Pauline Kael is arguably the most studied and celebrated film critic of all time, praised by many as one of the few writers to elevate the act of criticism to an art form.
Kael was film critic for The New Yorker throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Since her retirement in 1991, many have wondered what she’d think of the current state of filmmaking. Sporadic interviews have offered some insights, but since her death from Parkinson’s disease in 2000, many believed we’d never get another analysis from Kael herself. But one last glimpse of the brilliance of her observations is offered in the book “Afterglow: A Last Conversation with Pauline Kael by Francis Davis.”
During her tenure at The New Yorker, Kael became as much a part of the 1970s film scene as the filmmakers themselves. She showed an uncanny ability to recognize those directors who would become some of the premiere voices of the era, including Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese. In the days before opening weekend grosses defined success, a glowing review from Kael could rocket a film to a higher level.
Davis’ book is a short and sweet collection of conversations with Kael recorded in 2000. It should be noted that this book does not offer a comprehensive examination of movies, but is instead just what the title implies. Though the book offers Kael’s thoughts on current filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson, it is more or less a final glimpse into the mind that created some of the most incisive film essays ever written.
Though the book contains the last published thoughts of the writer, it actually emerges as a good introduction to Kael as a person. We learn that Kael was a woman far ahead of her time. For instance, we find that the father of Kael’s daughter, Gina, was not one of her three husbands, but a gay friend and poet named James Broughton. This was in the 1950s, long before David Crosby and Melissa Etheridge made headlines for a similar arrangement.
It’s obvious from certain passages that movies eventually took a back seat to the full-time job of fighting her illness. In terms of films, though, Davis reveals that Kael thought American Beauty was overrated and Three Kings was unjustly overlooked by critics. Some of her recent favorites also included High Fidelity, Magnolia and The Matrix.
Though the book’s style is easy-going and enjoyable, it’s a little frustrating how much time Davis gives to Kael’s thoughts on current television shows, instead of pushing for more thoughts on movies. Regardless, the work is a must for Kael fans and first-timers alike.
For the best examples of Kael’s film essays, check out “For Keeps” and “5001 Nights at the Movies.”