Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm (12 May 1932 – 15 July 2023) was an English film critic and historian.

Early life

Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm was born on 12 May 1932. He was the son of Douglas Malcolm (died 1967) and Dorothy Vera (died 1964; née Elliston-Taylor), Malcolm was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and Merton College,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. As a child, he expressed an interest in film, often going to the newsreel cinema on Victoria station.

Career

Malcolm worked for several decades as a film critic for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', having previously been an amateur National Hunt

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

, where he had 13 victories, then an actor, and the paper's first

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

correspondent.Derek Malcolm, 1932 to 2023
BFI In 1977, he was a member of the jury at the 27th Berlin International Film Festival. Malcolm defended the " video nasty" '' Nightmare'' (1981) during an obscenity trial and expressed disappointment over the ruling against the distributors. In the mid-1980s he was host of ''The Film Club'' on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

, which was dedicated to art house films, and was director of the London Film Festival for several years. After leaving ''The Guardian'' in 2000, Malcolm published his final series of articles, ''The Century of Films'', in which he discussed films he admired from his favourite directors from around the world. He became chief film critic for the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'', before being replaced in 2009 by novelist Andrew O'Hagan. He still contributed film reviews for the newspaper, but it emerged in July 2013 that his contribution to the title was to be reduced further. In 2008, Malcolm was a member of the jury at the

30th Moscow International Film Festival The 30th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 19 to 28 June 2008. The Golden George was awarded to the Iranian film '' As Simple as That'' directed by Reza Mirkarimi. Jury * Liv Ullmann (Norway – Chairman of the Jury) * Michael ...

. Malcolm was president of the British Federation of Film Societies and the International Film Critics' Circle and the honorary president of the International Federation of Film Critics. In 2003, he published an autobiographical book, ''Family Secrets'', which recounts how in 1917 his father shot his mother's lover dead, but was found not guilty of murder.

Personal life

Malcolm was married to the journalist and author Sarah Gristwood from 1994 until his death.

Death

Malcolm died from heart and lung failure at his home in Deal, Kent, on 15 July 2023, at the age of 91.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Derek 1932 births 2023 deaths 20th-century English journalists 21st-century English journalists Alumni of Merton College, Oxford BBC television presenters British Film Institute Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United Kingdom Deaths from respiratory failure English film critics English male journalists English television presenters English sportswriters Film festival directors Journalists from London People educated at Eton College People from Deal, Kent Respiratory disease deaths in England The Guardian journalists