Richard Schickel

Richard Schickel – Life, Career, and Famous Writings

Explore the life and legacy of Richard Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017), the American film critic, historian, author, and documentarian. This detailed biography covers his career, key works, influence, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Richard Warren Schickel was a towering figure in American film criticism and film history: a writer, critic, documentary filmmaker, commentator, and cultural chronicler. Though not a household name to all, his work shaped how generations of readers and viewers understand cinema, celebrity, and the interplay of art and culture. Through decades of criticism, documentary work, DVD commentaries, and biographical books, he became a bridge between filmmaking and audiences, helping to interpret the language of film for a wider public.

Early Life and Education

Richard Schickel was born on February 10, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Schickel attended Wauwatosa East High School. University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his bachelor’s degree (in political science, reported by some sources) in 1955.

His early journalistic ambition led him into cultural criticism and writing, particularly focused on film and the arts.

Career and Achievements

Early Journalism & Criticism

Schickel’s entry into publishing included working as a reporter or critic for a variety of magazines and periodicals. According to after his graduation he worked for Sports Illustrated (1956–57), then Look magazine as senior editor, among other editorial and criticism roles.

By the 1960s, he was already writing about film and culture seriously. He became film critic for Life magazine (circa 1965) before moving to Time magazine, where he would remain a leading film critic for decades. Time from 1965 until about 2010.

In his criticism, Schickel combined respect for film craft (direction, acting, editing, cinematography) with engagement of the cultural context—how films reflect and shape society.

Documentary Filmmaking & Visual Projects

Beyond criticism, Schickel produced, wrote, or directed dozens of documentary films, often about filmmakers, film history, or film culture. Among his notable works:

• The Men Who Made the Movies (1973) — an eight-part PBS series exploring major directors.

• Life Goes to the Movies (NBC, mid-1970s) — a television documentary series.

• Minnelli on Minnelli: Liza Remembers Vincente (1987) — a film about Vincente Minnelli, narrated/produced by Schickel.

• Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen — a documentary exploring the experiences of war correspondents and cameramen.

• Many others on film masters (Chaplin, Eastwood, Kazan, etc.)

He also provided audio commentaries on many film DVDs, bringing his insight to reissues of classic films.

Books and Major Writings

Schickel was a prolific author. Over his career, he published more than 30 to 35 books on film, biography, criticism, art, and culture. His writings ranged from film history to creator biographies, to cultural essays. Some of his major works include:

• Movies: The History of an Art and an Institution (1964) — one of his early and ambitious undertakings.

• The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney (1968) — a critical biography of Walt Disney that challenged romantic myths about Disney’s persona and empire.

• D.W. Griffith: An American Life — a biography of the controversial early director.

• Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity (1985) — reflections on celebrity, fame, and media culture.

• Brando: A Life in Our Times — about Marlon Brando.

• Elia Kazan: A Biography

• Clint Eastwood: A Biography

• You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008) — about the studio’s history.

• Keepers: The Greatest Films — and Personal Favorites — of a Moviegoing Lifetime (2015) — a late-career collection of his favorite film essays.

His biographies were notable for combining archival research, critical insight, and narrative storytelling.

Honors & Recognition

Over his career, Schickel earned various honors:

• He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964.

• He lectured at top institutions, including Yale University and USC School of Film and Television.

• He won the British Film Institute Book Prize and other awards for D.W. Griffith: An American Life.

• His works and commentaries have been widely used in film studies, retrospectives, and DVD collections.

Style, Influence & Legacy

Critical Approach & Voice

Richard Schickel’s style was distinctive: not a shrill or overly theoretical critic, but one who balanced respect for film artistry with a skeptical, probing eye. He valued craftsmanship but was also alert to cultural, ideological, and industry forces shaping cinema.

He frequently engaged with the contradictions of celebrities and the machinery of Hollywood. His work on celebrity (e.g. Intimate Strangers) explored how fame warps perception and public identity.

Schickel was sometimes described as gruff or caustic in person, but always anchored by deep knowledge and serious empathy for cinema.

Bridging Scholarship and Public Readership

One of his lasting legacies is making film criticism accessible to non-specialist readers without forfeiting intellectual rigor. He wrote for major magazines and general audiences, yet his books remain valued by scholars and cinephiles.

His documentaries and DVD commentaries also brought contextual depth to classic films for new audiences.

Mentorship & Influence

Many younger critics, film historians, and enthusiasts cite Schickel’s essays and criticism as formative. His blending of biography, cultural history, and film analysis set a standard for “serious popular” film writing.

He occupied a transitional space: rooted in the era of print criticism and editorial constraints, but adaptable enough to embrace new media and formats (e.g., DVD supplements).

Conversation & Critique

Because he often wrote candidly about revered figures, Schickel sometimes stirred controversy. His biography The Disney Version, for instance, challenged mainstream hagiography of Walt Disney, critiquing the sanitized mythology around Disney’s persona and empire.

Yet he also showed admiration and respect for many creators, recognizing contradictions. His biography on D.W. Griffith, for example, treats Griffith as a deeply flawed but influential figure.

Selected Quotes & Reflections

Here are some notable lines or reflections attributed to Schickel, giving insight into his mindset:

• On film criticism and cinema:

  “My movie is full of echoing silences, punctuated by acts of violence … It is also a work that is easy to understand too quickly and utterly depends for its haunting resonance on the great performance that stands at its center.”
  This was his commentary on There Will Be Blood.

• On Brando:

  “He would go on to give us a few great things, and a few near great things … But eventually he would abandon himself … The greatness of few major cultural figures of our century rests on such a spindly foundation.”

• On his own relation to movies:
  In his memoir Keepers, he wrote that though many films are silly, “I expect, in fact, to be going to a movie the day before I die… They are a harmless addiction. Except when they are not; then they are instructive in ways that can be wondrous.”

These expressions reveal both his love for cinema and a clear-eyed awareness of its limits and power.

Lessons from Richard Schickel’s Life

1. Serve both art and audience
   Schickel showed how one can maintain serious critical standards while writing for popular platforms.

2. Don’t idolize without examining
   His willingness to critique celebrated figures—Disney, Griffith, Eastwood—demonstrates the value of nuanced appraisal over idol worship.

3. Embrace multiple formats
   He traversed books, magazine essays, commentary tracks, and documentaries. His versatility kept him relevant across generations.

4. Deep knowledge enriches judgment
   His command of film history, theory, and industry practice allowed judgments rooted in context, not mere impressions.

5. Criticism is a form of engagement, not disdain
   Schickel’s critiques often came from love—he cared deeply about what cinema could and did offer.

Conclusion

Richard Schickel (born February 10, 1933 — died February 18, 2017) left an indelible mark on how we think about cinema, fame, and the art of storytelling. As critic, historian, and documentarian, he was a bridge between artists and audiences, guiding readers through the language of film and its cultural resonances. His books remain reference points; his documentaries and commentaries continue to inform; his voice remains part of the critical conversation.