Andrew Sarris facts for kids

Andrew Sarris (born October 31, 1928 – died June 20, 2012) was an important American film critic. He was best known for supporting the auteur theory. This idea suggests that the director is the main "author" or artist of a film.

Early Life and Education

Andrew Sarris was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who had moved from Greece. He grew up in Ozone Park, Queens. After high school, he went to Columbia University, graduating in 1951.

After college, Sarris served in the Army for three years. Then, he moved to Paris for a year. While there, he became friends with famous French filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. When he returned to New York, he decided to become a film critic.

Career as a Film Critic

Sarris started writing for Film Culture magazine. Later, he joined The Village Voice newspaper. His first article there was a very positive review of the movie Psycho in 1960. At the time, it was unusual to call a director like Alfred Hitchcock a "great artist."

He visited Paris again and saw new French New Wave films. These experiences changed how he thought about movies. He realized that some older, famous films were not as good as he once thought. He also saw how important the director's vision was.

Sarris continued to write film reviews until 2009 for The New York Observer. He also taught film at Columbia University until 2011. He helped start the National Society of Film Critics.

His Impact on Film Criticism

Andrew Sarris had a big influence on how people think about movies. He helped bring the "auteur theory" from France to America. This theory focuses on the director as the main creative force behind a film.

Many other film critics have said that Sarris influenced their work. Famous filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich also admired his ideas. His career is even discussed in a documentary called For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism.

Personal Life

Andrew Sarris married Molly Haskell, who was also a film critic, in 1969. They lived in New York City. He passed away on June 20, 2012, at the age of 83.

Works

• The Films of Josef Von Sternberg
• The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968
• Confessions of a Cultist
• The Primal Screen
• Politics and Cinema
• The John Ford Movie Mystery
• You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet: The American Talking Film – History and Memory, 1927–1949
• Cahiers du Cinéma in English (editor) New York: Cahiers Publishing Co., Inc., 1966-
• Citizen Sarris: Essays in Honor of Andrew Sarris. Baltimore: Scarecrow Press, 2000.

See also

In Spanish: Andrew Sarris para niños