Synopsis
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.
Votre Filmothèque
Cast
- Pauline KaelSelf (archive footage)
- Sarah Jessica ParkerPauline's Voice Over
- Quentin TarantinoSelf
- David O. RussellSelf
- Alec BaldwinSelf
- Francis Ford CoppolaSelf
- Paul SchraderSelf
- John BoormanSelf
- Robert TowneSelf
- Joe MorgensternSelf
Recommandations
- 90
Variety
An exquisitely crafted documentary about the woman who was arguably the greatest movie critic who ever lived. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Befitting the subject's personality and entertainment predilections, What She Said is adamantly engaging, full of lively, appreciative voices that, more than anything else, bring her enthusiasm and keen-mindedness back to life. - 80
Screen Daily
Garver’s film is above all a celebration of the pleasure of intellectual and emotional response to art (“To be paid for thinking is a marvellous way to live,” Kael says), and a picture of a style of thinking that might be seen as distinctively but non-stereotypically female. - 80
TheWrap
To see Rob Garver’s affectionate documentary about her career,“What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael, is to be once again swept away by the excitement of cinema as she experienced it. - 75
IndieWire
Despite that iffy start, Garver’s film blossoms into something more comprehensive than complimentary, a film that doesn’t balk at the trickier aspects of Kael’s career, even as it never fully engages with the tensions that informed her. - 75
RogerEbert.com
It was perhaps a strength as a critic and a weakness as a person that she never understood how painful her words could be. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Dealing with a personality this strong could not have been easy, and director Garver, whose background is in short films, does a balanced job, giving space to Kael’s partisans while finding time for the other side. - 63
Slant Magazine
The documentary is enjoyable, but one suspects that its subject may have found it soft.
