Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian. Piers Handling
"Gerald Arthur Pratley"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

, he was historically most noted as founder and director of the Ontario Film Institute, a film archive and reference library which was acquired by the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

in 1990 and became the contemporary

Film Reference Library The Film Reference Library (FRL) is Canada’s film research collection located on the 4th floor of TIFF Bell Lightbox, a cultural centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The library is a free resource for students, filmmakers, scholars, and journali ...

and

TIFF Cinematheque TIFF Cinematheque (formerly Cinematheque Ontario) is a year-round programme of the Toronto International Film Festival devoted to the presentation, understanding and appreciation of Canadian and international cinema through carefully curated progr ...

. Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Pratley emigrated to Canada in 1946 and joined the CBC two years later. For the CBC he hosted various radio shows about cinema, including ''The Movie Scene'', ''Music from the Films'' and ''Pratley at the Movies'', between 1948 and 1975. He was a writer for various publications including ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', ''Canadian Film Weekly'', ''Canadian Film Digest'', ''Hollywood Digest'' and ''

Films in Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

''."Gerald Pratley, former Variety writer, dies at 87"
''

'', March 15, 2011. He established the Ontario Film Institute in 1968, served as director of the Stratford Film Festival from 1969 to 1975, and was a jury chair for the

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

between 1969 and 1976. He was also the author of several books about Canadian film, including ''Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film'' and ''A Century of Canadian Cinema: Gerald Pratley's Feature Film Guide'', as well as studies of the work of

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (1 ...

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

and

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

. After the Ontario Film Institute was acquired by TIFF, Pratley taught film history courses at

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

for a number of years. He was appointed a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1984, and was promoted to Officer in 2003."Film champion Gerald Pratley dies"

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, March 14, 2011. At the 22nd Genie Awards in 2002, he was also the recipient of a special lifetime achievement award to honour his work as a promoter of Canadian film, and in 1998 he was the recipient of the

Toronto Film Critics Association The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI. History The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toront ...

's Clyde Gilmour Award for distinguished contributions to Canadian film criticism.Norman Wilner
"A tribute to Gerald Pratley"
''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'', March 15, 2011. He died on March 14, 2011 in Belleville, Ontario.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratley, Gerald 1923 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian film critics Canadian film historians CBC Radio hosts Officers of the Order of Canada British emigrants to Canada People from London Canadian Screen Award winners Toronto Metropolitan University faculty