by Pauline Kael
First published 1977
Pauline Kael examines four years of cinema in her fifth anthology of film criticism. The collection spans 1972 through 1975, drawing primarily from her work at The New Yorker. Kael dissects major films of the era, including her celebrated take on Last Tango in Paris and her analysis of A Woman Under the Influence. Beyond individual movie reviews, she tackles broader questions about cinema's direction in a substantial essay on the future of film. The book also features her critique of a dance book by New Yorker colleague Arlene Croce about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Originally published by Little Brown in 1976, the collection showcases Kael's distinctive voice during a pivotal period in American filmmaking. Her sharp observations and uncompromising judgments capture the cultural moment when Hollywood was transforming.
Genres: 20th-century, biography-memoir, criticism, art-history, film, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: analysis, cultural-moment, distinctive-voice
Period: 1972-1975
Paperback · Marion Boyars Publishers