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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