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Vincent Canby

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American film and theatre critic (1924–2000)

Vincent Canby
Born	(1924-07-27)July 27, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 15, 2000(2000-10-15) (aged 76) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Critic
Alma mater	Dartmouth College
Period	1948–2000
Subject	Film theatre
Partner	Penelope Gilliatt

Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic forThe New York Times from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. He reviewed more than one thousand films during his tenure there.^[1]

Early life

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Canby was born in Chicago, the son of Katharine Anne (née Vincent) and Lloyd Canby.^[2] He attended boarding school inChristchurch, Virginia, with novelistWilliam Styron, and the two became friends. He introduced Styron to the works ofE.B. White andErnest Hemingway; the pairhitchhiked toRichmond to buyFor Whom the Bell Tolls.^[3]

He became an ensign in theUnited States Navy Reserve on October 13, 1942, and reported aboard theLanding Ship, Tank 679 on July 15, 1944.^[4] He was promoted tolieutenant (junior grade) on January 1, 1946, while on LST 679 sailing near Japan.^[5] After the war, he returned to his alma materDartmouth College and graduated in 1947.

Career

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He obtained his first job as a journalist in 1948 for theChicago Journal of Commerce. In 1951, he left Chicago for New York and was employed as a film critic byVariety for six years, before beginning to work forThe New York Times.^[6] In February 1969, he was designatedThe New York Times' film critic, succeedingRenata Adler.^[7]

Canby was an enthusiastic supporter of filmmakersStanley Kubrick,Spike Lee,Jane Campion,Mike Leigh,Rainer Werner Fassbinder,James Ivory andWoody Allen, who credited Canby's rave review ofTake the Money and Run as a crucial point in his career.^[8] On the other hand, Canby was also highly critical of some otherwise acclaimed films, such asRocky,^[9]The Empire Strikes Back,^[10]Return of the Jedi,^[11]^[12]Night of the Living Dead,After Hours,^[13]Blazing Saddles,^[14]A Christmas Story,^[15]Witness,^[16]Mask,^[17]The Natural,Rain Man,^[18]The Exorcist,^[19]One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,^[20]Deliverance,^[21]The Godfather Part II,^[22]Alien andThe Thing.^[23] Among the best-known texts written by Canby was an extremely negative review of the movieHeaven's Gate byMichael Cimino.^[24]

In December 1994, Canby switched his attention from film to theatre, having been named the Sunday theatre critic. He was replaced as theTimes' chief film critic byJanet Maslin.^[25]^[6]

Canby was also an occasional playwright and novelist, penning the novelsLiving Quarters (1975) andUnnatural Scenery (1979) and the playsEnd of the War (1978),After All (1981) andThe Old Flag (1984), a drama set during theAmerican Civil War.^[25]

The career of Vincent Canby is discussed in the filmFor the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism by contemporary critics such asThe Nation'sStuart Klawans, who talks of Canby's influence.

Personal life

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Canby never married, but was, for many years, the companion of English authorPenelope Gilliatt, who died in 1993.^[26] He died from cancer at a hospital inManhattan on October 15, 2000.^[27]^[26] Almost three years later, upon the death ofBob Hope, Canby'sbyline appeared on the front page ofThe New York Times. Canby had written the bulk of Hope'sobituary several years before.^[28]