DVD
What she said : the art of Pauline Kael
Performers
Featuring: Quentin Tarantino, Camille Paglia, Molly Haskell, Paul Schrader ; Pauline voiced by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Publication Information
[Pottstown, PA] : MVD Entertainment, [2020]
Physical Description
1 videodisc (98 minutes) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.
Audience
Not rated.
Summary
Director Rob Garver first read Pauline Kael's work as a young person in the 1980s, and he says that the fiery passion with which she wrote about film made a deep impression on him. The New Yorker film critic undisputedly transformed film into an art form in the eyes of the public. As a result of her writing, the pleasant weekend pastime quality of movie-going suddenly became a must-see, do-or-die, high-stakes experience. For Kael, watching films was a visceral adventure; she responded to them as if they were real events. Her vital spirit, cocksure attitude, fevered instincts, and withering wisecracks leapt off the page and made you laugh. And as Quentin Tarantino once observed, Kael was so on the nose at times that she could sometimes change your mind about a film you may have thought was pretty good. With this film, Rob wanted to take the excitement that he felt while reading Kael's work and translate it to the screen. The story is told largely through Kael's own words, which are collected from interviews, private letters, and published writing.
Notes
Title from container.
Originally produced as a documentary in 2019.
Bonus features: Quentin Tarantino interview excerpts ; Paul Schrader interview excerpts ; deleted scenes including "Pauline's youth," "Blue velvet," and an excerpt from her never-aired interview with Alfred Hitchcock.