I think he'd be very happy to be remembered as a film critic.
October 27, 2015 7:23 AM   Subscribe

Philip French iconic Film Reviewer for the Observer (Sunday Guardian) has died aged 82.
On his retirement after 50 years as a critic The Wrap asked him some questions and here is an interview and some of his work.
posted by adamvasco (7 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Dear Philip French, here are some film reviews I wrote (much) earlier…

A few months ago a rather special present arrived on my 80th birthday, my final day as film critic of the Observer. It was a small, lined notebook, seven by four-and-a half inches. On the first page was a drawing of the matinee idol Clive Brook under the title "Film Criticisms 1932". It had been sent from south London by the 97-year-old Zoë Di Biase. She'd been a regular Observer reader since the age of 18, she said, and this was a gift to mark my retirement. "I've always enjoyed the cinema and you were a great follow-on to CA Lejeune," she wrote, referring to my predecessor who was this paper's critic from 1928 to 1960. "Turning out the other day," she added, "I found the enclosed notebook I had written over a year and thought you might be interested in the films of that year. Please don't return it, if not – just dump it as I would. I hope your retirement is enjoyable, and that you continue in good health. I shall miss your column."
posted by dng at 7:51 AM on October 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


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posted by Mister Bijou at 9:33 AM on October 27, 2015


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posted by biffa at 10:02 AM on October 27, 2015


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posted by brilliantmistake at 1:35 PM on October 27, 2015


Many years ago, Alexander Walker of the Evening Standard bet his fellow critics that they couldn’t guess the number of allusions to other art forms in Philip French’s next film column for the Observer. The nearest guess would get a prize. No one came close and the prize was withheld. The answer was 17.
posted by adamvasco at 3:52 PM on October 27, 2015


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posted by lalochezia at 5:31 PM on October 27, 2015


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posted by On the Corner at 3:44 AM on October 28, 2015


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