Legendary Aussie film critic dies aged 85

Perth Now

3 days ago

Beloved Australian film critic David Stratton has died at the age of 85.
He was known for co-hosting television programs, including SBS's The Movie Show and ABC's At the Movies, alongside Margaret Pomeranz.
In a statement shared with the ABC his family said that he died peacefully in a hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains in NSW.
'David's passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives,' the family said.
'He was adored as a husband, father, grand and great-grandfather and admired friend.
'David's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and the public recently and across his lifetime.'
Stratton's 57-year career in the creative industry extended far beyond film reviews, he was also an established writer and academic.
Born in 1939, he grew up in England before moving to Australia in 1963. Over the next years, he became involved in the film industry, and by 1966, he was the director of the Sydney Film Festival.
His television career began in 1980 when he joined the team at SBS as a film consultant, and as the introducer on SBS Cinema Classics on Sundays, and Movie of the Week.
In 1986, he landed the co-host role for The Movie Show alongside Margaret Pomeranz. The pair hosted the SBS show together for nearly 20 years, finishing up in 2004.
Then they moved over to the ABC to co-host At the Movies with Margaret and David. They ran this program until the end of the 2014 series.
Over the years, Stratton has also lectured on film history. He did so at the University of Sydney for 35 years from 1988-2023.
A keen writer, he has authored six books, including his 2008 memoir 'I Peed on Fellini' which chronicles his life in the film industry, and references a comical attempt at shaking Federico Fellini's hand.
His other works include Australia at the Movies, My Favourite Movies and 101 Marvellous Movies You May Have Missed.
Over his career, he received both the Longford and Chauvel awards for his contributions to the film industry.
Tributes are flowing for Stratton on social media, including from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
'With dry humour and sharp insight, David Stratton shared his love of film with our country. All of us who tuned in to 'At the Movies' respected him for his deep knowledge and for the gentle and generous way he passed it on. May he rest in peace,' Mr Albanese wrote on X.
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'So sad to lose David Stratton, a passionate, generous, erudite cinephile. What a legend. With special thanks to David for starting the Travelling Film Festival!' one Facebook user wrote.
'What a lovely man... but what a great life he had! And such a breadth of film knowledge, generosity of spirit, and a very dry sense of humour,' another wrote.
Some users remembered the years they spent watching Stratton on television.
'Vale David Stratton, I grew up watching him and Margaret on both SBS and the ABC's At the Movies until that finished. Loved hearing about the films he saw and reviewed,' one user wrote.
'Sad news....RIP David Stratton. I used to really enjoy watching The Movie Show with David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz. Their personalities complemented each other so well.'