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Quote by Pauline Kael

“There seems to be an assumption that if you're offended by movie brutality, you are somehow playing into the hands of the people who want censorship. But this would deny those of us who don't believe in censorship the use of the only counter-balance: the freedom of the press to say that there's anything conceivably damaging in these films - the freedom to analyze their implications. How can people go on talking about the dazzling brilliance of movies and not notice that the directors are sucking up to the thugs in the audience?”

Author

Pauline Kael

Pauline Kael was an influential American film critic, born on June 19, 1919, and passed away on September 3, 2001. She was a prominent figure in the film criticism world, known for her unique perspective and profound insights into cinema. more

“At the movies, we are gradually being conditioned to accept violence as a sensual pleasure. The directors used to say they were showing us its real face and how ugly it was in order to sensitize us to its horrors. You don't have to be very keen to see that they are now in fact desensitizing us.”

Real Facts Faces Used Order Pleasure Accepting Violence Horror Directors Ugly Sensual Movie Sensual Pleasure

Book:For Keeps

Source: For Keeps

“tasteful and colossal are - in movies, at least - basically antipathetic.”

Movie Colossal

Author:Pauline Kael

“When I see those ads with the quote 'You'll have to see this picture twice,' I know it's the kind of picture I don't want to see once.”

Knows Want Kind Movie Ads

Book:For Keeps

Source: For Keeps

“I've had various experiences where I've been called by Hollywood studios to look at a script or comment on various scientific ideas that they're trying to inject into a story.”