Morten Piil(1943-2018)

He is the grand old man of Danish film criticism, author of 8 books on the cinema. 5 of them are huge volumes published since 1998. One critic wrote about his last work: "The name Morten Piil on a film book corresponds to the name Rolls Royce on a car". Aged 19, he started writing for Berlingske Tidende in 1962. He soon aroused attention in inner circles for his prolific knowledge of French, British, American, and other international sources. From 1964 to 1966 he edited "Se - det er film!" (That's Cinema!), a 3-volume selection of articles translated from English, French, German, and Italian; it soon sold out to the surprise of the publishing house. From 1967 onwards he has been writing for the Danish newspaper "Information." He also appeared on Radio Denmark and national television. From 1968 to 1996 he was on the board of consultants choosing feature films for national TV. In the period 1976-77 he was one of two powerful consultants for the Danish Film Institute, allotting government support for film production. He also translated literature, notably Vladimir Nabokov. In 1998 he published a 600-page reference book on Danish feature films from 1930 to 1998, "Danske film fra A til Z", with an updated and expanded version two years later, and in 2001 a 560-page reference book on 525 Danish film actors, "Danske filmskuespillere". In 2002 he was awarded an honorary Bodil (Danish Oscar) for his work for the Danish cinema. In 2003 he published a 665-page selection of his film criticism throughout 40 years, "Film på hjernen" (Pictures on the Brain or Crazy about Movies). Finally, in 2005 he published his 8th book, a 475-page reference work on 120 Danish film directors, "Danske filminstruktører".