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David Stratton

David James Stratton AM (10 September 1939 – 14 August 2025) was an English-born Australian film critic, historian, and festival director renowned for championing Australian cinema and international arthouse films.^[1]^[2] Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, Stratton developed an early passion for cinema, founding a local film society at age 19 before migrating to Australia in 1963 under the assisted passage scheme.^[3]^[4] He directed the Sydney Film Festival from 1966 to 1983, significantly elevating its profile by introducing diverse international films to Australian audiences.^[2]^[5] Stratton's career as a critic included decades of reviews for The Australian newspaper and Variety, alongside authoring books on Australian film history and contributing to the International Film Guide.^[2]^[6] He gained widespread recognition through television, co-hosting The Movie Show (1986–2004) and At the Movies (2004–2014) with Margaret Pomeranz, where their candid debates influenced public discourse on cinema.^[7]^[8] Stratton served on juries at major festivals, including as president of the International Critics' Jury at Cannes in 1996 and 2000, and received honors such as the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2000, the Raymond Longford Award, and the Chauvel Award for his contributions to Australian film.^[5]^[9]^[10]

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Formative Influences

David Stratton was born on 10 September 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England.^[11] During the early years of World War II, with his father serving in the military, he was sent to live with his grandmother, who shared a passion for cinema and introduced him to films at a young age.^[12] This exposure ignited an early obsession, as Stratton began meticulously noting his reactions to screenings in local cinemas, where options were dominated by British productions and Hollywood imports amid postwar rationing and before television's widespread adoption in the 1950s.^[6] At age seven, Stratton viewed the 1946 Australian western The Overlanders, starring Chips Rafferty as a cattle drover, and penned his first review, capturing his impressions of the film's rugged narrative and outback authenticity.^[1]^[13] This anecdote exemplified his burgeoning habit of critical self-reflection, honed through repeated visits to picture houses despite limited access to diverse international titles, which were scarce outside major cities and often restricted by distribution quotas favoring domestic content.^[1] By his pre-teen and adolescent years, Stratton's viewing had evolved into a voracious routine, aspiring to one film per day—a practice rooted in personal curiosity rather than structured guidance—and emphasizing observational analysis of plot logic and character motivations over prevailing aesthetic conventions.^[1]^[6] These formative experiences in England's cinema culture, marked by communal theater attendance and sparse media alternatives, cultivated his independent appreciation for film's storytelling potential, free from academic or institutional influence.^[6]

Formal Education and Early Interests

Stratton attended Chafyn Grove School in Wiltshire, England, during his formative years, but departed formal education at the age of 16 without completing secondary schooling or pursuing university studies.^[14]^[15] This abbreviated academic trajectory reflected a family environment prioritizing practical paths over extended institutional learning, though Stratton later supplemented his knowledge through independent efforts. Lacking structured film programs in his schooling, Stratton developed his cinematic acumen via self-directed reading on film history and personal note-taking on viewed works, beginning as early as age seven when he penned his inaugural review.^[13] By his late teens, this evolved into active engagement, including founding and operating a film society at age 19, where he organized screenings and discussions emphasizing narrative coherence and performative authenticity in cinema.^[6] Such pursuits underscored an analytical bent grounded in evaluating structural logic and character plausibility over stylistic abstraction. These early explorations, amid perceived constraints in Britain's post-war cultural landscape, influenced Stratton's decision to emigrate in 1963 at age 24 under the Ten Pound Poms assisted migration scheme, initially envisioning a temporary two-year sojourn to broaden his horizons beyond familiar environs.^[1]^[13]

Career

Directorship of the Sydney Film Festival

Stratton was appointed director of the Sydney Film Festival in late 1965 at the age of 26, assuming the role in 1966 and serving until 1983.^[6]^[16] During this period, he prioritized programming based on artistic merit, curating selections of international films from regions including Soviet cinema and non-Anglophone countries, often traveling abroad to secure prints and establish distributor relationships—the first festival director to do so systematically.^[12]^[17] This approach countered local institutional preferences for censored or domestically familiar content, enabling screenings of uncut works that broadened audience exposure to global cinematic movements. To address Australia's nascent film industry, Stratton launched a short film competition in 1970, which premiered numerous emerging Australian works and shorts, directly supporting talent discovery amid the decade's revival spurred by federal funding initiatives like the Australian Film Development Corporation.^[6]^[5] His selections emphasized quality-driven curation over ideological conformity, fostering an environment where Australian filmmakers gained visibility through festival platforms, contributing causally to the output of over 400 features by the early 1980s—a marked increase from the prior decade's near-dormancy.^[18] He navigated challenges including funding constraints and bureaucratic hurdles by advocating vigorously against stringent censorship laws, which often mutilated imported films, ensuring the festival's role as a venue for uncompromised artistic expression.^[19]^[20] Under Stratton's tenure, the festival transitioned from a niche event for cinephiles to a mainstream cultural fixture, with expanded programming that drew larger crowds through diverse, high-caliber offerings rather than commercial concessions.^[21] This growth reflected empirical success in audience engagement, as his curatorial decisions—rooted in firsthand evaluation of films' intrinsic value—elevated the event's prestige and influenced broader acceptance of international and Australian cinema in a market historically dominated by Hollywood imports.^[15] Post-1983, he continued advisory involvement, but his directorship laid foundational metrics for the festival's enduring scale, including sustained premieres of independent works.^[22]

Television Criticism and Presenting

David Stratton's television career commenced in 1971 with a guest presenting appearance on the ABC documentary series Survey, where he highlighted selections of international films to Australian audiences.^[23] By 1980, he had joined SBS as a film consultant, introducing classic cinema segments such as SBS Cinema Classics on Sundays.^[10] In 1986, Stratton began co-hosting The Movie Show on SBS with Margaret Pomeranz, a weekly program that debuted on 30 October 1986 and ran for 18 years until 2004.^[24] The format involved reviewing four to five new releases per episode, with each critic delivering independent star ratings (out of five) backed by discussions of narrative coherence, performances, and technical execution, rather than enforced agreement. This structure promoted evidence-driven assessments, influencing public discourse by demonstrating how differing views could coexist through substantive argumentation.^[25] The partnership's emphasis on accessibility—eschewing academic jargon for direct audience relevance—helped broaden film analysis beyond elite circles.^[15] Transitioning to the ABC in 2004, Stratton and Pomeranz hosted At the Movies until its conclusion on 9 December 2014 after 11 seasons. The show retained the collaborative review model, covering features and documentaries while maintaining separate verdicts to reflect individual judgments based on observable merits like scripting and cinematography. Over nearly three decades of on-screen collaboration, their method democratized criticism, encouraging viewers to evaluate films on tangible criteria amid the era's rising cinematic output.^[26] Stratton retired from presenting and reviewing in December 2023, prompted by health declines including partial vision loss that impaired his ability to assess films reliably.^[27] Despite this, he maintained limited media engagements into 2024 via podcasts recapping past critiques, underscoring the enduring format's role in shaping informed viewer perspectives.^[28]

Writing, Teaching, and Academic Contributions

Stratton delivered lectures on the history of world cinema at the University of Sydney's Centre for Continuing Education from 1990 to 2023, offering annual courses that examined cinematic developments through screenings and analyses of key films across global traditions.^[5]^[1] His instruction, spanning 35 years, drew on decades of direct industry engagement to trace verifiable sequences of innovation, production trends, and cultural influences in film evolution, prioritizing historical evidence over interpretive speculation.^[26]^[29] In his scholarly writing, Stratton produced multiple volumes documenting Australian cinema's trajectory, including The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival (1980), which detailed the industry's resurgence through specific production data and filmmaker interviews, and The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in Australian Filmmaking (1990), analyzing economic cycles and output metrics from the 1970s onward.^[30]^[31] He also authored film guides such as 101 Marvellous Movies You May Have Missed (2010) and contributed the Australian section to the International Film Guide for 30 consecutive years, compiling annual statistics on releases, box office figures, and industry personnel to support factual assessments of national output.^[5]^[32] Stratton's written criticism for trade publications like Variety (1983–2003) and newspapers including The Australian (1990–2023) applied empirical scrutiny derived from viewing approximately 25,000 films, focusing on technical execution, narrative coherence, and market reception rather than unsubstantiated ideological lenses.^[33]^[1] These contributions extended his academic efforts by disseminating data-driven insights into causal dynamics of film success and failure, informed by archival records and on-site festival observations.^[15]

Jury Service, Film Appearances, and Other Professional Roles

Stratton participated in numerous international film festival juries from the 1970s through the 2010s, serving as a member of the international jury at the Berlin Film Festival in 1982, the Montreal Film Festival in 1982, and the Venice Film Festival in 1994.^[34]^[1] He also sat on juries for the Chicago, Karlovy Vary, Hawaii, and Adelaide festivals, where his evaluations influenced selections amid diverse cinematic competition.^[6] As president of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury, he led proceedings at the Cannes Film Festival on two occasions and at Venice once, directing critical assessments that shaped awards for emerging global works.^[2] Beyond criticism, Stratton made occasional on-screen appearances in Australian media. In 1993, he featured in an uncredited cameo in Paul Cox's short film Touch Me, one of the segments in the anthology Erotic Tales. He also appeared in a comedic cameo in the satirical television series Review with Myles Barlow, parodying his reviewer persona, and joined Margaret Pomeranz in a meta-cameo at the conclusion of the 1992 comedy Hercules Returns, where they delivered a mock review of the film itself. Stratton's broader professional engagements included leadership within international critics' bodies, notably as FIPRESCI jury president into later decades, fostering dialogue among global film evaluators. In the late 1960s, while directing the Sydney Film Festival and programming Soviet titles, he attracted scrutiny from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which surveilled him over perceived communist sympathies; declassified files, released in 2014, include a 1969 photograph of Stratton outside the Soviet embassy seeking a visa for the Moscow Film Festival, underscoring era-specific monitoring of cultural figures engaging with Eastern Bloc cinema.^[35]^[1]

Critical Approach and Public Perception

Evolving Taste and Stylistic Preferences

Stratton's critical preferences initially emphasized international arthouse cinema, particularly European works influenced by the French New Wave, such as François Truffaut's The 400 Blows (1959), which he encountered during his early career in film distribution and promotion.^[1] As director of the Sydney Film Festival from 1966 to 1984, he prioritized screenings of global films, including Soviet cinema and classics by directors like Federico Fellini, fostering an appreciation for stylistic innovation tied to authentic human experiences over contrived spectacle.^[1] This period also marked his advocacy for the Australian film revival of the 1970s, detailed in his 1980 book The Last New Wave, where he highlighted films like Newsfront (1978, directed by Phillip Noyce) and Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975, directed by Peter Weir) for their rigorous narrative structures and causal realism in depicting national history and mystery.^[1]^[36] On television, particularly during his 28-year tenure co-hosting At the Movies (1986–2014), Stratton's delivery evolved into a feisty, direct style oriented toward audiences, with review aggregates from over 1,900 episodes showing consistent high ratings for genres like history (average 3.5+ stars) and documentaries that prioritized empirical storytelling and logical progression over formulaic excess.^[37] He frequently critiqued Hollywood productions for lacking substance, such as the redundant Crocodile Dundee sequels (1988 onward) and immature teen comedies like Project X (2012), which he rated 0.5 stars for promoting sexism without narrative merit, while praising directors like Clint Eastwood—e.g., Million Dollar Baby (2004)—for films grounded in humanistic causality and moral realism.^[36]^[37] Stratton's tastes matured from early enthusiasm for diverse world cinema imports into a more integrated approach, blending Australian revivals with selective international endorsements, as evidenced by later favorites like Charlie's Country (2013), valuing indigenous narratives for their unvarnished truth, and Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) for journalistic integrity, consistently favoring causal plotting and empirical depth over films driven by social signaling or visual gimmicks like shaky-cam techniques.^[36]^[37] This evolution reflected a steadfast methodological preference for films that rewarded viewer engagement through coherent, evidence-based worlds rather than ideological overlays.^[1]

Criticisms, Controversies, and Debates Over His Reviews

Stratton's review of the 2000 American sports comedy The Replacements drew significant attention for its unyielding condemnation, awarding it zero stars on the grounds that "it is a film which celebrates strike-breakers and scabs."^[36] This stance reflected his strong pro-labor sympathies, rooted in opposition to depictions glorifying union-busting, and was later highlighted in tributes as emblematic of his principled, if polarizing, ideological edge in criticism.^[1] His 1997 assessment of the Australian comedy The Castle as underwhelming and simplistic—"it didn't impress me terribly much"—sparked backlash from fans and filmmakers who viewed the low rating as dismissive of a cultural touchstone celebrating suburban resilience and legal underdogs.^[38] The review, delivered alongside co-host Margaret Pomeranz's more favorable take, fueled ongoing debates about Stratton's taste for understated, character-driven narratives versus broader populist appeal, with detractors arguing it undervalued the film's satirical bite on property rights and family bonds.^[39] A notable controversy arose from Stratton's refusal to assign stars to the 1992 Australian drama Romper Stomper, citing ethical concerns over its graphic portrayal of neo-Nazi violence in Melbourne's suburbs, which he feared could normalize or glorify racial hatred amid real-world tensions.^[40] While Pomeranz awarded it five stars for technical prowess and unflinching realism, Stratton's abstention—stating the film risked inciting harm without sufficient condemnation—drew accusations of moral grandstanding from supporters who praised its raw depiction of skinhead subcultures and class alienation.^[41] Director Geoffrey Wright later clashed indirectly with such critiques, defending the work's intent to expose societal undercurrents rather than endorse them. Stratton's programming of Soviet films at the Sydney Film Festival in the late 1960s led to surveillance by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which photographed him on May 7, 1969, outside the Soviet embassy while he sought a visa for the Moscow International Film Festival, suspecting communist sympathies due to the ideological diversity of festival selections.^[35] Declassified files revealed ASIO's monitoring as part of broader Cold War scrutiny of cultural figures promoting Eastern Bloc cinema, though Stratton maintained the choices stemmed from artistic merit, not politics—a defense echoed in later analyses questioning the agency's overreach.^[42] Debates over Stratton's reviews often pitted accusations of excessive harshness against arguments for his role as a counterweight to uncritical hype, with some directors reacting furiously to middling scores—like a three-star Australian film review prompting claims of sabotage—while admirers lauded his resistance to fawning praise for ideologically driven or "woke"-adjacent works.^[43] Critics of his nationalism-inflected dismissals, such as of certain domestic comedies, contrasted with defenses highlighting empirical flaws in execution over cultural sentiment, underscoring tensions between subjective taste and objective craftsmanship in Australian cinema discourse.^[44]

Recognition and Honors

Major Awards and Official Acknowledgments

In 2001, Stratton received the Centenary Medal from the Australian government for his service to Australian society and film production.^[42] That same year, he was awarded the Raymond Longford Award, the Australian Film Institute's lifetime achievement honor recognizing his contributions to film criticism and promotion of Australian cinema.^[45] Also in 2001, on 22 March, France conferred upon him the Croix de Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, its highest cultural distinction, citing his advocacy for cinema, particularly French films, through festivals, reviews, and jury service.^[5] On 9 June 2006, the University of Sydney granted Stratton an honorary Doctor of Letters for his scholarly engagement with film history and education.^[5] In 2007, he received the 60th Anniversary Medal from the Cannes Film Festival, acknowledging his international jury roles and influence on global film discourse.^[45] That year, the Brisbane International Film Festival presented the Chauvel Award, honoring over four decades of critical analysis, festival direction, and authorship that elevated standards in film evaluation.^[46] Stratton's commitment to rigorous, evidence-based critique—prioritizing artistic merit over commercial appeal—was further recognized on 26 January 2015 with appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours, for significant service to the film industry as a reviewer, festival director, and author.^[26]

Professional Affiliations and Leadership Roles

Stratton held significant leadership positions within international and national film critics' organizations, enhancing his influence on critical standards and jury deliberations. He served as president of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 and 2000, and at the Venice Film Festival once during his career.^[2]^[5] These presidencies positioned him to guide selections and awards for films emphasizing artistic merit over commercial appeal, drawing on FIPRESCI's focus on independent criticism independent of mainstream industry pressures.^[2] Domestically, Stratton was elected president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA), serving from 2020 to 2024.^[2] In this role, he led an organization comprising professional reviewers from print, broadcast, and online media, advocating for rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of films amid evolving media landscapes.^[47] His tenure emphasized maintaining high standards for membership and reviews, countering dilutions seen in some broader journalistic outlets influenced by ideological conformity rather than aesthetic or narrative fidelity.^[2] Through FCCA leadership, Stratton contributed to annual awards that prioritized substantive cinematic achievements, fostering a tradition of dissent against homogenized critical narratives prevalent in certain institutional sources.^[3]

Personal Life

Family Background and Relationships

Stratton was born on 10 September 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, into a family of grocers.^[48] During the Second World War, his father served in the army in Burma, while Stratton was evacuated to live with his grandmother in Hampshire, fostering an early immersion in cinema through frequent visits to local theaters.^[42] ^[26] His younger brother, Roger, later described their father's relationship with Stratton as difficult, attributing it in part to the wartime separation that limited Stratton's familiarity with him.^[1] In 1979, Stratton married Susie Craig, with whom he resided for decades in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, maintaining a low public profile regarding his personal affairs despite his prominent career.^[9] The couple had two children, and Stratton was known for prioritizing family privacy amid professional demands.^[26] Following his death on 14 August 2025, his family requested privacy, underscoring their preference for discretion.^[1]^[26]

Health Challenges and Retirement

In the early 2020s, David Stratton experienced deteriorating vision due to giant cell arteritis, a vascular inflammatory disease that caused complete loss of sight in one eye and severely impaired vision in the other.^[49] ^[50] Treatment with high-dose steroids to manage the condition weakened his bones, resulting in two spinal fractures.^[49] These health issues directly impaired his ability to perform core professional duties, such as screening and analyzing films in detail, prompting a gradual wind-down of his career. Stratton announced his retirement from film criticism, writing, and teaching in December 2023, after 57 years in the field, citing his vision loss as the primary factor: he could no longer see well enough to review new releases reliably.^[27] ^[51] His final class at the University of Sydney's Centre for Continuing Education marked the end of his formal educational role, which he had held since 1988.^[51] Despite stepping away from professional output, Stratton expressed intent to maintain personal engagement with cinema, aiming to watch one new film weekly alongside revisiting classics.^[42] No further public professional commitments, such as radio appearances, were reported post-retirement.

Death and Legacy

Circumstances of Death

David Stratton died on August 14, 2025, at the age of 85, in a hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.^[26]^[11] His family confirmed the death in a statement provided to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting that he passed away peacefully.^[26]^[4] No official cause of death was disclosed in the family's announcement or subsequent reports.^[42]^[52]

Enduring Impact and Posthumous Assessments

Stratton's longstanding advocacy for Australian cinema, particularly during its 1970s renaissance, has been posthumously recognized as a pivotal force in sustaining and inspiring the industry's growth, with critics attributing to him a role in mentoring emerging talents through his writings and public endorsements.^[1]^[26] His 1979 book The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, which chronicled over 100 films from that era, directly influenced filmmakers who cited it as foundational to their careers, including producers who credited Stratton's analyses for shaping their entry into the field.^[10] This legacy is quantified in part by his estimation of having reviewed "tens of thousands" of films over six decades, a figure reiterated in tributes as emblematic of his encyclopedic knowledge and commitment to celluloid storytelling.^[36] Following his death on August 14, 2025, obituaries and tributes across major outlets underscored his enduring influence on public appreciation for both Australian and international films, portraying him as a non-ideological champion whose enthusiasm democratized criticism via television formats like The Movie Show and At the Movies.^[1]^[11] The Guardian described him as having an "incomparable passion" that infected audiences, while Variety noted his reviews for the publication from 1971 onward as benchmarks of rigorous, audience-oriented analysis.^[1]^[11] Institutions such as the Sydney Film Festival and National Film and Sound Archive issued statements in August 2025 affirming his "profound legacy" in criticism and education, with plans for memorial events to perpetuate his archival contributions.^[22]^[6] While predominant assessments praised Stratton's rejection of dogmatic trends in favor of substantive film evaluation, some retrospective commentary has critiqued film critics of his generation, including Stratton, for occasional displays of cultural gatekeeping that prioritized auteurist preferences over broader accessibility, though such views remain marginal amid the consensus on his populist impact.^[53] Tributes from peers like Jason Di Rosso of ABC's The Screen Show in 2025 emphasized his instrumental role in the Australian industry's self-confidence, countering any elitist perceptions by highlighting his focus on viewer engagement over theoretical abstraction.^[54] Overall, posthumous evaluations position Stratton as Australia's preeminent cinephile, whose work fostered a lasting infrastructure for film discourse, evidenced by ongoing citations in festival programming and educational curricula.^[55]^[2]

Publications

Key Books and Written Works

Stratton's contributions to film literature include several authoritative volumes on Australian cinema, drawing from decades of critical observation and direct industry engagement. These works emphasize empirical analysis of production trends, film quality, and economic factors, often grounded in extensive film viewings and interviews rather than unsubstantiated narratives.^[56] His debut book, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival (Angus & Robertson, 1980), chronicles the 1970s resurgence in Australian filmmaking, providing detailed assessments of key productions and the cultural-economic drivers behind over 100 films central to the era. The text incorporates Stratton's firsthand interviews with directors and producers, offering a data-driven dissection of how government funding and talent export influenced output quality and sustainability.^[57]^[58] The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry (Pan Macmillan, 1990) extends this focus to the 1980s, examining the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of production through case studies of commercial successes and failures, supported by box-office data and policy critiques. At 465 pages, it highlights verifiable patterns in funding allocation and market performance, attributing bust phases to overreliance on tax incentives without corresponding audience demand.^[59]^[60] In Australia at the Movies: The Ultimate Guide to Modern Australian Cinema 1990–2020 (Allen & Unwin, 2024), Stratton compiles reviews of approximately 800 feature films, derived from rewatching originals and archival notes spanning three decades. This encyclopedic effort quantifies trends in genre distribution and critical reception, underscoring persistent challenges like limited export viability despite sporadic hits, based on attendance figures and festival outcomes.^[56]^[27] Stratton's memoir I Peed on Fellini: Recollections of a Life in Film (Random House Australia, 2008) shifts to personal insights, recounting professional encounters in Hollywood and Europe with anecdotal evidence of creative processes, though it prioritizes factual timelines over interpretive bias. Reception noted its candid detail on industry survival tactics, informed by Stratton's Variety tenure.^[61]^[62]

References

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David Stratton, legendary film critic who championed Australian and ...
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David Stratton was born in 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK. At the age of nineteen he founded the Melksham and District Film Society.
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David Stratton was born in the United Kingdom in 1939 and left ... He was President of the International Film Critics Jury at Cannes in 1996 and 2000.
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Mar 5, 2008 · Biggest break Undoubtedly being appointed the director of the Sydney Film Festival at the end of 1965, aged just 26. It allowed me for the first ...
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Mar 1, 2017 · David Stratton reflects on the evolution of the Aussie film industry since the 60s, ahead of the release of documentary David Stratton: A Cinematic Life.
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Aug 14, 2025 · Stratton was deeply learned but approachable; polite but at times wonderfully feisty; and above all else deeply passionate about film. That ...Missing: England | Show results with:England
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Aug 14, 2025 · ... David Stratton who was the Festival Director from 1966 until 1983. His achievements are too innumerable to list in totality, and would ...Missing: directorship | Show results with:directorship
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1. Movie Show 86 Ep 1 · 2. Movie Show 86 Ep 2 · 3. Movie Show 86 Ep 3 · 6. Movie Show 86 Ep 6 · 7. Movie Show 86 Ep 7 · 8. Movie Show 86 Ep 8 - Xmas Special · 9.The Movie Show · Movie Show 98 Ep 40 · Movie Show 03 Ep 17 · Season 12
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[39]
The Castle movie: David Stratton, movie critic, reveals he wasn't ...
Oct 26, 2024 · 'It didn't impress me terribly much': Why legendary Australian critic David Stratton was 'wrong about The Castle' It is one of Australia's most ...
[40]
Romper Stomper: The movie David Stratton famously refused to rate
Aug 20, 2015 · David refused to rate the movie, expressing concern about its unflinching depiction of race-based violence in Melbourne's suburbs.
[41]
Romper Stomper: Why I won't be watching Stan's new TV series
Aug 10, 2017 · Back when Romper Stomper was released, the legendary film reviewer David Stratton did the same. He famously refused to rate the film, saying ...
[42]
David Stratton, esteemed Australian film critic, dies aged 85
Aug 14, 2025 · Born in the English town of Trowbridge in 1939, Stratton was sent to live with his grandmother in Hampshire during the second world war. An ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[43]
David Stratton on bad reviews, director tantrums and watching a ...
Feb 22, 2017 · As you may know, I have this kind of self-imposed regimen that I want to see a new film every day. I want to see a film I've never seen before ...Missing: taught | Show results with:taught
[44]
David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz taught us an invaluable lesson
Aug 19, 2025 · 'Giant in his field': Legendary film critic David Stratton dies aged 85 · David Stratton's iconic reviews, from favourites to 'scathing' ...Missing: self- | Show results with:self-
[45]
David Stratton Dead: Renowned Movie Critic Was 85
Aug 14, 2025 · During his lifetime, Stratton collected a lengthy list of awards and achievements, including the 60th Anniversary Medal by the Festival du ...
[46]
16th Brisbane International Film Festival - fipresci
In 2007 the award was won by David Stratton, commemorating his 40 plus years in cinema as a film festival director, film critic, author and jury member.
[47]
David Stratton - The Wheeler Centre
David Stratton is a former director of the Sydney Film Festival, former film critic for the international film industry magazine Variety, and is currently film ...
[48]
David Stratton has ankled - by Paul Byrnes
Aug 14, 2025 · Around the Bicentennial year of 1988, he started teaching a film course at Sydney University's Centre for Continuing Education. Every Thursday ...Missing: interests | Show results with:interests
[49]
Cruellest blow for a movie critic hits David Stratton
Oct 11, 2024 · What has made Stratton's devotion to watching films difficult lately is his health: a disease that has caused the loss of eyesight in one ...
[50]
Veteran film critic David Stratton dies peacefully, aged 85
Aug 15, 2025 · After a career spanning over 30 years, he retired in 2023 for health reasons. In 2024, he spoke with the SMH about suffering from a disease ...<|separator|>
[51]
David Stratton's closing credits: 'I've done the best I could'
Dec 22, 2023 · The venerable film critic David Stratton is giving his last lesson on world cinema at the University of Sydney's Centre for Continuing Education.Missing: evolving preferences
[52]
Beloved film critic David Stratton dies aged 85
Aug 14, 2025 · Stratton, who starred alongside Margaret Pomeranz on The Movie Show on SBS and At the Movies on the ABC, died peacefully in hospital in the Blue ...
[53]
Comment / Thumbs Down! When Film Critics Misuse Their Position ...
Despite the popular notion, art and elitism do not mix, and believe me when ... One of those came from David Stratton, Australia's critic supreme and ...
[54]
David Stratton 'instrumental' to the legacy of Australian cinema
Aug 14, 2025 · ... Australia and abroad. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation. For more from ABC NEWS, click here: https ...Missing: emigration | Show results with:emigration<|control11|><|separator|>
[55]
'An ear for truth and love for the human': tributes paid to film critic ...
Aug 14, 2025 · David Stratton, esteemed Australian film critic, dies aged 85 · David Stratton, legendary film critic who championed cinema – obituary. Get our ...Missing: Variety | Show results with:Variety
[56]
Australia at the Movies - David Stratton - Allen & Unwin
7–10 day deliveryAustralia at the Movies. The ultimate guide to modern Australian cinema. by David Stratton. AUD $39.99.
[57]
The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival - ozcin
The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival David Stratton Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1980 Films given significant treatment in the book.
[58]
David Stratton - The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival
Aug 9, 2024 · A list of 127 films compiled on Letterboxd, including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972), Alison's Birthday (1981), Alvin Purple (1973) ...Missing: directors | Show results with:directors
[59]
The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry
David Stratton The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry Pan Macmillan, Sydney, 1990
[60]
The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film ...
Review(s) of: The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, by David Stratton, Macmillan, Sydney, 1990, ISBN 0 7329 0250 9, 465 pp, ...
[61]
I Peed On Fellini by David Stratton - Penguin Books Australia
I PEED ON FELLINI, the long-awaited memoir from legendary film critic David Stratton, is an honest, funny and thoroughly entertaining journey through a ...
[62]
I Peed On Fellini: Recollections of a Life in Film by David Stratton
May 19, 2008 · The book holds automatic interest as a quirky self-portrait by one of Australia's best-known film commentators, appearing, for once, with his pants down.<|separator|>