Overview
Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was undoubtedly one of the greatest names in film criticism. A Californian native, she wrote her first review in 1953 and joined ‘The New Yorker’ in 1968. Praised for her highly opinionated and feisty writing style and criticised for her subjective and sometimes ruthless reviews, Kael’s writing was refreshingly and intensely rooted in her experience of watching a film as a member of the audience. Loved and hated in equal measure – loved by other critics for whom she was immensely influential, and hated by filmmakers whose films she trashed - Kael destroyed films that have since become classics such as The Sound of Music and raved about others such as Bonnie and Clyde. She was also aware of the perennial difficulties for women working in the movies and in film criticism, and fiercely fought sexism, both in her reviews and in her media appearances.
This is a fairly interesting documentary. As with many interesting documentaries it can be difficult to separate the quality of the production from the subject matter. I don’t pretend to know anything about Kael’s work other than what a few searches provided. It just seems odd that a critic would make her work so personal and (at times) based on her own agenda.
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
Movie title: What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
Movie description: Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was undoubtedly one of the greatest names in film criticism. A Californian native, she wrote her first review in 1953 and joined ‘The New Yorker’ in 1968. Praised for her highly opinionated and feisty writing style and criticised for her subjective and sometimes ruthless reviews, Kael’s writing was refreshingly and intensely rooted in her experience of watching a film as a member of the audience. Loved and hated in equal measure – loved by other critics for whom she was immensely influential, and hated by filmmakers whose films she trashed - Kael destroyed films that have since become classics such as The Sound of Music and raved about others such as Bonnie and Clyde. She was also aware of the perennial difficulties for women working in the movies and in film criticism, and fiercely fought sexism, both in her reviews and in her media appearances.
Date published: 2021-09-09
Director(s): Rob Garver
Actor(s): Pauline Kael, Sarah Jessica Parker, Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell, Alec Baldwin, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, John Boorman, Robert Towne, Joe Morgenstern, James Wolcott, Gina James, William Whitworth, Marcia Nasatir, Christopher Durang, John Guare, Carol Baum, Tom Pollock, Molly Haskell, David V. Picker, David M. Edelstien, George Malko, Stephanie Zacharek, Greil Marcus, Craig Seligman, Michael Sragow, Brian Kellow, Carrie Rickey, Daryl Chin, Philip Lopate, Lili Anolik, Daniel Menaker, Jaime Manrique, Camille Paglia, Laurence McGilvery, Ortun Neisar, Chester Villalba, Dirk van Nouhays
Genre: Documentary
My Review
This is a fairly interesting documentary. As with many interesting documentaries it can be difficult to separate the quality of the production from the subject matter. I don’t pretend to know anything about Kael’s work other than what a few searches provided. It just seems odd that a critic would make her work so personal and (at times) based on her own agenda.
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My Review - 7/10
7/10