Pauline Kael

Pauline Kael was a famous movie writer.

She wrote for a magazine called The New Yorker. Her writing was very smart and funny. She often had strong ideas about films.

Pauline did not follow many rules. She wrote in a way that sounded like a real person. This made her work very special.

She helped people learn about movies from far away. She also helped new movie makers become famous. This made more people watch great films.

She even won a big award for her books. People still read her words today. She loved to share her passion for movies.

Pauline Kael was a famous movie critic. She wrote for a magazine called The New Yorker.

Kael was known for her strong opinions. She did not follow strict rules. She wanted her writing to sound like a human voice. Her words were funny and full of energy. Many people read her work for her style.

She helped many movie makers find success. She told readers about films from other countries. She also supported new directors in America. One critic said she helped the film world more than almost anyone else.

Kael worked many odd jobs to pay her bills. She was a nanny, a cook, and a teacher. She even ran a small movie theater. This helped her learn about films.

She won a big award called the National Book Award. This was for her book about movies. She also won a George Polk Award. Kael loved movies very much. She wanted people to live life with great passion. She used her writing to share that feeling.

Pauline Kael was a famous American film critic. She was known for her witty and highly opinionated reviews. Many people read her work for its humor and energy. She did not use strict rules or objective standards. Instead, her writing was very personal. She wanted her sentences to sound like a human voice. This style made her a very influential voice in cinema.

Kael worked many different jobs to support herself and her daughter, Gina. She worked as a nanny, a cook, and a seamstress. She also taught the violin and wrote advertising copy. In 1955, she became the manager of the Berkeley Cinema-Guild. She ran every part of that business. She even played the movies she liked until the audience loved them too. This helped her learn how people watch films.

Kael's journey began in California. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland. They ran a chicken farm in Petaluma. When Kael was eight, her family moved to San Francisco. She later studied philosophy, literature, and art at the University of California, Berkeley. She left college in 1940 to move to New York City. There, she lived a bohemian life and wrote plays.

Her career grew very quickly in the 1960s. In 1965, she published a book called "I Lost It at the Movies." This book was a surprise bestseller with 150,000 copies sold. She later wrote for magazines like McCall's and The New Republic. In 1968, she joined the staff of The New Yorker. She stayed there for many years. She even won a George Polk Award for her work.

Kael helped people discover amazing movies from all over the world. She championed directors like Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini. She also supported new American directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Her book "Deeper into Movies" won a National Book Award in 1973. This was the first nonfiction book about film to win that prize. She used her writing to show how to live life intensely.

Pauline Kael was a highly influential American film critic. She was famous for her witty, biting, and sharply focused reviews. Kael did not follow strict rules or objective standards. Instead, she used a very personal approach to her writing. Many people read her work for its unique style, humor, and energy. Even after the movies she reviewed were forgotten, people still read her words. She changed the climate for film in America by bringing passion to her criticism.

Kael's writing style was a deliberate choice. She wanted to move away from the "term-paper pomposity" taught in college. She aimed to make her sentences breathe like a human voice. She rejected what she called "saphead objectivity," which is the idea that a critic must be perfectly neutral. Instead, she included autobiography in her work. This meant her personal feelings were part of the review. This style helped her connect deeply with her readers.

Kael's career involved many different stages and jobs. She worked as a nanny, cook, seamstress, and violin teacher. She also wrote advertising copy and edited manuscripts. In 1952, she began publishing regular film criticism after an editor overheard her arguing about movies. In 1955, she became the manager of the Berkeley Cinema-Guild and Studio. She ran every part of that business. She even programmed movies by repeating her favorites until the audience loved them too.

Her rise to fame happened through several major publications. In 1965, she published her book, "I Lost It at the Movies." It was a surprise bestseller that sold 150,000 paperback copies. She then wrote for mass-market magazines like "McCall's." This period was sometimes difficult. She was fired from "McCall's" after writing a harsh review of "The Sound of Music." She also worked at "The New Republic," but left in despair after editors changed her writing. In 1968, she joined "The New Yorker," where she found a lasting platform.

During her long tenure at "The New Yorker," Kael achieved great prominence. She served as the sole film critic starting in 1980. In 1970, she received a George Polk Award for her work. Her fourth book collection, "Deeper into Movies," won the U.S. National Book Award in 1973. This was the first nonfiction book about film to win that award. She also wrote long, famous essays. One notable example was "Raising Kane," which questioned the authorship of the film "Citizen Kane."

Kael had a massive impact on which directors people noticed. She brought attention to international cinema from Europe and Asia. She championed directors like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, and Satyajit Ray. In America, she supported the "New Hollywood" movement. She helped give a presence to directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Robert Altman. Her work encouraged audiences to explore challenging and lesser-known movies. She believed movies were about how to live more intensely.

Kael's life was shaped by her early years in California. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland. They originally ran a chicken farm in Petaluma. After losing the farm, the family moved to San Francisco. Kael studied philosophy, literature, and art at the University of California, Berkeley. She dropped out in 1940 to move to New York City. There, she lived a bohemian life and wrote plays. She also raised her daughter, Gina, as a single mother.