Pauline Kael | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Author portrait of Kael from the dust jacket of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (1968) | |
| Born | June 19, 1919 Petaluma, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 3, 2001 (aged 82) Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film critic |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Period | 1951–1991 |
| Spouse |
Edward Landberg
(m. 1955; div. 1959) |
| Children | 1 |
Pauline Kael (/keɪl/; 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,[2] Kael often defied the consensus of her contemporaries.
One of the most influential American film critics of her era,[3] 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."[4] In a blurb for The Age of Movies, a collection of her writings for the Library of America, Ebert wrote that "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."[5] Owen Gleiberman said she "was more than a great critic. She reinvented the form, and pioneered an entire aesthetic of writing."
- ^ "Former Wife Sues Cinema Guild Boss". Oakland Tribune. May 25, 1961. p. 14E – via Newspapers.com.
The Landbergs, who were married in El Cerrito on Jan. 23, 1955 and separated Jan. 15, 1958, were divorced and she won a final decree April 7, 1959.
- ^ "Pauline Kael". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on June 21, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (September 4, 2001). "Pauline Kael, Provocative and Widely Imitated New Yorker Film Critic, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. C12. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 22, 2011). "Knocked up at the movies". Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael (paperback) | Library of America". www.loa.org. Retrieved March 8, 2023.