Authors: Brian Kellow
Pauline Kael (75 page)
291
“You make me so mad!”:
Author interview with Polly Frost, March 20, 2009.
“You make me so mad!”:
Author interview with Polly Frost, March 20, 2009.
291
“Most of her criticism was not that hard”:
Author interview with Michael Sragow, September 12, 2008.
“Most of her criticism was not that hard”:
Author interview with Michael Sragow, September 12, 2008.
292
“Pauline had enormous insight into people”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
“Pauline had enormous insight into people”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
292
“She was watching them, like a movie”:
Author interview with Linda Allen, November 14, 2009.
“She was watching them, like a movie”:
Author interview with Linda Allen, November 14, 2009.
292
“Well”:
Author interview with Carrie Rickey, May 9, 2009.
“Well”:
Author interview with Carrie Rickey, May 9, 2009.
293
“The conversation was over”:
Ibid.
“The conversation was over”:
Ibid.
293
“I thought . . . I was fine when I was an acolyte”:
Ibid.
“I thought . . . I was fine when I was an acolyte”:
Ibid.
293
“It’s a movie you want to deface”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 22, 1980).
“It’s a movie you want to deface”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 22, 1980).
293 “
Little Sheba might not Come Back but don’t worry”:
John Guare,
The War Against the Kitchen Sink
(Smith & Kraus: Lyme, New Hampshire, 1996), x, xi.
Little Sheba might not Come Back but don’t worry”:
John Guare,
The War Against the Kitchen Sink
(Smith & Kraus: Lyme, New Hampshire, 1996), x, xi.
294
“You’re not stuck with the usual dramatic apparatus”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 23, 1980).
“You’re not stuck with the usual dramatic apparatus”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 23, 1980).
294
“Though I have a better time”:
Ibid.
“Though I have a better time”:
Ibid.
294
“using their power in the same direction that the businessmen of the movies are”:
Debate between Jean-Luc Godard and Pauline Kael, reprinted in
Camera Obscura
, 1982.
“using their power in the same direction that the businessmen of the movies are”:
Debate between Jean-Luc Godard and Pauline Kael, reprinted in
Camera Obscura
, 1982.
294
“It has a lot of magnificent things”:
Ibid.
“It has a lot of magnificent things”:
Ibid.
294
“It was a chilling ride back to the city”:
Author interview with Sydney Goldstein, February 20, 2009.
“It was a chilling ride back to the city”:
Author interview with Sydney Goldstein, February 20, 2009.
295
“could become commonplace”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 25, 1981).
“could become commonplace”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 25, 1981).
295
“time to breathe”:
Ibid.
“time to breathe”:
Ibid.
295
“weren’t hooked on the crap of his childhood”:
Ibid.
“weren’t hooked on the crap of his childhood”:
Ibid.
295
“the first movie in which De Palma”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(July 27, 1981).
“the first movie in which De Palma”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(July 27, 1981).
295
“hallucinatory”:
Ibid.
“hallucinatory”:
Ibid.
295
“I think De Palma has sprung to the place ”:
Ibid.
“I think De Palma has sprung to the place ”:
Ibid.
296
“We never really get into the movie because, as Sarah”:
Ibid.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE“We never really get into the movie because, as Sarah”:
Ibid.
297
“almost as if she were a big, goosey female impersonator”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(October 26, 1981).
“almost as if she were a big, goosey female impersonator”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(October 26, 1981).
297
“She begins to kiss his abdomen passionately, gratefully”:
Ibid.
“She begins to kiss his abdomen passionately, gratefully”:
Ibid.
297
“It’s gruesomely silly.”
Ibid.
“It’s gruesomely silly.”
Ibid.
298
“The reason the
Voice
hated her”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
“The reason the
Voice
hated her”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
298
“Pauline was so advanced on gay things in her sensibility”:
Author interview with James Wolcott, August 3, 2010.
“Pauline was so advanced on gay things in her sensibility”:
Author interview with James Wolcott, August 3, 2010.
298
“fag phantom of the opera”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 30, 1968).
“fag phantom of the opera”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 30, 1968).
298
“a soft creature, flamingly nelly”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 9, 1981).
“a soft creature, flamingly nelly”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 9, 1981).
299
“If I make these jokes”:
Author interview with Daryl Chin, November 16, 2010.
“If I make these jokes”:
Author interview with Daryl Chin, November 16, 2010.
299
“Forman appears to see Evelyn as some sort of open-mouthed retard”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 23, 1981).
“Forman appears to see Evelyn as some sort of open-mouthed retard”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 23, 1981).
300
“the most emotional movie musical”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 21, 1981).
“the most emotional movie musical”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 21, 1981).
300
“Despite its use of Brechtian devices”:
Ibid.
“Despite its use of Brechtian devices”:
Ibid.
300 “
There’s something new going on—something thrilling”:
Ibid.
There’s something new going on—something thrilling”:
Ibid.
300
“an enormous amount of dedication and intelligence”:
Ibid.
“an enormous amount of dedication and intelligence”:
Ibid.
300
“all much peppier and more vital than the actors”:
Ibid.
“all much peppier and more vital than the actors”:
Ibid.
300
“a tiresome, pettishly hostile woman”:
Ibid.
“a tiresome, pettishly hostile woman”:
Ibid.
301
“It takes Keaton a long time to get any kind of bearings”:
Ibid.
“It takes Keaton a long time to get any kind of bearings”:
Ibid.
301
“pussywhipped”:
Author interview with Ray Sawhill, March 20, 2009.
“pussywhipped”:
Author interview with Ray Sawhill, March 20, 2009.
301
“henpecked”:
Ibid.
“henpecked”:
Ibid.
301
“There was no way that she was going to be able to see
Reds
with an open mind”:
Author interview with James Toback, May 2009.
“There was no way that she was going to be able to see
Reds
with an open mind”:
Author interview with James Toback, May 2009.
301
“Oh, God, they were so damned nervous”:
Author interview with Roy Blount, Jr., September 15, 2008.
“Oh, God, they were so damned nervous”:
Author interview with Roy Blount, Jr., September 15, 2008.
302
“I’m a little afraid to say how good”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(January 18, 1982).
“I’m a little afraid to say how good”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(January 18, 1982).
302
“just about marriage”:
Ibid.
“just about marriage”:
Ibid.
302
“the kind of performances that in the theater become legendary”:
Ibid.
“the kind of performances that in the theater become legendary”:
Ibid.
302
“who understands the pleasures to be had”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(April 19, 1982).
“who understands the pleasures to be had”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(April 19, 1982).
302
“a dream of a movie—a bliss-out”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 14, 1982).
“a dream of a movie—a bliss-out”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 14, 1982).
302
“He’s like a boy soprano lilting with joy all through
E.T.
”:
Ibid.
“He’s like a boy soprano lilting with joy all through
E.T.
”:
Ibid.
303
“fake-poetic, fake magical way”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 15, 1982).
“fake-poetic, fake magical way”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 15, 1982).
303
“If the roles made better sense”:
Ibid.
“If the roles made better sense”:
Ibid.
303
“a genuine oddity”:
Ibid.
“a genuine oddity”:
Ibid.
303
“Altman keeps looking at the world”:
Ibid.
“Altman keeps looking at the world”:
Ibid.
304
“resemble a living person”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 13, 1982).
“resemble a living person”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 13, 1982).
304
“encrusted with the weighty culture of big themes: evil, tortured souls, guilt”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 27, 1982).
“encrusted with the weighty culture of big themes: evil, tortured souls, guilt”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 27, 1982).
304
“Streep is very beautiful at times”:
Ibid.
“Streep is very beautiful at times”:
Ibid.
304
“I’m incapable of not thinking about what Pauline wrote”:
The Guardian
, Apirl 18, 1997.
“I’m incapable of not thinking about what Pauline wrote”:
The Guardian
, Apirl 18, 1997.
305
“anti-acting”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 7, 1983).
“anti-acting”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 7, 1983).
305
“Performers such as John Barrymore and Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier”:
Ibid.
“Performers such as John Barrymore and Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier”:
Ibid.
306
“Oh, shit”:
Author interview with Warner Friedman, August 12, 2009.
“Oh, shit”:
Author interview with Warner Friedman, August 12, 2009.
306
“Movies are not art”:
Ibid.
“Movies are not art”:
Ibid.
306
“a distant closeness”:
Ibid.
“a distant closeness”:
Ibid.
306
“Pauline sort of showed a little affection”:
Ibid.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR“Pauline sort of showed a little affection”:
Ibid.
307
“an incomparable dip-in book”:
The Boston Globe
, October 29, 1982.
“an incomparable dip-in book”:
The Boston Globe
, October 29, 1982.
307
“a browser’s delight”:
The Chicago Tribune
, December 5, 1982.
“a browser’s delight”:
The Chicago Tribune
, December 5, 1982.
307
“one of the most profound emotional experience in the history of film”:
Pauline Kael,
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(Boston: Little Brown, 1968), 259.
“one of the most profound emotional experience in the history of film”:
Pauline Kael,
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(Boston: Little Brown, 1968), 259.
307
“dying with the priest”:
Pauline Kael,
5001 Nights at the Movies
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982
),
189.
“dying with the priest”:
Pauline Kael,
5001 Nights at the Movies
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982
),
189.
307
“I don’t want you to take this personally”:
Author interview with Daniel Menaker, April 1, 2009.
“I don’t want you to take this personally”:
Author interview with Daniel Menaker, April 1, 2009.
308
“Whenever she came across something that she felt didn’t sound like her”:
Ibid.
“Whenever she came across something that she felt didn’t sound like her”:
Ibid.
308
“lulling, narcotizing musical”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(June 27, 1983).
“lulling, narcotizing musical”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(June 27, 1983).
308
“The film has a real shine”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(August 8, 1983).
“The film has a real shine”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(August 8, 1983).
309
“a pleasurable hum”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 17, 1983).
“a pleasurable hum”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 17, 1983).
309
“like Tom Wolfe”:
Ibid.
“like Tom Wolfe”:
Ibid.
309
“far more of an anti-establishmentarian than Tom Wolfe”:
Ibid.
“far more of an anti-establishmentarian than Tom Wolfe”:
Ibid.
309
“reactionary cornerstone”:
Ibid.
“reactionary cornerstone”:
Ibid.
309
“Someone told me she saw it with a group of her followers”:
Author interview with Philip Kaufman, May 7, 2009.
“Someone told me she saw it with a group of her followers”:
Author interview with Philip Kaufman, May 7, 2009.
309
“rhapsodic”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 28, 1983).
“rhapsodic”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 28, 1983).
309
“Her singing voice takes you farther”:
Ibid.
“Her singing voice takes you farther”:
Ibid.
309
“And now that she has made her formal debut as a director”:
Ibid.
“And now that she has made her formal debut as a director”:
Ibid.
310
“the actors with both eyes on the audience”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 12, 1983).
“the actors with both eyes on the audience”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 12, 1983).
310
“incredibly vivid”:
Ibid.
“incredibly vivid”:
Ibid.
310
“If
Terms
had stayed a comedy . . . it might have been innocuous”:
Ibid.
“If
Terms
had stayed a comedy . . . it might have been innocuous”:
Ibid.
310
“There wasn’t a lot of room for bombast”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
“There wasn’t a lot of room for bombast”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
310
“Shaffer has Salieri declaring war on heaven for gypping him”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 29, 1984).
“Shaffer has Salieri declaring war on heaven for gypping him”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 29, 1984).
311
“by showing you Mozart as a rubber-faced grinning buffoon”:
Ibid.
“by showing you Mozart as a rubber-faced grinning buffoon”:
Ibid.
311
“a wizard at eager, manic, full-of-life roles”:
Ibid.
“a wizard at eager, manic, full-of-life roles”:
Ibid.
311
“I was sitting next to her”:
Author interview with Judy Karasik, April 8, 2009.
“I was sitting next to her”:
Author interview with Judy Karasik, April 8, 2009.
311
“fiercely impressionistic and aggressively untheoretical”:
The New York Times Book Review
, April 15, 1984.
“fiercely impressionistic and aggressively untheoretical”:
The New York Times Book Review
, April 15, 1984.
311
“powerful perceptions and terrific writing”:
Ibid.
“powerful perceptions and terrific writing”:
Ibid.
311
“No auteurist critic”:
Ibid.
“No auteurist critic”:
Ibid.
312
“[Pauline’s] archenemy, Richard Schickel, was there”:
Author interview with David Ansen, December 23, 2008.
“[Pauline’s] archenemy, Richard Schickel, was there”:
Author interview with David Ansen, December 23, 2008.
313
“suggestive and dazzingly empathic”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(January 14, 1985).
“suggestive and dazzingly empathic”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(January 14, 1985).
313
“a kind of benign precision”:
Ibid.
“a kind of benign precision”:
Ibid.
313
“intelligent and enjoyable”:
Ibid.
“intelligent and enjoyable”:
Ibid.
313
“informed by a spirit of magisterial self-hatred”:
Ibid.
“informed by a spirit of magisterial self-hatred”:
Ibid.
313
“What’s remarkable about the film is how two such different temperaments”:
Ibid.
“What’s remarkable about the film is how two such different temperaments”:
Ibid.
313
“If John Huston’s name were not on
Prizzi’s Honor
”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
, (July 1, 1985).
“If John Huston’s name were not on
Prizzi’s Honor
”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
, (July 1, 1985).
314
“do anything for the role he’s playing”:
Ibid.
“do anything for the role he’s playing”:
Ibid.
314
“a Borgia princess”:
Ibid.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE“a Borgia princess”:
Ibid.
315
“This tall, gaunt-faced Strange”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(August 12, 1985).
“This tall, gaunt-faced Strange”:
Pauline Kael, “The Current Cinema,”
The New Yorker
(August 12, 1985).
315
“a career out of his terror of expressiveness”:
Ibid.
“a career out of his terror of expressiveness”:
Ibid.
315
“A lot of people thought she was really turned on by Clint Eastwood”:
Author interview with Ray Sawhill, April 11, 2009.
“A lot of people thought she was really turned on by Clint Eastwood”:
Author interview with Ray Sawhill, April 11, 2009.
316
“His work here is livelier and more companionable than it has been in recent years”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(September 23, 1985).
“His work here is livelier and more companionable than it has been in recent years”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(September 23, 1985).
316
“using his skills”:
Ibid.
“using his skills”:
Ibid.
316
“I liked the movie’s unimportance”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 4, 1985).
“I liked the movie’s unimportance”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(November 4, 1985).
316
“Meryl Streep has used too many foreign accents on us”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
“Meryl Streep has used too many foreign accents on us”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
316
“Spielberg’s
The Color Purple
is probably the least authentic in feeling”:
Ibid.
“Spielberg’s
The Color Purple
is probably the least authentic in feeling”:
Ibid.
317
“I can’t eat that!”:
Author interview with Charles Simmons, June 29, 2009.
“I can’t eat that!”:
Author interview with Charles Simmons, June 29, 2009.
317
“Oh, for Chrissake”:
Ibid.
“Oh, for Chrissake”:
Ibid.
317
“I hated it”:
Author interview with Jane Kramer, February 24, 2009.
“I hated it”:
Author interview with Jane Kramer, February 24, 2009.
318
“Probably everyone will agree that the subject of a movie should not place it beyond criticism”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
“Probably everyone will agree that the subject of a movie should not place it beyond criticism”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
318
“We watch him putting pressure on people”:
Ibid.
“We watch him putting pressure on people”:
Ibid.
318
“so many widely differing instances of collaboration and resistance”:
Ibid.
“so many widely differing instances of collaboration and resistance”:
Ibid.
318
“It’s not just the exact procedures”:
Ibid.
“It’s not just the exact procedures”:
Ibid.
318
“appears to be to show you”:
Ibid.
“appears to be to show you”:
Ibid.
318
“The film is diffuse”:
Ibid.
“The film is diffuse”:
Ibid.
318
“The
Shoah
reaction was especially peculiar”:
Author interview with Lillian Ross, August 1, 2009.
“The
Shoah
reaction was especially peculiar”:
Author interview with Lillian Ross, August 1, 2009.
319
“I’m upset about how unmoved you represent yourself”:
Letter from Dan Talbot to Pauline Kael, January 3, 1986.
“I’m upset about how unmoved you represent yourself”:
Letter from Dan Talbot to Pauline Kael, January 3, 1986.
320
“You’re often on target”:
Ibid.
“You’re often on target”:
Ibid.
320
“She had so little use for doctrine”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
“She had so little use for doctrine”:
Author interview with David Edelstein, July 31, 2009.
320
“a Holocaust movie should not be sacrosanct”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
“a Holocaust movie should not be sacrosanct”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(December 30, 1985).
321
“never before been this seductive on the screen”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(February 10, 1986).
“never before been this seductive on the screen”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(February 10, 1986).
321
“Allen’s idea of movie acting is the reading of lines”:
Notes from Pauline Kael’s screening of
Hannah and Her Sisters.
“Allen’s idea of movie acting is the reading of lines”:
Notes from Pauline Kael’s screening of
Hannah and Her Sisters.
321
“It doesn’t just repeat his work, it repeats itself ”:
Ibid.
“It doesn’t just repeat his work, it repeats itself ”:
Ibid.
321
“The movie is a little stale”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(February 24, 1986).
“The movie is a little stale”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(February 24, 1986).
322
“I don’t want to hurt him. . . . I just want to squirt him”:
Author interview with Allen Barra, July 16, 2009.
“I don’t want to hurt him. . . . I just want to squirt him”:
Author interview with Allen Barra, July 16, 2009.
322
“It seemed time for a change”:
Pauline Kael, introduction,
State of the Art
(New York: Dutton, 1985).
“It seemed time for a change”:
Pauline Kael, introduction,
State of the Art
(New York: Dutton, 1985).
322
“This bum ticker of mine”:
Author interview with Trent Duffy, February 17, 2009.
“This bum ticker of mine”:
Author interview with Trent Duffy, February 17, 2009.
323 “
Frears is responsive to grubby desperation”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 10, 1986).
Frears is responsive to grubby desperation”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(March 10, 1986).
323
“Frears’s editing rhythms that seem so right are actually very odd”:
Ibid.
“Frears’s editing rhythms that seem so right are actually very odd”:
Ibid.
323
“This Johnny wants to make something of himself ”:
Ibid.
“This Johnny wants to make something of himself ”:
Ibid.
323
“Selling is what they think moviemaking is about”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 16, 1986).
“Selling is what they think moviemaking is about”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(June 16, 1986).
324
“a phenomenal performance”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(September 22, 1986).
“a phenomenal performance”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(September 22, 1986).
324
“the work of a genius naïf”:
Ibid.
“the work of a genius naïf”:
Ibid.
324
“what for want of a better word is called a ‘film sense,’”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 6, 1986).
“what for want of a better word is called a ‘film sense,’”:
Kael,
The New Yorker
(October 6, 1986).
Other books
Creature Discomforts (Descendants) by Peterson, Jenny
Cut Short by Leigh Russell
Best Australian Racing Stories by Jim Haynes
Eruption by Roland Smith
Interlocking Hearts by Roxy Mews
Bad Bones (Claire Morgan) by Linda Ladd
Decay (Book 1): Civilization by Locke, Linus
Never Far From Home (The Miller Family 2) by Mary Ellis
Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) by Lexy Timms
A Memory Between Us by Sundin, Sarah
