David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' and the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on DVD releases. He later became a curator within the department of film at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Early life and education

Dave Kehr did his undergraduate work at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where he studied English. He learned French in part to read Cahiers du cinéma. At the time the university did not have a film studies curriculum. He started writing on film for ''The Maroon'', the student newspaper, when he was president of the film society, Doc Films.Steve Erickson, "Interview with Dave Kehr"
, ''Senses of Cinema'', June 2001, accessed May 4, 2010.

Career

From 1974 to 1985, Kehr wrote for ''The Chicago Reader'', where he established a reputation for independent thinking and an understanding of visual style. Until 1978, he edited ''The Readers question and answer column, "

The Straight Dope ''The Straight Dope'' was a question-and-answer newspaper column written under the pseudonym Cecil Adams. Contributions were made by multiple authors, and it was illustrated (also pseudonymously) by Slug Signorino. It was first published in 197 ...

". He next wrote as a film critic for ''The Chicago Tribune'' (1986–1992). He moved to the East Coast to become film critic for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' (1993–1998). In 1995, he was a member of the jury at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. Kehr is a past chairman of the

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2024, ...

, and a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. Beginning in 1999, Kehr wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases, also contributing occasional pieces on individual filmmakers or films. While at the ''Times'', Kehr also produced a film blog, with reviews of films and occasional comment pieces. Kehr left the ''New York Times'' in late 2013 to work as Adjunct Curator in the film department of the

. In 2017, he was promoted to curator. Kehr participated in the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' critics' poll, where he listed his ten favorite films as follows: ''

The Big Trail ''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American epic pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. It is the final completed film ...

'', ''

Contempt In colloquial usage, contempt usually refers to either the act of despising, or having a general lack of respect for something. This set of emotions generally produces maladaptive behaviour. Other authors define contempt as a negative emotio ...

'', '' The Docks of New York'', ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...

'', '' Journey to Italy'', ''

Make Way for Tomorrow ''Make Way for Tomorrow'' is a 1937 American tragedy film directed by Leo McCarey. The plot concerns an elderly couple (played by Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five ch ...

'', ''

Playtime ''Playtime'' (stylized as ''PlayTime'' and also written as ''Play Time'') is a 1967 Satire (film and television), satirical comedy film directed and co-written by Jacques Tati. Tati also stars in the film, reprising the role of Monsieur Hulot ...

'', '' Sansho the Bailiff'', ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas–Indian wars, and stars John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War v ...

'', and ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

''. In 2017, Kehr was named a Chevalier of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, a cultural award given by the French government.

Published works

* * *

References

External links

Dave Kehr's Blog

Recent and archived articles, ''The New York Times''
An interview with Dave Kehr
on ''The Marketplace of Ideas''
An interview with Dave Kehr in ''The Village Voice''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kehr, Dave 1953 births 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American journalists National Society of Film Critics Members 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American art curators American film critics Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chicago Reader people Chicago Tribune people The New York Times journalists Living people University of Chicago alumni