Customer Reviews

Going Steady: Film Writings 1968-1969

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I don't even often agree with her. We love different Bergman films and she likes to rip on Truffaut, who I adore, but never mind. If I wanted to read what I agreed with, I'd read my diary-- and even then I'd probably disagree with myself.

What impresses me about Kael is how much her love of cinema comes through. Everyone uses the word 'passion' when they write about Kael, and really, that word comes unescapably through every page of her books. She is more than passionate, however, and combines that emotion with a real and powerful intelligence and an often hilarious sense of humor. She's a critic in the tradition of Dorothy Parker, with a little bit less nastiness. Whenever Kael is vicious about a film or an actor, you don't have a sense of cynicism, but of real anger at someone defiling her art.

Going Steady can be a bit difficult for youngsters like me, because I'd only seen a fraction of the films she discussed in it. It was originally released the year I was born, and the 60s are not an era whose films I've particularly studied. However, this book contains her famous essay "Trash, Art and the Movies" and for that piece alone it's worth a read.

This book is for cinema enthusiasts. The reviews are old, many of them for movies that passed long ago from public memory. The remaining value is Kael's absolute love affair with cinema, evidence as she waxes on about the movies, what cinema is (or was at the time of the writing) and what it should be. This isn't journalism. Kael's opinion is the star of the book, but her passion for this most modern of artforms is infectious.

It's also fun reading Kael's take on certain well-remembered films. Sometimes her reviews are right on, while other times she denounces moves that would later prove beloved classics. Always, though, Kael is sharp, full of vigor, and entertaining.

This collection is Kael hitting her stride. It is some of the best film criticism available. Her review of Godard's Weekend is brilliant and her musings on the death of Mae Marsh and Griffith's Intolerance are beautiful. If you care about movies, this is a book you must read!