by Pauline Kael
First published 1970
Film critic Pauline Kael captures cinema at a pivotal moment. From 1968 to 1970, international filmmakers like Godard, Truffaut, and Bergman reached creative peaks while American directors such as Kubrick and De Palma shattered conventional moviemaking rules. Kael witnessed it all from her perch at the New Yorker. Her reviews cover the era's diverse output, from ambitious spectacles like Planet of the Apes and The Lion in Winter to experimental works like Yellow Submarine. Kael writes with her trademark sharp wit and uncompromising voice, dissecting not just individual films but the cultural currents that shaped them. This collection preserves her late 1960s columns, offering readers both film criticism and cultural commentary from one of America's most influential movie critics during cinema's most dynamic period.
Genres: art, 20th-century, non-fiction, criticism, film
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-commentary
Setting: New Yorker
Period: 1968-1970
Hardcover · Maurice Temple Smith Ltd