272:) – the fact that some directors are establishable as artists and others are not – he became captivated by the idea of relating a film to a whole culture at a particular time, opposed to a specific director. Through ultimately recognizing the importance of the work done by those who had recognized him, Wood traded the hypocrisies of accepting a 'comfortable life' – by allowing one's scruples to be purchased by the highest bidder – for integrity: a quality he valued the highest among artists and critics, alike, of significant merit. In answer to a student who complained in 1976, "I'm not interested in politics!", Wood responded with words to the effect: "The very fact of living is a political act!"
224:. Here he met the future film scholar Andrew Britton, whose influence on Wood, by Wood's own account, was as great as Wood's on his student. Britton is said to have led him away from liberal attitudes and towards a further-Left position but this is a fallacy. The development of Wood's critical thinking is indicated in 'An Interview with Robin Wood' by Elizabeth Aherene and Jenny Norman, dated 9 May 1974 and published in the first issue of the film journal
557:
264:– the science of signs – which explains cultures in terms of sign systems. This approach of breaking films down into signs leads the critic to ask "What does it mean and why is it there?" – analyzing, for example, techniques such as camera distance/movement, etc. So, instead of purely celebrating '
209:. In September 1974, Wood and his wife divorced. Around this time, he also had a relationship with John Anderson, the dedicatee in at least one of Wood's books. Later he was to meet Richard Lippe, with whom he lived from 1977 until his death in 2009.
169:, France, teaching English, Wood returned to schools in England, and again in Sweden, where he met Aline Macdonald, whom he married on 17 May 1960. (They had three children: Carin, Fiona, and Simon.)
279:, Toronto in 1977, where he taught until his retirement in the early 1990s. In 1985, he helped form a collective with several other students and colleagues to found and publish
248:, through the publication of his Hitchcock essay, which launched his career as a film critic. This prompted him to study and gradually embrace notions of the
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Changes in Wood's critical thinking divide his career into two parts. Wood's early books are still prized by film students for their close readings in the
85:(23 February 1931 – 18 December 2009) was an English film critic and educator who lived in Canada for much of his life. He wrote books on the works of
398:. The turning point in Wood's views can arguably be pinpointed in his essay "Responsibilities of a Gay Film Critic", originally a speech at London's
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by June 1975. Further insight can be obtained through lectures given by Wood during
February–March 1975, prior to the arrival of Britton.
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tradition and their elegant prose style. Wood brought psychological insight into the motivations of characters in movies such as
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Some of Wood's students have also become notable film scholars, including Andrew
Britton and Tony Williams. His former student
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Robin Wood, film critic and academic, was born on
February 23, 1931. He died of leukaemia on December 18, 2009, aged 78.
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in
English and a diploma in education. From 1954 to 1958, Wood taught in schools in both England and
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began a series of reprints of his early books, with new introductions. The first in the series was
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Elizabeth
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From 1973 to 1977, Wood was a lecturer on film studies at the
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692:"Robin Wood, Film Critic Who Wrote on Hitchcock, Dies at 78"
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in 1962, primarily on the strength of an essay he wrote for
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Sexual
Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond
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has reprinted and updated Wood's book on
Hitchcock, and
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Sexual
Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond
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It was Wood's initial rejection by the
British journal
996:"Rio Bravo tops late critic Robin Wood's Top 10 list"
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is now an underground film director. Former student
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357:poll of the best film-related books ever written.
340:was published posthumously by his estate in 2011.
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402:and later published in the January 1978 issue of
310:The American Nightmare: Essays on the Horror Film
157:and A. P. Rossiter, and graduated in 1953 with a
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326:The Wings of the Dove: Henry James in the 1990s
324:(Columbia University Press, New York, 1998),
268:' (which originated as 'auteur policy', from
177:Wood began to contribute to the film journal
117:—of the editorial collective which publishes
347:on 18 December 2009 in Toronto. Wood's book
861:Lecture by Robin Wood on 21 November 1975,
664:Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan…and Beyond
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897:A Life in Film Criticism: Robin Wood at 75
336:(BFI Publishing, London, 2003). His novel
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788:. Columbia University Press. p. ix.
975:Rosenbaum, Jonathan (24 December 2009).
193:. In 1965, he published his first book,
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151:Jesus College, Cambridge
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981:jonathanrosenbaum.net
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242:and recognition by
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697:The New York Times
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165:. After a year in
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232:Recognition
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107:Arthur Penn
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677:References
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396:gay rights
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133:Early life
120:CineACTION
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834:Framework
817:The Times
703:1 January
658:Rio Bravo
576:July 2012
519:Rio Bravo
458:, either
345:leukaemia
334:Rio Bravo
262:semiology
226:Framework
128:Biography
44:, England
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218:Coventry
139:Richmond
38:Richmond
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432:Hogtown
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384:gay man
296:Praeger
111:Toronto
73:Partner
57:Toronto
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767:17 May
666:, 2003
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371:Psycho
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167:Lille
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