My Favourite Movies

by David Stratton

Australia's best-loved film critic shares the movies which are his personal favourites of all time, as well as titbits and insights from the leading directors and actors he has met over half a century.

Wondering what to watch next? Discover a new movie or a new director among David Stratton's personal favourites!

These are the movies Australia's best-loved film critic, David Stratton, has watched again and again. There are dramas, comedies, thrillers, musicals, westerns and arthouse classics from a century of filmmaking. From Casablanca to The Big Sleep, On the Waterfront to Lorenzo's Oil, and Jaws to Animal Kingdom, here are hundreds of hours of great entertainment.

Each movie is reviewed, with details and behind-the-scenes stories that will enhance your experience of movies you have seen before. David has met many of the directors and actors, and he includes anecdotes and memories you won't find anywhere else.

Keep David Stratton's My Favourite Movies on your coffee table, and you'll find yourself dipping into it time and time again.

400 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2021

About the author

David Stratton was born in 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK. At the age of nineteen he founded the Melksham and District Film Society. He emigrated to Australia in 1963, where he quickly became involved in the local film scene, he was the Director of the Sydney Film Festival for seventeen years.

During his career at SBS, David was the feature film consultant, presenter of movies, and of course co-host of the highly successful The Movie Show with Margaret Pomeranz for a record eighteen years. Since 1983, David had been a film critic for Variety (published in Los Angeles), a commissioner of the Australian Film Commission, a film critic for The Australian and a lecturer in film history at the University of Sydney. He was also the author of THE LAST NEW WAVE and THE AVOCADO PLANTATION.

David had served on several international film festival juries, including the Berlin International Jury (1982); the Montreal International Jury (1982); and the Venice International Jury (1994). He was also President of FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) Juries in Cannes (twice) and Venice. He was a past president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia.

David's long list of awards and achievements include:- 60th Anniversary Medal by the Festival du Film de Cannes (2007)- The Chauvel Award by the Brisbane International Film Festival (2007)- Raymond Longford Award of Australian Film Institute (2001)- Commander of Order of Arts and Letters by French Government (2000). David was also the co-host of At The Movies on ABC TV.

Reviews

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like everyone else my age i used to watch Margaret and David At The Movies on tv. Not only was it an entertaining show but it was a pretty reliable guide to what movies were worth going to the cinema to see. Sadly Margaret and David are no longer on TV and streaming has made cinemas almost redundant.
So for me this is partly a nostalgia read but there is enough quality here to make it a worthwhile read if you've never come across David Stratton before.
A series of simple reviews/essays on David's favorite films over the years. His taste is so good this could almost double as a list of the best films ever. Most dedicated cinephiles have probably seen a solid chunk of these movies but for the rest of us this is an excellent guide to quality cinema.
Being the grumpy old reactionary i am i am going to work my way through this list of quality movies and never endure another Marvel film so long as i live.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for lovers of fine cinema from an author who knows what he's talking about. Note that he has selected his favourite movies rather than the best movies so some of the movies are not necessarily great - they may be chosen for sentimental reasons. For example, Duel in the Sun is chosen because it was the first movie David Stratton ever saw (when he was 6).

Each movie includes a synopsis, review and a short biography of the Director.

[Libby Caldwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the descriptions/analyses of the movies pretty uninspired and repetitive to be honest, especially considering they were alleged ‘favourites’.

I can’t help but think that if the quantity of reviews (111) was reduced, the quality would’ve been more remarkable.

The anecdotes that come up every once in a while were by far the most interesting part.

[Andrew Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

much better than the previous Stratton book which is commendable for being one of the few books i've stopped reading. still pretty repetative in the structure and critics with unnecessarily convoluted plot summaries/synopsis but i at least enjoyed reading it

[indy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is enjoyable enough. I liked that I could hear David's voice as I read it, and it's a handy guide in those "what should I watch?" moments.

I'm fond of Margaret and David as a duo, especially when they don't agree about a film or find themselves talking at cross-purposes. Stratton is less entertaining and funny on his own, and the commentary about each film leaves me wanting more. I'd like more analysis, more insight into David as a person, and more about why each film is a favourite. Stratton explains early on that he limited himself to one film per director, so I would have liked to know why (for example) he opted for Bong Joon-ho's "The Host" over "Parasite". I can guess that it relates to Stratton's self-professed low-brow tastes, but who knows?

Borrow this one from the library, if you can, in case you don't see its value as an ongoing reference.