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Molly Haskell

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Critic

The Resume

    (September 29, 1939- )
    Born in Charlotte, North Carolina
    Film critic for The Village Voice, New York Magazine and Vogue
    Best known for her criticism of films from a feminist viewpoint in ‘From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies’ (1974; revised edition, 1987)
    Also wrote ‘Love and Other Infectious Diseases: A Memoir’ (1990), ‘Frankly, My Dear: ‘Gone with the Wind’ Revisited’ (2009) and ‘Steven Spielberg: A Life in Film’ (2017)
    Appeared in the documentary ‘For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism’ (2009)
    Married to fellow film critic Andrew Sarris (1969-2012)

Why she might be annoying:

    She got her first job as a critic through Sarris’ influence.
    She described her view of Hollywood movies as ‘In general, they’re awful, but in particular, they’re pretty great.’
    Steven Spielberg, in encouraging directors to have confidence, said, ‘You can’t worry if critics like Andrew Sarris and Molly Haskell don’t like your movies.’
    She described herself as ‘a Law and Order addict.’

Why she might not be annoying:

    She wrote, ‘As a young woman, I felt I should embrace a feminist perspective on films, but I was a cinephile first. Movies came before politics – always.’
    She said that ‘From Reverence to Rape’ met its greatest resistance from ‘party-line feminists’ who objected to her contention that actresses had been better off under the old studio system.
    She was a jury member at the Sundance Film Festival (1986).
    She received an award from the Athena Film Festival for her ‘leadership, creativity, and the extraordinary example she sets for other women in the field.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying