It is the privilege of an individual to say, privately, of a work of art: "I don't like it"; but it is the public responsibility of a professional critic to indicate why it isn't art. Mr. Farber [see excerpt above] has reviewed my films in a piece remarkable for its substitution of emotionally charged invective for considered analysis. Since the former is by far the most economical form of expression, he is able to imply in one sentence more than I can answer in one page. The issue here is that of responsible criticism. My objection is not that Mr. Farber does not like the films and/or me, but that he does not explain or justify his appraisal of them. Instead, he creates a "review" out of extraneous information, misleading half-truths, snidely derogatory personal references and a Farberian version of Freudianism.

Although he is skilled enough to...