“The ‘Back Bay Mainline' is a Boston weekly newspaper which, from its beginnings as part of the radical underground, is now an established and profitable paper about to be swallowed by a communications conglomerate. For the time being, however, it remains a protective womb for the group of friends who work together in an atmosphere of dope and rock....” --Edinburgh Film Fesival.
Between the Lines, reminiscent of Clay Felker's Village Voice coup, is Joan Micklin Silver's second commercial release following Hester Street. Between the Lines examines the modus operandi of that distinctly '60s phenomenon, the alternative newspaper, and the changes it undergoes as the “Me Generation” of the '70s displaces the dissident spirit of the previous decade. At a time when so many films sacrifice plot and characterization for action and special effects, Silver's ability to capture the idiosyncrasies of people sets this film apart. “Silver knows one of the most obvious but least often portrayed things about talk: that even in official situations people hardly ever answer questions until two sentences later, and they go back to points made five minutes ago....” --P. Gilliatt, New Yorker