'Watch your favourite movie': film critic David Stratton dies aged 85

In a statement, Mr Stratton's family said he died peacefully in a hospital near his home at Leura in the NSW Blue Mountains.

Mr Stratton and his wife, Susie Craig, moved to the Blue Mountains in 1991.

"David's passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives," the family statement said.

"He was adored as a husband, father, grand and great grandfather and admired friend.

"David's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and the public recently and across his lifetime."

The statement included a special request, the ABC reported: "[We] invite everyone to celebrate David's remarkable life and legacy by watching their favourite movie, or David's favourite movie of all time - Singin' In the Rain."

Mr Stratton was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2015 for his "significant service to the film industry", as well as his efforts as an ambassador for Australian cinema.

Speaking to the Blue Mountains Gazette at the time, he said he was "very honoured and surprised and gratified".

Mr Stratton's association with movies began as a teenager when he set up a film society in his native England. A few years later he moved to Australia and, at just 26, was appointed director of the Sydney Film Festival. He remained at the helm of the festival for 18 years, doing his best to advance the cause of the local industry.

"At that time there was a lot of effort to promote Australian film through the festival. In fact, we did a big retrospective in 1975, something that had never been done before" he told the Gazette in 2015.

Mr Stratton was undoubtedly best known for his 28-year collaboration with Margaret Pomeranz, first at SBS with The Movie Show, then later at the ABC with At the Movies.

Showing his discerning taste, he told the Gazette there was one eventual downside to the TV gig - "you had to see basically all the movies that opened every week".

"Increasingly I found many movies I didn't want to see. It's pretty hard to sit down and not like what you are going to have to see for the next two hours."

In a 2018 interview with the Gazette, Mr Stratton gave an insight into the meticulous research that went into his film reviews and books, right down to recording the movie's running time himself rather than relying on online film database IMDb.

"I always time the films to the end of the credits. I used to write for Variety and you had to do that. I've never lost the habit," he said.

Reflecting on his move to the Blue Mountains, Mr Stratton said: "Sydney had already become, in the early '90s, a bit of an acquired taste. If you had the money to live at the beach, it was fine. But we weren't particularly beach people and we didn't really have the money."

The Gazette last caught up with Mr Stratton in 2021 when he shared stories of having dinner with legendary directors Clint Eastwood and David Lynch while promoting his latest book, My Favourite Movies.