Jay Scott

Jay Scott was the pen name of Jeffrey Scott Beaven (October 4, 1949 – July 30, 1993),[1] a Canadian film critic.

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska Scott was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico[1] as a Seventh-Day Adventist, whose doctrine virtually prohibited movies.[2] Scott studied art history at New College of Florida in Sarasota.[3]

Career

Moving to Canada in 1969 as a draft dodger, he settled in Calgary and began writing film reviews for the Calgary Albertan a few years later.[1] He won a National Newspaper Award in 1975, and moved to Toronto when he was hired by The Globe and Mail in 1977.[1]

With the Globe and Mail, Scott became Canada's most influential film critic,[1][2] winning two more National Newspaper Awards for his writing,[1] and is still widely remembered as one of the best and most influential film critics in the history of Canadian journalism.[4] He was also the host of Jay Scott's Film International, a film series on TVOntario,[3] and published three non-fiction books on both film and art: Midnight Matinees, Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin, and The Prints of Christopher Pratt.[3]

From 1967 to 1980, he was in a relationship with Mary Bloom, whom he had met while studying in Sarasota.[3] After his divorce from Bloom, he came out as gay and began a relationship with Gene Corboy.[3]

Death

He died of AIDS-related causes in 1993.[5] He wrote for the Globe and Mail until his death, and had been working on a book about Norman Jewison.[1] On the night of his death, TVOntario pulled a scheduled rerun of Film International to broadcast a tribute to Scott, including a screening of one of his all-time favourite films, Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless.[1]

Roger Ebert eulogized Scott as a "supremely well-informed critic who was able to translate his knowledge into superb prose that transmitted his passion for the movies."[1] Clint Eastwood sent an unsolicited $5,000 donation to Toronto's Casey House AIDS hospice in Scott's memory.[6] At the 1993 Toronto International Film Festival, John Greyson dedicated his Special Jury Citation for Zero Patience to Scott's memory.[7]

A collection of his reviews, Great Scott! The Best of Jay Scott's Movie Reviews, was published posthumously in 1994.[8] Proceeds from the book sales were donated to the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.[8]

Jay Scott Prize

In 2009 the Toronto Film Critics Association established a $5,000 annual award in Scott's honour, the Jay Scott Prize for emerging talent.[9] For 2012 the prize was sponsored by Deluxe;[10] as of 2013 the prize was sponsored by Scotiabank[11] and as of 2016 the prize is presumably sponsored by Anheuser-Busch InBev, brewers of Stella Artois, and is known as the Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize.[12]

Recipients of the award:[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Critic Jay Scott, 43 among world's best". Toronto Star, July 31, 1993.
  2. 1 2 Leonard Klady (2 August 1993). "Jay Scott [obituary]". Variety. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Globe's Jay Scott dies suddenly at 43: A rare film critic respected by all". The Globe and Mail, July 31, 1993.
  4. ↑ "O Critic, Where Art Thou?", Ryerson Review of Journalism, 2002.
  5. ↑ "Critic Scott eulogized as `secular saint'"]. Edmonton Journal, August 5, 1993.
  6. ↑ "Eastwood donates to hospice in film critic's memory". Ottawa Citizen, August 20, 1993.
  7. ↑ "Critic Jay Scott is not forgotten as Canadian and foreign film-makers pick up their awards at the Festival of Festivals". Ottawa Citizen, September 20, 1993.
  8. 1 2 "Critic's great voice lives on in collection". Ottawa Citizen, October 9, 1994.
  9. ↑ "New award named for Jay Scott". The Globe and Mail. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Chris Knight (8 January 2013). "Sarah Polley awarded $100K Rogers Best Canadian Film Award from TFCA for Stories We Tell". National Post. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Linda Barnard (27 November 2013). "Norman Jewison honoured by Toronto movie critics". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize". Toronto Film Critics Association. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
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