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Pauline Kael

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Pauline Kael

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American film critic (1919-2001)

Film & TV

Petaluma, California, USA

Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions often ran contrary to those of her contemporaries.

Known for

  • Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Ed & Pauline2014
  • Life Itself — Self - Film Critic (archive footage)2014
  • Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton — Self2013
  • For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism — Self2009
  • Altman on His Own Terms — Self (voice)2000
  • The Complete 'Citizen Kane'1991
  • The Magical Eye — Self1989
  • The Man with No Name — Self1977
  • PBS News Hour — Self - Movie Critic, The New Yorker1975

via TMDB

Key facts

Born
( 1919-06-19 ) June 19, 1919, Petaluma, California , U.S.
Died
September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03) (aged 82), Great Barrington, Massachusetts , U.S.
Occupation
Film critic
Period
1951–1991
Spouse
Edward Landberg ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1955 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1959 ) ​

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Pauline
Gender
female
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
Petaluma
Place of death
Great Barrington
Occupation
journalist
Languages spoken
English language
Image
Pauline Kael (1968).jpg
Show 6 more facts
cause of death
Parkinson's disease
date of death
2001-09-03
medical condition
Parkinson's disease
date of birth
1919-06-19
manner of death
natural causes
Commons category
Pauline Kael
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~35 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Pauline Kael (/keɪl/ KAYL; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the consensus of her contemporaries.

One of the most influential American film critics of her era, she left a lasting impression on the art form. Roger Ebert argued in an obituary that Kael "had a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other single person over the last three decades". Kael, he said, "had no theory, no rules, no guidelines, no objective standards. You couldn't apply her 'approach' to a film. With her it was all personal." In a blurb for The Age of Movies, a collection of her writings for the Library of America, Ebert wrote, "Like George Bernard Shaw, she wrote reviews that will be read for their style, humor and energy long after some of their subjects have been forgotten."

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pauline Kael” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.