kāl, 1919–2001, American film critic, b. Petaluma, Calif. Possessed of an extensive knowledge of the technical aspects of moviemaking and a feisty, pop-inflected style, Kael was noted for her provocative, passionate, and tough-minded film criticism. An extremely influential figure, she first attracted attention for her attack on the auteur theory, and later went on to champion the work of such filmmakers as Francis Coppola, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. After having written for Partisan Review,The New Republic,McCall's, and other journals in the 1950's and 60s, she became (1968) movie critic for The New Yorker magazine. She finally retired in 1991, citing the discouraging quality of current moviemaking. Kael's books, mostly collections of reviews and essays, include I Lost It at the Movies (1965), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (1968), The Citizen Kane Book (1971), Deeper into Movies (1973), 5001 Nights at the Movies (1982), Taking It All In (1984), Movie Love (1991), and For Keeps: 30 Years at the Movies (1994).

See W. Brantley, ed., Conversations with Pauline Kael (1996); W. J. Slattery, The Kael Index: A Guide to a Movie Critic's Work, 1954–1991 (1993); F. Davis, Afterglow: A Last Conversation with Pauline Kael (2002).

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