Andrew Sarris

Date of Birth: October 31, 1928

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Date of Death: June 20, 2012

Biography

Andrew Sarris was an influential American film critic, born on October 31, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for popularizing the auteur theory in the United States, a concept that suggests the director is the “author” of a film, imprinting it with their personal vision. Sarris began his career as a critic at The Village Voice in the early 1960s and quickly became one of the most important voices in American film criticism. His book “The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968” was a seminal work that classified and ranked directors, influencing both critics and filmmakers alike. Sarris also contributed to various publications including The New York Observer and Film Comment, and he taught film history at Columbia University. He passed away on June 20, 2012, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape film criticism.

5 Interesting Facts about Andrew Sarris

1. Andrew Sarris was a major proponent of the auteur theory in America, which he introduced through his essays and book “The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968”.

2. He had a long-standing rivalry with fellow critic Pauline Kael, who was more skeptical of the auteur theory.

3. Sarris was one of the original members of the National Society of Film Critics.

4. He was married to fellow film critic Molly Haskell, who shared his passion for cinema.

5. Andrew Sarris was also a professor, teaching film history at Columbia University, where he influenced many future critics and filmmakers.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Andrew Sarris

1. “A great director gives a film personality. It is not just that he gives it beauty, or truth, or whatever other values are important, but that he gives it his own personality.”

2. “The auteur theory values the personality of a director precisely because of the barriers to its expression.”

3. “The American cinema is not a cinema of ideas but of emotions.”

4. “In the best films, we are not just watching a story unfold; we are experiencing a director’s worldview.”

5. “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Andrew Sarris’s net worth was never publicly disclosed, but as one of the most influential film critics of his time, his contributions to film criticism were invaluable.