Andrew Sarris RIP

012/06/21/movies/andrew-sarris-film-critic-dies-at-83.html?hp

Let's try that again: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/movies/andrew-sarris-film-critic-dies-at-83.html?hp

Too bad he's remembered for the Kael spats. An often great critic: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet is one of my film crit touchstones.

maybe move this to ILE?

sheeeit

Single most important critic in shaping my tastes, esp re Keaton, Fassbinder, Bill Forsyth, others.

My work computer's so damn slow. Mods...?

Done.

here we are. RIP.

RIP, big man. You will be missed.

rip, will not remember him for spats with lessers

poor molly haskell.

Andrew Sarris (31 October 1928 – 20 June 2012) was an American film critic, a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism, and a "controversialist."[1]

1=nytimes obit

"I can’t say I was as saddened as I had been a few days earlier by the death of Jane Greer (1924-2001). Still, do not send for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee, and all that." - Andrew Sarris

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSXu4DfPjVg/T0SU9_S4u-I/AAAAAAAABec/PGBKeo2bWDs/s1600/outofthepast.jpg
RIP, Andrew

man jane greer is a sex bomb.

this is hilarious:

Perhaps it was as Molly reported me telling a doctor during my

grave illness in 1984. “What,” they asked, concerned about my intermittent

hallucinations, “do a cat and dog have in common?” The proper answer, I suppose

now, was that both were household pets. But back then, I remembered enough

structuralist theory to reply: “What cats and dogs have in common is that they

define each other by their differences.”

(i can picture the doctor rolling his eyes)

did she write a book about his illness, or was it both of them?

linkage

http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-andrew-sarris-1928-2012/

http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/inside_out/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Madame-De-with-Danielle-Darrieux.jpg
RIP, Andy

We've discussed him so much on the Kael thread...I have the same sort of relationship to his writing as I have to Christgau's: the way they write didn't influence me much (stylistically, I mean), but their tastes, their addiction to list-making and categorization, and their key books had a huge influence on me. Poring over The American Cinema in university was one of those ground-zero experiences. I was flipping through it for some reason a couple of months ago, and I wondered, "How on earth did he manage to see all these films?" There was no video, just TV and rep houses. I don't even mean relatively famous things like Detour or The Naked Kiss (which are relatively famous in large part because of him)--I'm talking about the really obscure stuff that filled out the lower reaches of the yearly lists. Regret that I was at the wrong school to ever get a chance to take a course with him.

Used to read him on occasion in the Village Voice and was always impressed with his knowledge. RIP

I'll tune in to the three national newscasts when I get home; will be very disappointed if this does not warrant a mention.

Was going to say: what Morbius said, but now I'll just say: what clemenza said.

A rough cordiality attended to the relationship between Mr. Sarris and Ms. Kael, but that is not to overstate their détente. When Mr. Sarris married Ms. Haskell in 1969, the couple invited Ms. Kael. “That’s O.K.,” Ms. Kael replied. “I’ll go to Molly’s next wedding.”

Makes me love them both even more.

"How on earth did he manage to see all these films?"

I know! It's like, you actually saw Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast's Dry Martini? When? Where? I wanna see it too!

I think some of y'all are underestimating the health of film culture in NYC in the '50s and early '60s. And they used to show old B movies on TV all night, you know!

yeah - even when i moved to new york in 81 i was flabbergasted by all the old movies on TV 24/7 and this was pre-cable.

What did they show instead in Cincinnati?

maybe the same! but maybe fewer stations, which signed off at midnight or 1.

http://i.imgur.com/eqIW1.png

I only saw/heard him at the Newark Public Library in the '90s, after a screening of The Tin Drum.

The Voice obituary:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/06/anyone_who_read.php

I don't recall that serious illness in '84 at all.

Really? I sure do

Complete blank. I finished university that spring, so if it happened later than that, maybe I wasn't keeping up with the Voice like I did at school.

He wrote about it a lot at the time. I seem to recall that he was going the Norman Cousins "laughter is the best medicine" route and watching a lot of comedies on VCR.

First and foremost, Sarris, who died this week at the age of 83, conceived and brilliantly brought to life the "Auteur Theory,"

;_;

"brilliantly brought to life" = what an odd phrase

Slate:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/06/20/andrew_sarris_film_critic_and_proponent_of_the_auteur_theory_is_dead_at_83_.html

I hope Edelstein writes something; I'd really like to read Kauffmann's thoughts, but he doesn't write too often these days, and being very much a participant in the crossfire those days--off to the side, but engaged--I doubt that he will.

I think he must have missed the first class or two

Funny--that, or he doesn't speak French.

Obviously interested in anything Hoberman might write, too, but I'm not sure where to look for him right now.

nothing here yet

http://j-hoberman.com/

Think maybe he is still smarting from "art-house acid" remark. Perhaps one of the things he learned from Andy was to nurse a grudge

Thanks--didn't know he was keeping a site. I imagine he'll write something lengthy elsewhere and link to it. By the way, I did check the news broadcasts last night, and there was no mention. I suppose it was wishful thinking that there would be, but in terms of influence--which I'd say went well beyond Sarris's influence as a film critic; the whole format of The American Cinema filtered out in dozens of directions--his death should have been noted.

Maybe J-Ho is still mad at Sarris's NYFCC bathroom break.

All it took was a "Hoberman Sarris" Google search.

http://artinfo.com/news/story/809954/j-hoberman-andrew-sarris-1928-2012

Nice. I mean, I've read Hoberman pay tribute to him once or twice before, and I knew there was no major grudge or anything.

One more before I turn in--Salon:

http://www.salon.com/2012/06/20/rip_andrew_sarris_1928_2012/

“Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow.”

James Wolcott's tribute.

Also: John Simon has a blog!

http://uncensoredsimon.blogspot.com/

(as if he were ever "censored")

love Sarris calling Simon "a great 19th-century film critic"

I hope Edelstein writes something

― clemenza, Thursday, June 21, 2012 10:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/david-edelstein-on-andrew-sarris-19282012.html

By the way, I did check the news broadcasts last night, and there was no mention.

The only critic of any kind whose death I can imagine making the nightly news is Ebert.

Thanks for the Edelstein and Wolcott links. Ebert for sure. Would Harold Bloom make the nightly news? I probably checked at the time, but I'm guessing Kael would have made at least one of the three broadcasts. (She died eight days before 9/11.)

i find it hard to believe john simon is a real person: he seems more like a character on 'the critic.'

Is it time to bring up the "Never in the history of art" story?

is there a youtube clip of that floating around anywhere out there?

Ebert, mentioning Haskell book on AS's illness in the '80s:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120620/PEOPLE/120629992

I wish there was such a youtube clip but don't think so. Somebody such do a reenactment or animation of it.

FC thoughts from Kent Jones, Phillip Lopate, Geoffrey O'Brien etc:

http://www.filmcomment.com/entry/andrew-sarris-eulogy

FC thoughts from Kent Jones, Phillip Lopate, Geoffrey O'Brien etc:

http://www.filmcomment.com/entry/andrew-sarris-eulogy

FC thoughts from Kent Jones, Phillip Lopate, Geoffrey O'Brien etc:

http://www.filmcomment.com/entry/andrew-sarris-eulogy

Sorry, some kind of zing in the pocket iPhone snafu

don't try to watch Madame de... on it

I missed this a month ago: Stanley Kauffmann's short tribute (towards the bottom).

http://www.tnr.com/article/magazine/105659/stanley-kauffmann-unforgivable-last-ride

I was checking back to gauge how often Kauffmann reviews something now; he has a column up today, so it seems to be about once a month. Every time I see something, I wonder if that's the last time I'll read something new by him. (Not quite what that sounds like--I mean I expect that he's going to give up reviewing at some point.) Anyway, there's a great calm in his writing these days that I really like. And the Sarris farewell catches that.

I just cited Sarris in a paper I'm writing for school (that isn't even on film)!

Tennis? (He always attended the U.S. Open.) Greek cuisine? (He was Greek.) Literary feuds? (Even if one party ducked out early.)

Not so far away. Cultural studies (and literature).

podcast commemorates the 85th anniv of his birth:

http://www.thecinephiliacs.net/2013/10/special-episode-andrew-sarris-roundtable.html

Been meaning to listen to that.

It only went up today!

I know. I saw it this morning on the Podcast App but it hadn't loaded before I left then I specifically went somewhere at lunch with WiFi to get it to finish.

damn, you are fast.

Is Molly Haskell writing of late?

Don't know. Last I heard of her was when she was on TCM as the co-host for a brief moment.

But Andy and Molly two of my favorites. Hoberman too, despite what Andy said about him.

Hopefully I can listen to this on the way home.

Think they referred to Emanuel Levy as Eugene Levy.

This podcast is pretty nice, thanks for the reminder.

None of Andy's books in electronic format although there is this Village Voice Film Guide.

Cinephiliac website has some good related links.

Second half of podcast is really good.

Didn't know he and Molly met at a screening of Scorpio Rising.

Nor I.

Glad to hear that even he was occasionally infuriated by his own prose style.

I liked David Schwarz's Greek restaurant anecdote. Also kinda stopped in my tracks by Labuza referring to Sl4nt as an auteurist "institution."

Check the horror poll results there again.

re: "institutions," anything that's around for more than 5 years these days is an institution

speaking of which, there's a 35mm print of In the Mouth of Madness playing in Brooklyn tonight. After Dangerous Game. xp

Chuckled when Schwarz said, "Sarris was never one of these 'Brian de Palma can do no wrong' critics..."

In the wake of Redacted, who is?

well, woulda been a test for Kael.

I would be infuriated by my prose style if I had one.

btw Molly has a new book, and it's not criticism.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/living/qa-molly-haskell-my-brother-my-sister/index.html

Will read that after I finish the memoir about Andrew's sickness.

I was checking to see if he'd reviewed a certain despised film (he had), and his Observer archive is still online:

https://observer.com/author/andrew-sarris/

Can't tell if you need an account or not; two reviews I accessed, in between I was asked to sign in.

Scrolling back through this thread, I posted a link to Stanley Kauffmann's short obituary. Surprised that it's still online. I figure it won't be there forever--not like ILX--so I'll cut and paste it here:

For Andrew Sarris, a farewell of respect. He was the contemporary film critic with whom I disagreed most often, yet he was the critic from whom I learned most.

His passing prompts a look at the changes that he brought about with his apostolic mission for the auteur theory--the belief, originating in France, that the primary point of film criticism should be the director’s work, not the subsequent or previous work of writers, designers, and so on. Cinema was to be judged cinematically. Like some others, I was unable to leave my opinions of the writing and characterization and drama at the door of the screening room, but Andrew’s insistence convinced me early on that I needed at least to expand my concerns cinematically. I have always been grateful to him for it, and I think there were others who learned from him and owed him that debt.

When the news of his death spread, I thought I heard a sigh at the loss of something virtually unique, something that was for me at least more considerable than the auteur theory--Andrew’s passion, fierce passion, for film. Others of us critics, fervent film-lovers indeed, could, if it were necessary, work on other subjects. Many of us did. If Andrew couldn’t have written about film, I think he would have been crushed. Happily, he was permitted to work where he belonged. That passion empowered him and helped many.

Nice, thanks!

i took his elective in college but i dunno i guess i have no real affinity for film. "rules of the game" -- idgi. i got a B- i think.

TSF, are you Bob Col4c3llo?

nope i am the guy in the columbia t-shirt pictured to the left of david johansen and identified in the caption.
https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19790322-01.2.13&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22first+appearance+of+a+name+performer%22------

i have consderably less hair now though.

Nice hat!

That's great--so wish I had taken a course with him. (I started in the fall of '79 at the University of Toronto--Joe Medjuck, future producer of Stripes and Ghostbuster, was as prestigious as my film professors got.) One Steven Buchman has a long review of The China Syndrome underneath your photo. I assume he also took some film courses, maybe under Sarris--wonder if he went into the industry.

There's something I really love about Kauffmann's obituary. Feels like a bygone era (which it is). They were as far apart as two film critics could be, but he writes this eloquent obituary that really gets at something irreplaceable about Sarris. Celebrity obituaries are a cottage industry now--I think bloggers have them on file like the New York Times--but I find that one moving.

thanks -- i think i nicked the hat from my dad.

there's some interesting ephemera if you search the columbia spetator archives for andrew sarris, including an issue he apparently edited in 1946.

Maybe J-Ho is still mad at Sarris's NYFCC bathroom break.

Joe Medjuck, future producer of Stripes and Ghostbuster

Before Ghostbusters, there was a little-known 1981 independent film called Ghostbuster; three-and-a-half hours chronicling the humdrum life of Bill Murray's character when he wasn't on duty.

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53226a32e4b0a11842c6876f/1527981855725-A1SOKXMOC2AZMGB1YI59/1984-11-10-113.jpg
He was not even a real Ghostbuster!