{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a1b720ead1ed3d7b5e40e26/6a40354526d5a6687a09608c?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Pauline Kael's Brutal Reviews Changed Hollywood","description":"<p>\"She's so f***ing mean,\" Quentin Tarantino once said of film critic Pauline Kael. Kael was known for brutally harsh film reviews that could make or break a movie. People want to dismiss critics for \"not knowing anything\", but Kael knew a lot - and her knowledge was valuable to the industry. Her ability to spot up-and-coming talent in the 60s and 70s helped New American Cinema flourish. Find out about her life as we read her wildest reviews. Who could ever say something mean about The Sound of Music? Pauline Kael!</p><p><br></p><p>This episode originally aired with Grab Bag Collab on their Patreon. Stephanie Weber is the host, creator, researcher, and writer of Directora. Amanda Rossman mixed this episode. Brock Alter made the artwork. Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok. E-mail questions, suggestions, and anything else to directorapodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sources for this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Barsanti, Chris. “When Film Mattered: Pauline Kael’s Age of Movies.” October 27, 2011. <a href=\"https://themillions.com/2011/10/when-film-mattered-pauline-kaels-the-age-of-movies.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://themillions.com/2011/10/when-film-mattered-pauline-kaels-the-age-of-movies.html</a></p><p><br></p><p>Brody, Richard. “What Pauline Kael Failed to See About Young Film Lovers”. April 8, 2025. <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-pauline-kael-failed-to-see-about-young-film-lovers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-pauline-kael-failed-to-see-about-young-film-lovers</a></p><p><br></p><p>Cwik, Greg. “The Critic as Artful Gadfly”. Pop Matters. November 14, 2012. <a href=\"https://www.popmatters.com/165416-the-critic-as-artful-gadfly-pauline-kael-2495797841.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.popmatters.com/165416-the-critic-as-artful-gadfly-pauline-kael-2495797841.html</a></p><p><br></p><p>Garver, Rob. <em>What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael.</em> (2018).</p><p><br></p><p>Hellerman, Jason. “The Controversy Behind ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Mank’, and Pauline Kael”. December 2, 2020. <a href=\"https://nofilmschool.com/citizen-kane-pauline-kael\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://nofilmschool.com/citizen-kane-pauline-kael</a></p><p><br></p><p>Jones, Emma. “It Was Really Wrong: How Last Tango in Paris’ Infamous Explicit Scene Undid Its Female Star.” BBC News. April 3, 2025.&nbsp; <a href=\"https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250402-maria-schneider-how-last-tango-in-pariss-infamous-explicit-scene-undid-its-female-star\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250402-maria-schneider-how-last-tango-in-pariss-infamous-explicit-scene-undid-its-female-star</a></p><p><br></p><p>Kael, Pauline. “Circles and Squares.” JSTOR.org <a href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/1210726\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.jstor.org/stable/1210726</a></p><p><br></p><p>Kael, Pauline. “Bonnie and Clyde.” The New Yorker. October 13, 1967. <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1967/10/21/bonnie-and-clyde\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1967/10/21/bonnie-and-clyde</a></p><p><br></p><p>Linfield, Susie. “The Perils of Pauline” LA Times. Sept. 29, 2002. <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-29-bk-linfield29-story.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-29-bk-linfield29-story.html</a></p><p><br></p><p>Potton, Ed. “She’s So Mean - The Critic Everyone Loved to Hate”. The Times. March 17, 2023. <a href=\"https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/tarantino-described-her-film-reviews-as-the-greatest-shit-ever-she-s-just-being-so-f-ing-mean-nnkt6056r\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/tarantino-described-her-film-reviews-as-the-greatest-shit-ever-she-s-just-being-so-f-ing-mean-nnkt6056r</a></p><p><br></p><p>Russell, Calum. “Pauline Kael Reviews Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction” Far Out Magazine. March 16 2013. <a href=\"https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pauline-kael-reviews-quentin-tarantinos-pulp-fiction/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pauline-kael-reviews-quentin-tarantinos-pulp-fiction/</a></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Stephanie Weber"}