Many admired Pauline Kael. Many disparaged her. No one could deny her influence. A new trailer has dropped for “What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael,” a tribute to the polarizing late film critic.
“She turned the movie review into this expressive vehicle — it was as expressive as the short story or the sonnet,” a voiceover in the doc explains.
Described as “sharp-tongued” by some and a “ghastly woman” by others, Kael “refused to be intimidated.” Working in a male-dominated industry — and making a living sharing her opinions — didn’t sit well with Kael’s detractors. “Any woman in that position is going to collect a lot of the animosity, and really craziness, that’s out there,” she says in the spot. “There’s tremendous hatred of women. The real hate mail is from men, and it is vicious.”
According to Martha Lauzen and the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s annual “Thumbs Down” report, male film reviewers still outnumber women two to one. As of spring 2019, women represent 34 percent of film reviewers in the U.S.
“What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael” will be released in LA December 13 and NY December 25 with a nationwide rollout to follow.
