back

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

Panorama Dokumente 2019
© 29Pictures
Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was undoubtedly one of the greatest names in film criticism. A Californian native, she wrote her first review in 1953 and joined ‘The New Yorker’ in 1968. Praised for her highly opinionated and feisty writing style and criticised for her subjective and sometimes ruthless reviews, Kael’s writing was refreshingly and intensely rooted in her experience of watching a film as a member of the audience. Loved and hated in equal measure – loved by other critics for whom she was immensely influential, and hated by filmmakers whose films she trashed - Kael destroyed films that have since become classics such as The Sound of Music and raved about others such as Bonnie and Clyde. She was also aware of the perennial difficulties for women working in the movies and in film criticism, and fiercely fought sexism, both in her reviews and in her media appearances.
In an inspired and passionate mash-up of her own words, contemporary interviews and the films she wrote about, Rob Garver has crafted in his feature documentary a remarkably captivating portrait of a tough grande dame of cinema.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

To view this content, you must enable third-party cookies. >
by Rob Garver (Written and Directed by)
with Sarah Jessica Parker, Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell, Camille Paglia, Paul Schrader, Molly Haskell, Greil Marcus, Stephanie Zacharek, Robert Towne, John Boorman, Alec Baldwin USA 2019 English 95' Colour & Black/White Documentary form

With

  • Sarah Jessica Parker (Pauline Kael, Stimme)
  • Quentin Tarantino
  • David O. Russell
  • Camille Paglia
  • Paul Schrader
  • Molly Haskell
  • Greil Marcus
  • Stephanie Zacharek
  • Robert Towne
  • John Boorman
  • Alec Baldwin

Crew

Written and Directed by Rob Garver
Cinematography Vincent C. Ellis
Editing Rob Garver
Music Rick Baitz
Sound Design Christopher Liang
Casting Maureen Kelly
Executive Producer Bobby Campbell
Producers Rob Garver, Glen Zipper
Co-Producer Doug Blush
Co-Production Madpix Los Angeles
Good Wizard Productions Columbia

World Sales

Autlook Filmsales

Wien, Austria

Produced by

29Pictures

Jersey City, USA

Photos

Rob Garver

© 2019 29Pictures

Born in Boston, USA in 1959, he studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Currently based in New York, he writes and directs short films which he also produces and which are screened in local New York cinemas and on cable television. Alongside screenplays, he also develops concepts for television.

Filmography

2001 The Man in the Yellow Cap; short film 2004 Two Roads from Belfast, Maine; short film 2005 The Gates; short film 2007 Comic Belief: Dan Piraro; short film 2009 Blue Sky, or Why I Love New York; short film

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019