Film critic and festival curator David Stratton has passed away aged 85. His family shared the news that he’d died peacefully in hospital near his Blue Mountains home.
Stratton spent more than three decades as a film critic for The Australian newspaper, and alongside co-host Margaret Pomeranz engaged audiences about films on The Movie Show at SBS and At The Movies on the ABC.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lead the tributes to Stratton saying ““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.’’
His family said his passion for film touched many people.
“David’s passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives. 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.” the family said in a statement.
They asked for privacy, but suggested that people celebrate Stratton’s life by watching their favourite film, or even watching his favourite film – which was Singing in the Rain.
Born in England in 1939 Stratton was evacuated from London to the countryside during World War II to live with his grandparents. From a young age he had weekly trips to the movies. When his father returned from the war when he was six years old he returned to living in London, and missed his weekly film outings.
As a teenager he founded a local film appreciation society and became interested in films from around the globe. He arrived in Australia in 1963 and within a few years became the director of the Sydney Film Festival, a role he held on to until 1983.
Stratton fought film censorship and advocated for films from around the world to be shown, including Russian works during the Cold War years. He later discovered that this advocacy got the attention of ASIO, who were concerned about a trip he made to Russia in the late 1960s.
Alongside his work as a film critic Stratton also produced several documentary series on Australian’s screen history, wrote books – including his autobiography, and served a film festival juries around the globe.
