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Afterglow: A Last Conversation With Pauline Kael
On September 3, 2001, the movies and those who love them lost one of their greatest friends - a friend who never tired of championing the best that the movies could offer and didn't shrink from speaking her mind. This is a biography of the ascerbic and witty film critic Pauline Kael.
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
115 people want to read
About the author
Francis Davis
55 books4 followersFrancis Davis was an American author and journalist. He was best known as the jazz critic for The Village Voice, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic Monthly. He had also worked in radio and film, and taught courses on Jazz and Blues at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a 1994 recipient of the Pew Fellowships in the Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 29, 2014
"The tremor in her voice had grown more pronounced since I last spoke with her, only a few weeks earlier, and she couldn't go very far without her cane. But her voice was still merry, and she was still the Pauline we remembered and admired, tart and crackling with energy as she gave us the grand tour, showing us the exercise bike she said she hardly ever used, the Tiffany lamps she had picked up cheap over the years, the paintings by her friend Manny Farber, the white piano that had once belonged to the visual artist Jess, and the shelf of foreign translations of her books." p. 15–16
March 19, 2008
For those who loved her reviews when she was doing them for the New Yorker or LA Times, this book is a reminder of what American brilliance can be like at its best, unadorned, plain spoken, and incisive. Kael in this loving depiction of her does not try to be deep, nor does she attempt five dollar words when simple ones will do better. Still, she is able. She sees the heart of the matter and enjoys it. She takes Voltaire's abjuration to heart, she does not reject all food, rather she enjoys all sorts of American film from The Godfather to The Sopranos. It does not take a film major to understand her analyses of film, but it does require a quick mind. Even as she clearly fades during the conversations with the writer, she is still at once the Lincoln of our film literature, rough-hewn and sturdy. This is a great way to get to know Kael and enter into a relationship with her that can last through her many good books.
May 29, 2009
This is truly a last conversation with the late, great film reviewer Pauline Kael. this is an intemimate view into the views and life of Kael who was best known for her reviews with the New Yorker in 70's and 80's. Her reviews read like a magnificient recipe that you want to dive right into. She was one of the most influential reviewers of her day and if you love words and movies which you must if you've read this far you owe it to yoruself to pickup her books, "I Lost It At The Movies" etc.
This brief comment doesn't do either Davis' book or Kael's reviews justice but I urge you to look into her work which is very readable and will give you great insight into new movies you've never heard of as well as new angles on those you've already seen and loved.
FYI, Davis is married to Terry Gross of NPR "Fresh Air" fame and is equally adept at the art of conversation.
This brief comment doesn't do either Davis' book or Kael's reviews justice but I urge you to look into her work which is very readable and will give you great insight into new movies you've never heard of as well as new angles on those you've already seen and loved.
FYI, Davis is married to Terry Gross of NPR "Fresh Air" fame and is equally adept at the art of conversation.
August 16, 2018
It's such a pleasure to read Kael's words. She's so passionate, with an intelligence like striking sparks off an anvil. I miss her.
January 30, 2009
Pauline Kael literally died in the days surrounding 911 and I didn't learn about her passing until later. I was devastated. She never did seem to get old, my every entrance into another college always brought a trip to the library where a new Pauline Kael book seemed to wait. I was sad that there would never be another. I did finally weep when I learned. It is strange that someone I never met had a powerful impact upon my life, but she did.I look upon my writing from college onward and can see it in reflections of her much better prose. I really think her books and the New Yorker magazine reviews were for me writing class, and she was a demanding taskmaster.
May 12, 2018
The title sums it up perfectly; don't expect a lot of really deep insights on the history of cinema here. Most of the conversation is about Kael's thoughts on movies (and a bit too much about TV) at the time (1999/2000). The interviewer is quite obviously very bright and has great taste--and obviously a pretty huge "Paulette", judging by the interesting introduction. Mostly what you get in the interview though are just her thoughts on why and how movies have gotten bad, how and why people aren't going to see the little charming, subtle ones and going to see the crappy heavy-handed ones instead, how she stopped doing reviews because it would have been just too depressing to write negative reviews all the time, etc. The whole conversation is a bit depressing.
This book is mostly for hardcore Kael fans that just want to know what she thought of the movies from that time. Since her movie opinions come to an abrupt end in 1990, Paulettes need interviews like these to reassure themselves of their own movie opinions in the post-Kael-review world, and to make sure they didn't miss anything. And to make sure they don't have to start disliking any movies they might have previously enjoyed. She gives her thoughts on several films from 1999, and a few from 2000. She really liked Three Kings; she hated American Beauty. And no, she did not like Kubrick's new film Eyes Wide Shut:
"Ludicrous from the word go... That orgy was the most hygienic thing I've ever seen. It was strangely decorous. What was that all about, and who were these people that they had the money to stage such things? It really is a creepily bad movie. I don't understand why people were so willing to give Kubrick the benefit of the doubt when a lot of talented directors don't get the benefit of the doubt."
It's probably for the better that the interviewer didn't go too deep on other topics. When she speaks about old movies it's usually something you've heard her say before (like when she says something about how good The Godfather Pt. II is, it's like "yeah yeah, we know."). It's obvious that her memory/cognitive issues were affecting her; there were a few times she said she had really liked a movie, but didn't really know why (this is what she said about The Matrix, for instance). Kind of shocking coming from her.
The part where the interviewer tries to get her opinions on current TV shows goes on a bit long. At one point she starts talking about music and some albums she had been enjoying, but the interviewer, who is a music critic, oddly goes back to talking about TV without a follow-up. I would've liked to have heard more, since Kael was a big music person and the past interviewers were never interested in the subject. But oh well. Another interesting part is how she talks about her favorite new movie critics, as if to pass on the movie critic torch.
Anyways, if you are looking to read really great and insightful interviews with Kael, you should definitely start with Conversations With Pauline Kael.
This book is mostly for hardcore Kael fans that just want to know what she thought of the movies from that time. Since her movie opinions come to an abrupt end in 1990, Paulettes need interviews like these to reassure themselves of their own movie opinions in the post-Kael-review world, and to make sure they didn't miss anything. And to make sure they don't have to start disliking any movies they might have previously enjoyed. She gives her thoughts on several films from 1999, and a few from 2000. She really liked Three Kings; she hated American Beauty. And no, she did not like Kubrick's new film Eyes Wide Shut:
"Ludicrous from the word go... That orgy was the most hygienic thing I've ever seen. It was strangely decorous. What was that all about, and who were these people that they had the money to stage such things? It really is a creepily bad movie. I don't understand why people were so willing to give Kubrick the benefit of the doubt when a lot of talented directors don't get the benefit of the doubt."
It's probably for the better that the interviewer didn't go too deep on other topics. When she speaks about old movies it's usually something you've heard her say before (like when she says something about how good The Godfather Pt. II is, it's like "yeah yeah, we know."). It's obvious that her memory/cognitive issues were affecting her; there were a few times she said she had really liked a movie, but didn't really know why (this is what she said about The Matrix, for instance). Kind of shocking coming from her.
The part where the interviewer tries to get her opinions on current TV shows goes on a bit long. At one point she starts talking about music and some albums she had been enjoying, but the interviewer, who is a music critic, oddly goes back to talking about TV without a follow-up. I would've liked to have heard more, since Kael was a big music person and the past interviewers were never interested in the subject. But oh well. Another interesting part is how she talks about her favorite new movie critics, as if to pass on the movie critic torch.
Anyways, if you are looking to read really great and insightful interviews with Kael, you should definitely start with Conversations With Pauline Kael.
September 16, 2024
(Taken out of the NYPL for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center) I was browsing the film section and came across this thin volume recording a last interview with legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael conducted by music critic Francis Davis. At only 126 short pages, I finished it in an hour or so. I liked the introduction best, giving an idea of Kael's later years. Suffering from Parkinson's Disease, she retired from writing to Great Barrington, Mass. Davis describes planning a night out at the local cinema including who would give them a ride, Kael's issues with mobility and having pizza with her grandson who was living with her for the summer. A torrential downpour prevents their going out and they wind out watching a DVD of Galaxy Quest and an episode of Sex and the City. (The grandson goes out despite the heavy rain.) There is something sweet and cozy about this evocation of a night at home with a cherished friend.
The conversation is far ranging and not very deep, covering her days at the New Yorker and relationship with editor William Shawn, many movies and TV shows and Kael's disenchantment with the contemporary arts scene. You get a hint of her wit and an idea of her taste (which I often disagree with. She hated Star Wars and finds The English Patient self-important and tedious, for example.)
I have several of Kael's books of collected reviews, but I have yet to read any of them cover to cover. I usually pick out individual pieces if I've just seen the film under consideration to compare my thoughts with hers. Some day I will have to read these works as a whole rather than dipping into them occasionally so that I can get an idea of the state of cinema for the several decades Kael covered. Afterglow would make a flavorful brief dessert to such a feast.
The conversation is far ranging and not very deep, covering her days at the New Yorker and relationship with editor William Shawn, many movies and TV shows and Kael's disenchantment with the contemporary arts scene. You get a hint of her wit and an idea of her taste (which I often disagree with. She hated Star Wars and finds The English Patient self-important and tedious, for example.)
I have several of Kael's books of collected reviews, but I have yet to read any of them cover to cover. I usually pick out individual pieces if I've just seen the film under consideration to compare my thoughts with hers. Some day I will have to read these works as a whole rather than dipping into them occasionally so that I can get an idea of the state of cinema for the several decades Kael covered. Afterglow would make a flavorful brief dessert to such a feast.
July 11, 2017
He let more threads drop than I wish - I would have loved to hear more about her theory that curiosity about sex and dating is what drives most people to the movies. (I'm not sure I agree so would have liked to hear more from her on that.) I also have mixed feelings about her single viewing rule. Mostly because I think rules are silly, but also because our understanding and appreciation of some movies benefit from repeat viewings. This book represents a conversation between friends. It's not an indepth interview and one gets the sense omissions or failure to follow threads is more the result of familiarity than negligence.
February 5, 2019
A wonderful little book. The "conversation" covers large observations about movies in general and of the late 1990s. The book captures Kael's writing style and her love of movies as entertainment. What she saw was that in addition to being entertaining, movies could also be innovative and smart. And what the author's little essay/introduction to this book shows is how Kael was able to use movies as a way of explaining the larger issues of life and art.
March 15, 2018
A disappointing book-length interview. I expected more insight into Kael's personality and aesthetic preferences. What I got instead was a rather dull, undaring and rather unnecessary portrait of a woman who had been such an unorthodox critic and a brilliant writer in her own right. Pity that her wit and her persona didn't come through in the interview.
August 15, 2021
Pauline Kael is such fun in her blasé but consistently convincing opinions and is remarkably humble and genuine. The interviewing is fantastic from Davis, too, who is responsive and avoids a strict structure. Reads like an incredibly interesting conversation as the best interviews do.
April 10, 2020
If you loved Pauline Kael, it was a nice and surprising reminder of her thoughts on films after she retired.
September 6, 2023
Enjoyable addendum to Conversations with. Ends on an incredibly sour note, though, with Kael bemoaning the decay of film.
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January 7, 2025Amazing. Sad we shared so little air.
August 28, 2015
This slim but potent volume offers movie lovers an elegant good-bye from the acerbic, wildly opinionated National Book Award- winning film critic who reigned at the New Yorker from 1968 to 1991.
The New York Times called her "probably the most influential film critic of her time." Kael's enthusiasm for films was contagious, as she praised or damned them with giddy vitality. Longtime friend Davis's three extended conversations find the octogenarian still an avid moviegoer. While this book doesn't offer extended reviews, fans will be delighted to hear Kael weigh in on movies released since she stopped writing a decade ago.
She enjoyed the "sweet" Star Trek spoof "Galaxy Quest;" the first half of "Boogie Nights;" "High Fidelity" ("it gets better as it goes along"); and Brian De Palma's "Mission to Mars." She was also fond of TV's "terrific" "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" ("I loved the first season and watched it religiously"). She found "Silence of the Lambs" "a hideous and obvious piece of moviemaking"; Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" "ludicrous from the word go"; and "American Beauty" "heavy and turgid." She also blasts later-day Steven Spielberg ("Always" was "a shameful movie" and the casting was "terribly wrongheaded" in "Schindler's List").
Besides film quips, Kael defends her critical review of the Holocaust documentary "Shoah," regrets being talked out of reviewing "Deep Throat" and discusses current filmmaking and her 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease. FYI: The book's September 3, 2002 publication date coincided with the one-year anniversary of Kael's death at age 82.
The New York Times called her "probably the most influential film critic of her time." Kael's enthusiasm for films was contagious, as she praised or damned them with giddy vitality. Longtime friend Davis's three extended conversations find the octogenarian still an avid moviegoer. While this book doesn't offer extended reviews, fans will be delighted to hear Kael weigh in on movies released since she stopped writing a decade ago.
She enjoyed the "sweet" Star Trek spoof "Galaxy Quest;" the first half of "Boogie Nights;" "High Fidelity" ("it gets better as it goes along"); and Brian De Palma's "Mission to Mars." She was also fond of TV's "terrific" "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" ("I loved the first season and watched it religiously"). She found "Silence of the Lambs" "a hideous and obvious piece of moviemaking"; Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" "ludicrous from the word go"; and "American Beauty" "heavy and turgid." She also blasts later-day Steven Spielberg ("Always" was "a shameful movie" and the casting was "terribly wrongheaded" in "Schindler's List").
Besides film quips, Kael defends her critical review of the Holocaust documentary "Shoah," regrets being talked out of reviewing "Deep Throat" and discusses current filmmaking and her 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease. FYI: The book's September 3, 2002 publication date coincided with the one-year anniversary of Kael's death at age 82.
January 23, 2012
to read my full review go to http://coreysbook.wordpress.com/2011/...
Kael’s importance as a critic was that she was never afraid to go against the grain, to jeer what others cheered, and cheer what others jeered. It was the latter that was so very important. All too frequently in the film world, perfectly decent films go unnoticed while shlock reigns supreme. Every movie buff has at least a dozen films on their favorites list that no one else has heard of or bothered to watch.* As a critic, she’s one who essentially kicks the alpha-dog and feeds the underdog when necessary.
Kael’s importance as a critic was that she was never afraid to go against the grain, to jeer what others cheered, and cheer what others jeered. It was the latter that was so very important. All too frequently in the film world, perfectly decent films go unnoticed while shlock reigns supreme. Every movie buff has at least a dozen films on their favorites list that no one else has heard of or bothered to watch.* As a critic, she’s one who essentially kicks the alpha-dog and feeds the underdog when necessary.
April 4, 2014
What's better than one of our greatest critics talking about movies and TV she loves (and has loved)? Having her talk about them with a wonderful fellow critic who loves and appreciates her, the better to draw out wisdom accumulated over a very interesting lifetime. This is a quick and wonderful read, full of bits and pieces I'd not known about Kael (especially her varied work history pre-New Yorker). There are also plenty of one-off recos and little rabbit trails to fall down provided within. Charming read!
April 12, 2009
a breezy, funny, and short interview book. The author, Francis Davis, interviewed Paulline Kael over the course of a weekend shortly before her death. Kael has some witty observations about (then) current cinema and television (who knew she'd be a big fan of 'Sex and the City'). Francis doesn't really push her into revealing any revelatory thoughts on past or present work and life. In spite of this more cursory approach, its a very enjoyable read for any Kael devotees.
June 27, 2014
A conversation with Pauline Kael. It's pretty straight forward. If you're a giant film nerd, then it's pretty relevant to you. If you're not, you probably don't even know who Pauline Kael is or why she's so important and influential. But basically it is just a conversation, so if you like reading other people's conversations about movies then it's awesome. If you love film as an artform, I would say it's worth reading, especially since it doesn't take that long to read.
February 29, 2016
Disclosure: I am not a film nerd and seem unable to sit still long enough to watch many movies. I do read movie reviews and used to read Pauline Kael when she wrote for The New Yorker. I found her to be very smart but a bit snarky and mean. This is a last interview with Kael and it lacks depth. It wasn't anything special. There is a bit of reminiscing about Shawn and The New Yorker and I found that interesting.
September 22, 2010
Afterglow is a book length interview between that great music critic Francis Davis and that great movie critic Pauline Kael. It is a little gem of a book, two friends sitting down in the later stages of Kael's life and discussing great and horrible films as well as books music and the relative strength of classical and pop culture. It's like overhearing a marvelous conversation in a coffee shop.
September 28, 2012
A not-very-good interview with a very interesting woman. I need to read more of her books and reviews.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews