What is your favorite criticism of Pauline Kael?
Pauline Kael was a renowned film critic whose impact on the art of film criticism is still felt today. Kael’s writing style was characterized by wit, passion, and intellectual rigor, and his work has been hailed for its influence on the field of film criticism.
Throughout her career, Kael wrote for several publications, including The New Yorker, where she became one of the magazine’s most influential writers. Her reviews were known for their insight and sharpness, and she wasn’t afraid to take on established directors and films. In this article, we will explore the life and work of Pauline Kael and examine her contributions to the field of film criticism.
Pauline Kael has become the subject of concern for all moviegoers after several sources speculated that Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, The film critic, will follow Kael or a protagonist like Kael through her time in Hollywood in the 1970s. But who is she? Why is it important for the history of cinema and its evolution?
Let’s dive into it.
Who was Pauline Kael?
Pauline Kael (1919-2001) was a prominent American film critic known for her impassioned and often controversial reviews. She began her career writing for various small publications and worked as a freelance editor before being hired as a critic for The New Yorker in 1968, where she remained until her retirement in 1991.
Kael was known for her lively and energetic prose and her willingness to challenge conventional critical wisdom. She has championed many young and innovative filmmakers, such as Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalmaAnd Robert Altmanwhile taking on established figures like Alfred Hitchcock And John Ford.
Kael’s reviews were often highly personal and steeped in her own opinions and emotions, leading some critics to accuse her of being biased or unprofessional. Nonetheless, her writing had a significant impact on how films were discussed and appreciated in the United States, and she remains a revered figure in the world of film criticism.
If you want to know more, I highly recommend you check out the documentary, What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael.
Pauline Kael’s most famous film reviews
Kael’s sensitivity as a film critic was unparalleled. She fully engaged in every movie she watched, giving herself over to the film and treating him with respect if she felt he treated her with respect. She was probably one of the reasons the American auteur filmmakers we love, adore, and study today were able to make a name for themselves in Hollywood as avid, rule-breaking moviegoers who simply wanted to make high and low art.
To better understand who Kael influenced cinema, read some of his most famous film reviews:
- Bonnie and Clyde (1967): “The public is aware of this. Our experience while watching it has to do with how we reacted to movies as children: how we came to love them and feel they were ours – not an art we have learned over the years to appreciate but simply and immediately ours. “
- Last Tango in Paris (1972): “The cinematic breakthrough has finally arrived. Exploitation films provided mechanized sex – sex as physical stimulation but without passion or emotional violence.“
- Nashville (1975): “Is there an orgy for cinephiles, but an orgy without excess? In Robert Altman’s nearly three-hour new film, Nashvilleyou are not intoxicated with images, you are not mastered – you are elated. I had never seen a movie that I loved like this before: I was sitting there, smiling at the screen, happily. It’s a pure emotional high, and you don’t come back down when the shot is over; you take it with you.“
- something wild (1986): “This comedy isn’t just about a wacky, rebellious carefree heroine and a pompous man; it’s about getting through – getting high with anarchic and larceny behavior and then being faced with ruthless and sadistic criminality. something wild is really twisted: it breaks convention and turns into a chilling slapstick thriller.”
Why is Quentin Tarantino interested in Pauline Kael?
Quentin Tarantino is known to be a big fan of Pauline Kael and has cited her as one of his biggest influences as a filmmaker. Tarantino said he was particularly drawn to Kael’s energetic and personal writing style, which he said reflected his approach to filmmaking.
In interviews, Tarantino has discussed how he devoured Kael’s reviews as a young film student and was inspired by his willingness to assume established critical opinions and defend films that other critics had overlooked or rejected. He also credited Kael with helping shape his understanding of cinema as an art form that can be both intellectually stimulating and emotionally thrilling.
According to numerous reports, Kael could be the center of Tarantino’s latest film, The film critic.
Summary of the career of film critic Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael was a singular talent whose impact on the world of film criticism is still felt today. His writing was characterized by his audacity, his passion and his unshakable belief in the power of films to move us, to challenge us and to entertain us.
Kael’s willingness to engage with films on a personal level and champion films that other critics have dismissed helped create a new type of film criticism that celebrated films as both an art form and popular entertainment.
Although Kael was not without criticism, his legacy as a writer and thinker remains an essential part of film history. By continuing to engage with his writings and insights, we can deepen our appreciation of films and how they shape and reflect our culture. In this way, Kael’s legacy lives on, as a reminder of the transformative power of cinema and the enduring importance of great criticism.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
