The Man Who Wrote About the Movies

Richard Schickel was a long time film critic who wrote for decades at Time Magazine as well as many books particularly biographies on major figures in motion pictures. He passed away at 84 and leaves a body of written work that examined the art of movies, a subject to which he devoted his life.   He also produced many documentaries on the subject especially an excellent series on PBS over forty years ago called The Men Who Made the Movies which explored some great directors including Hitchcock, Capra, Wellman, Minnelli, and Hawks among others. He was one of the respected voices that helped me determine if a film was worth my time. Others like Vincent Canby, Pauline Kael, Charles Champlin, Andrew Sarris and Schickel (before Siskel and Ebert became famous) were a beacon to what aligned with my taste in good movies.  There are some good critics now but few who have the insight and consummate devotion as Schickel.