Fun to see people in the mentions arguing about whether Pauline Kael was a hero or a menace. She died 19+ years ago, folks. That means she still wins. https://twitter.com/BWDR/status/1371881258179981312 …
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People keep posting that Renata Adler takedown of Pauline Kael as if it’s some kind of trump card. The funny thing is, nobody would even know who Renata Adler is today if she hadn’t tried to take down Pauline Kael.
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I’m not walking this one back—you’ll just have to stay mad at me for it. A lot of the complaints on here about Pauline Kael strike me as very petty and wrongheaded and insufficiently willing to acknowledge how much the profession owes to her in a good way.
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Replying to @mattzollerseitz
I think about Brownlow's coverage of her in her treatment of David Lean in his biography, how she browbeat him into submission, and I can't say that I, as a critic myself, could ever respect someone who wants to elevate themselves above the artist as abusively as that.
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Replying to @docsquiddy
I’m not saying she was a morally impeccable person, but it’s not like she only did harm. I also think that if we restrict our subjects of interest to those who are immaculate in every way, we’re gonna be stuck with a lot of mediocrities.
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Replying to @mattzollerseitz
for sure, but I think if she's to be lauded, it's with caveats--her goal as a critic seemed to be to elevate herself above the material. To me, when I write criticism, the goal is always to educate and inform and broaden interest.
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Replying to @docsquiddy
I never saw her was trying to “elevate herself above the material.” She rather dramatically prostrated herself in front of movies and artists she admired. It happened literally every few weeks.
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There was a pretty good piece that acknowledged her complexity, her impact and her shortcomings written by some Matt Zoller Seitz guy for the New York Press when she passed.
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