David Stratton, the English-Australian film critic, historian, journalist, interviewer, educator, and television personality whose career shaped the way generations of Australians experienced cinema, has died aged 85. His family confirmed he passed away peacefully in hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains.

“David’s passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives,” the family said in a statement, as reported by ABC news. “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 family encouraged the public to “celebrate David’s remarkable life and legacy by watching their favourite movie, or David’s favourite movie of all time — Singin’ In the Rain.”

From Wartime England to the Heart of Australian Film

Born in Trowbridge, England, in 1939, Stratton’s love for the movies began as a young child living with his grandmother during the Second World War. She would take him to the cinema so often it became part of his earliest memories. “I’d been going to the movies from about the age of two or three until I reached about six, and then suddenly [there were] no movies in my life. That was quite a shock,” he recalled in 2019.

In 1963, Stratton arrived in Australia under the “ten pound” migration scheme and quickly became involved in the local film society movement. Just three years later, he was appointed director of the Sydney Film Festival — a position he would hold until 1983 — gaining the role after making a name for himself fighting film censorship. During his tenure, the festival’s screening of Soviet films, and a late-1960s visit to Russia, saw him placed under surveillance by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (information not revealed until 2014).

A Fixture on Australian Screens

Stratton joined SBS in 1980 as a film consultant, introducing SBS Cinema Classics and Movie of the Week before stepping in front of the camera on 30 October 1986 to co-host The Movie Show with Margaret Pomeranz, who also produced the program. “Margaret and David” became one of the country’s most recognisable TV pairings, their witty banter and clashing tastes becoming a weekly ritual for countless film lovers.

In 2004, the pair moved to ABC TV with At the Movies, running for another decade before retiring together at the end of 2014.

On a personal note for this writer, those shows were essential viewing — I couldn’t wait for each new episode, and I would pore over Stratton’s reviews in The Australian, eager to see how his take aligned (or didn’t) with my own. His measured, thoughtful approach helped shape not just my viewing habits, but my understanding of film as an artform.

In 2017, Stratton became the subject of the documentary David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, written and directed by Sally Aitken. The film featured a star-studded line-up paying tribute — Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, George Miller, Gillian Armstrong, and many others — reflecting the deep respect he commanded within the industry.

In a testament to their enduring impact, Stratton and Pomeranz were inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame on Sunday 1 June 2025, becoming the first-ever duo, and the first non-actors, to receive the honour. The special event was presented by Randwick City Council and the Ritz Cinemas.

Critic, Historian, and Educator

Beyond television, Stratton contributed reviews to Variety from 1984 and TV Week, and presented video reviews for Palace Nova Cinemas. He was also a dedicated educator, lecturing in film history at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Continuing Education from the late 1980s until December 2023, covering around 840 films and showing more than 7,500 clips. Many of his students re-enrolled year after year, a testament to his engaging style and encyclopaedic knowledge.

His published works included The Last New Wave, The Avocado Plantation, and Australia at the Movies, as well as his autobiography I Peed on Fellini, named after a drunken — and ill-timed — attempt to shake Federico Fellini’s hand in a bathroom. By 2024, Stratton had authored six books in total.

Global Recognition and a Lasting Legacy

Stratton served on juries at major international festivals including Berlin, Montreal, and Venice, and twice presided over the FIPRESCI jury at Cannes. His advocacy for Australian cinema and knowledge of international film earned him global respect, along with honours such as the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Croix de Commandeur), an Australian Film Institute lifetime achievement award, a Centenary Medal, and appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia.

In 2012, he participated in the Sight & Sound critics’ poll, where he named his 10 favourite films at that time as Charulata, Citizen Kane, The Conversation, Uzak (Distant), Distant Voices, Still Lives, Kings of the Road, Lola, The Searchers, Singin’ in the Rain, and The Travelling Players.

Even as health issues in later life affected his vision and mobility, he never lost his devotion to watching at least one film a day.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2024 about his decision to retire, Stratton said: “You obviously can’t keep going forever. I feel relaxed about it. I’ve done the best I could over a number of years and I feel a sense of satisfaction from that.”

Details of a public memorial service will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, his family’s suggestion feels like the perfect tribute: put on a favourite film — or Singin’ In the Rain — and remember a man who dedicated his life to the joy, craft, and conversation of cinema.