Films/DVD Asylum

A shameless paean to Pauline Kael: even if you

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tinear

don't agree with her film assessments, she is the most entertaining of writers, with a breadth and width of knowledge possessed by few. I love her for her fearless comments, such as those about Susan Sontag--- whom I've always admired for her intellect but often couldn't understand--- in which she confesses to having re-read Susan over and over and still not knowing what the hell she was talking about.
Kael also has an encyclopedic knowledge of film which allows her to place films in their historical context and to understand technical and lyrical development.
Be forewarned: after becoming to this level of brilliance, one has a hard time returning to just another film critic.
Pauline wrote several excellent books about the cinema, most of them with suggestive, clever titles, i.e. "I Lost it at the Movies," "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."

Follow Ups:

RE: A shameless paean to Pauline Kael: even if you - Cosmic Closet 09:43:46 01/18/09 (1)
tin,

I fully agree, even if we disagree on her take on Bergman. I have never read another critic who could bring such a wealth of knowledge to bear on her reviews.
Even if one disagreed with her view on a film, she would always make her points so clear that you could understand why she felt the way she did.

I haven't seen anyone else even approach her. Her books should be required reading in film school.
- She described "The Sound of Music" as "The Sound of Money" - grinagog 18:23:24 01/20/09 (0)
  + said: "A sugar-coated lie that most people want to swallow"
  She had an ascerbic + incisive wit; I agree, no reviewer has ever come close to her level of knowledge or literary brilliance
  GW
  - Wikipedia (Open in New Window)
  Edits: 01/20/09

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