiana University. Now retired, he retains the titles of Chancellors' Professor of Communication and Culture, English, and Comparative Literature at Indiana University Bloomington.

Naremore has made numerous contributions to film studies in the areas of authorship, acting, adaptation, and genre. His published books include The World Without a Self: Virginia Woolf and the Novel, Filmguide to Psycho, The Magic World of Orson Welles, Acting in the Cinema, The Films of Vincente Minnelli, More Than Night: Film Noir in its Contexts, On Kubrick, and Sweet Smell of Success. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Gallery of Art, and his work has been translated into seven languages. He has recorded a commentary track with fellow film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum for the Criterion Collection release of Orson Welles's "Mr. Arkadin" and for the Universal 50th anniversary DVD of "Touch of Evil". He has also done the commentary for the Criterion Edition of "Sweet Smell of Success." He is the editor of the Contemporary Film Directors series of books at University of Illinois Press and a writer at large for Film Quarterly.