Historian Gene Stavis has passed away

[Mike Gebert]

There's a report that Gene Stavis, who started the American Cinematheque and taught and wrote about film for many years, has passed away. He never participated here, but was a frequent participant (FilmGene) at alt.movies.silent 10 or 15 years ago, and I always appreciated his willingness to share his knowledge with neophytes (like me). A class act.

There's a nice piece about him here at The Chiseler.

[Rick Lanham]

I enjoyed his posts on alt.movies.silent also and remember exchanging some emails with him about some topics. Rest in Peace, Gene.

Rick

[Thad Komorowski]

Terrible news. One of the all-time greats. Way too soon.

[JLNeibaur]

Sad news -- Gene was always very helpful and encouraging toward my work.

RIP

JN

[FilmGauge]

I have known Gene for over 30 years....what a nice guy! We'll miss you!

[DShepFilm]

This was a shock. We visited for an hour on Christmas eve when Gene was in great spirits, as enthusiastic and optimistic as ever. He had a brilliant sense of humor and for fifty years, was one of my most entertaining and trusted friends. That day Gene said he never expected to live as long as he had; he seemed both happy and surprised to still be on the top side of the grass, although he was slightly concerned having outlived his money. I'll miss him a lot. Here's an interview that gives a good sense of his character:

http://www.adamblairviews.com/archive010.htm" target="_blank

David Shepard