David Thomson (born 18 February 1941) is a British film critic and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

based in the United States, and the author of more than 20 books. His reference works in particular — ''Have You Seen...?: A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films'' (2008) and ''

The New Biographical Dictionary of Film ''The New Biographical Dictionary of Film'' is a reference book written by film critic David Thomson, originally published by Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd in 1975 under the title ''A Biographical Dictionary of Cinema.'' Organized by personality, ...

'' (6th edition, 2014) — have been praised as works of high literary merit and eccentricity despite some criticism for self-indulgence .

Benjamin Schwarz Benjamin Schwarz (born 10 July 1986) is a German footballer who most recently played for Preußen Münster, as a left back. Career Born in Munich, Schwarz began his career 1991 with SV Ludwigsvorstadt and played here four years before signed fo ...

, writing in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', called him "probably the greatest living film critic and historian" who "writes the most fun and enthralling prose about the movies since

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...

John Banville William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, adapter of dramas and screenwriter. Though he has been described as "the heir to Proust, via Nabokov", Banville himself maintains that W. B. Yeats and Henry J ...

called him "the greatest living writer on the movies" and

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller P ...

said he "is our most argumentative and trustworthy historian of the screen." In 2010, ''The New Biographical Dictionary of Film'' was named the greatest book on the cinema by a poll in ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

''.

Biography

Thomson was born in London. He taught film studies at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

, and has been a regular contributor to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film Co ...

'', ''Movieline'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'', and ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

''. Thomson has served on the selection committee for the

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, i ...

, and scripted an award-winning documentary, '' The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind''. Thomson has written several biographies (see below), novels (''Suspects'', ''Silver Light''), and unproduced screenplays, including ''Fierce Heat'', which was to be produced by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

and directed by

Stephen Frears Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is an English director and producer of film and television often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply drawn characters. He's received numerous accola ...

. He has confessed that he prefers writing books to film writing. Thomson lives in San Francisco with his wife and their two sons. On 1 April 2014, the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...

announced that Thomson would receive the Mel Novikoff Award at the 57th annual SFIFF.

Personal top-10 films

In the 2012 ''

'' poll, Thomson revealed his 10 favourite films of all time: * '' Blue Velvet'' (1986) * '' Céline and Julie Go Boating'' (1974) * ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Conformist ''The Conformist'' (''Il conformista'') is a novel by Alberto Moravia published in 1951, which details the life and desire for normality of a government official during Italy's fascist period. It is also known for the 1970 film adaptation by B ...

'' (1970) * '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) * '' His Girl Friday'' (1940) * '' Pierrot le Fou'' (1965) * ''

The Rules of the Game ''The Rules of the Game'' (original French title: ''La règle du jeu'') is a 1939 French satirical comedy-drama film directed by Jean Renoir. The ensemble cast includes Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Shop Around the Corner ''The Shop Around the Corner'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan. The supporting cast included Joseph Schildkraut, Sara Haden, ...

'' (1940) * ''

Ugetsu Monogatari is a collection of nine supernatural tales first published in 1776. It is the best known work of Japanese author Ueda Akinari. Largely adapted from traditional Japanese and Chinese ghost stories, the collection is among the most important work ...

'' (1953)

Bibliography

* ''Movie Man'' (1967) * ''A Bowl of Eggs'' (1970) * ''Hungry as Hunters'' (1972) * ''Wild Excursions: The Life and Fiction of Lawrence Sterne'' (1972) * ''A Biographical Dictionary of Film'' (1975; 6th ed., 2014) * ''Scott's Men'' (1977, reissued in 2002 as ''Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen'') * ''America in the Dark: Hollywood and the Gift of Unreality'' (1978) * ''Overexposures: A Crisis in American Filmmaking'' (1981) * ''Suspects'' (1985) * ''Warren Beatty and Desert Eyes'' (1987) * ''Silver Light'' (1990) * ''Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick'' (1993) * ''4-2'' (1996) * ''Rosebud: The Story of Orson Welles'' (1997) * ''Beneath Mulholland: Thoughts on Hollywood and Its Ghosts'' (1998) * ''The Alien Quartet: A Bloomsbury Movie Guide'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 208 pages, 1999, , as ''The Alien Quartet (Pocket Movie Guide)'', 2000 * ''The Big Sleep'' (BFI guide) (2000) * ''In Nevada: The Land, The People, God, and Chance'' (2001) * ''Hollywood: A Celebration'' (DK, 2001) * ''Cinema: Year by Year (Intro only)'' (DK, 2005) * ''Marlon Brando'' (2003) * ''The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood'' (2004) * ''Fan Tan'' (introduction; a novel written by

Donald Cammell Donald Seton Cammell (17 January 1934 – 24 April 1996) was a Scottish painter, screenwriter, and film director. He has a cult reputation largely due to his debut film '' Performance'', which he wrote the screenplay for and co-directed wi ...

and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

) (2005) * ''Nicole Kidman'' (2006) * ''"Have You Seen...?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films'' (2008) * ''Try to Tell the Story'' (2009) * ''The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder'' (2009) * ''Humphrey Bogart (Great Stars)'' (2009) * ''Ingrid Bergman (Great Stars)'' (2009) * ''Gary Cooper (Great Stars)'' (2009) * ''Bette Davis (Great Stars)'' (2009) * ''The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies and What They Did to Us'' (2012) * ''Moments That Made the Movies'' (2013) * ''Why Acting Matters'' (2015) * ''How to Watch a Movie'' (2015) * ''Breaking Bad: The Official Book'' (2015) * ''Television: A Biography'' (2016) * ''Sleeping With Strangers: How the Movies Shaped Desire'' (2019) * ''Murder and the Movies'' (2020) * ''A Light in the Dark: A History of Film Directors'' (2021)

References

External links

David Thomson
at publisher Random House *
Interview with Thomson
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, David 1941 births Living people Alumni of the London Film School American biographers American film critics American male non-fiction writers American male screenwriters American memoirists British expatriates in the United States British film historians English film critics Film theorists People educated at Dulwich College Writers from London