The 50 Year Argument

Helmed by the esteemed director Martin Scorsese and his frequent documentary partner David Tedeschi, “A 50 Year Argument” explores the literary, political, and cultural landscape as chronicled by The New York Review of Books, a leading American journal of ideas for over half a century. The film is provocative, unique, and incendiary, blending rarely seen archival footage, interviews with contributors, and excerpts from the works of luminaries like James Baldwin, Gore Vidal, and Joan Didion, alongside original verité footage shot in the Review’s West Village offices. The spirit of confrontation and original discourse is embedded in the Review’s essence, maintaining its relevance as it was under the tireless leadership of its founding editors, Robert Silvers and the late Barbara Epstein. Co-produced with the BBC’s acclaimed Arena series and shaped by Scorsese’s dynamic filmmaking approach, “The Fifty Year Argument” showcases the influential power of ideas in shaping history.