Pauline Kael Quotes

A collection of quotes by Pauline Kael.

Pauline Kael was an influential American film critic known for her engaging writing style and willingness to challenge conventional opinions. She was born on June 19, 1919, in Petaluma, California. Kael discovered her passion for cinema during her teenage years, frequently attending screenings and becoming an avid moviegoer.

Her career as a film critic began in the 1950s when she started writing for various publications, including the influential magazine "Film Quarterly." Kael gained recognition for her intelligent and provocative reviews, which artfully blended analysis with her personal reactions. She was not afraid to voice her dissenting opinions, often sparking controversy and vigorous debates.

In 1968, Kael joined "The New Yorker" as their film critic, where she became one of the most renowned voices in film criticism. Her reviews were eagerly anticipated and had a significant impact on both audiences and filmmakers. Kael was known for her unreserved praise for certain films and filmmakers, such as Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah, while also challenging revered classics and established industry darlings.

Throughout her career, Kael championed the power of popular cinema, rejecting the idea that film should be solely appreciated as high art. Her distinctive style and willingness to express contrarian viewpoints made her a divisive figure within the film community, but her influence on film criticism remains profound.

Kael retired from full-time reviewing in 1991 but continued to write occasional essays. She passed away on September 3, 2001, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential and polarizing film critics of the 20th century.

Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is t

Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is the part the schools cannot recognize.

Pauline Kael


For some strange reason we don't go to charming, light movie

For some strange reason we don't go to charming, light movies anymore. People expect a movie to be heavy and turgid, like American Beauty. We've become a heavy-handed society.

Pauline Kael

Beauty People Society Movies Light

Citizen Kane is perhaps the one American talking picture tha

Citizen Kane is perhaps the one American talking picture that seems as fresh now as the day it opened. It may seem even fresher.

Pauline Kael

Movies

Watching old movies is like spending an evening with those p

Watching old movies is like spending an evening with those people next door. They bore us, and we wouldn't go out of our way to see them; we drop in on them because they're so close. If it took some effort to see old movies, we might try to find out which were the good ones, and if people saw only the good ones maybe they would still respect old movies. As it is, people sit and watch movies that audiences walked out on thirty years ago. Like Lot's wife, we are tempted to take another look, attracted not by evil but by something that seems much more shameful -- our own innocence.

Pauline Kael

Television

The words Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which I saw on an Italian mov

The words Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which I saw on an Italian movie poster, are perhaps the briefest statement imaginable of the basic appeal of movies. This appeal is what attracts us, and ultimately what makes us despair when we begin to understand how seldom movies are more than this.

Pauline Kael

Film / Filmmaking / Movies

One of the surest signs of the Philistine is his reverence f

One of the surest signs of the Philistine is his reverence for the superior tastes of those who put him down.

Pauline Kael

Culture

In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of in

In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising.

Pauline Kael

Criticism

It seems likely that many of the young who don't wait for ot

It seems likely that many of the young who don't wait for others to call them artists, but simply announce that they are, don't have the patience to make art.

Pauline Kael

Patience