You might recognize the author [1] from his roles in films - many cameos and smaller roles. And of course his long list of works that he's directed himself.
As to the 'Seen:' in the article -- it's probably more nostalgia than snob-ism. The time when you saw the film shapes how it's received, to some extent.
It's because of who the author is. Bogdanovich's amazing relationship with older directors like Ford, Hitchcock, Howard Hawkes, and Orson Welles is one of the great film stories of the last 60 years. Maybe this comes across better in conversation—he's a true raconteur. There's tons of Bogdanovich telling stories on YouTube. He is hard to stop listening to.
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On a side note: John Ford is great and you should watch his films.
As to the 'Seen:' in the article -- it's probably more nostalgia than snob-ism. The time when you saw the film shapes how it's received, to some extent.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bogdanovich