David Edelstein
David Edelstein (born 1959)[1] is an American film critic who has written for Slate and New York magazine, among others, and has appeared on-air with NPR's Fresh Air and CBS Sunday Morning.
Career[edit]
Edelstein became a journalist after graduating from Harvard University in 1981. He is often associated with close friend, fellow film critic, and iconoclast Pauline Kael.[2] He is also credited with coining the term "torture porn," a genre to describe such movies as Hostel and Saw.[3]
He has previously been a film critic for Slate (1996–2005), NPR's Fresh Air (2002-2018), the New York Post, The Village Voice, and The Boston Phoenix. His work has also appeared in The New York Times' Arts & Leisure section, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, Variety, and Esquire, among others. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics.[4][5] Edelstein regularly appeared as a guest on Charlie Rose to talk about the movies and the Oscar telecast.
Dismissal from Fresh Air[edit]
On November 26, 2018, Edelstein came under controversy when he made a joke on his Facebook page about a rape scene in the film Last Tango in Paris which was viewed as "offensive and unacceptable".[6] Edelstein stated that he was unaware of the link between the film and the real-life rape of Maria Schneider. He apologized, and deleted the post. He was defended by several media outlets, including Salon and the editorial board of the New York Post and The American Conservative.[7][8][9] The following day, Fresh Air released a statement announcing that Edelstein had been dismissed as a contributor, saying in part, "The post does not meet the standards that we expect from Fresh Air contributors...We have decided to end Fresh Air’s association with him, and have informed David accordingly.”[10]
Bibliography[edit]
He is the author, with independent film producer Christine Vachon of Killer Films, of Shooting to Kill (Avon Books, 1998).[11] He is also the author of two plays, Feed the Monkey (Loeb Experimental Theater, Harvard College, 1993) and Blaming Mom (Watermark Theater, New York City, 1994).[12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Reel time with David Edelstein". Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Pauline., Kael (2002). Afterglow : a last conversation with Pauline Kael. Davis, Francis, 1946- (1st Da Capo Press ed.). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306811920. OCLC 50557407.
- ^ Hundt, Brad (October 26, 2007). "Shocking stuff". Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "David Edelstein - New York Film Critics Circle - NYFCC". www.nyfcc.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ "Members". National Society of Film Critics. August 29, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ Yang, Rachel (November 27, 2018). "NPR's 'Fresh Air' Fires Film Critic David Edelstein Over 'Last Tango in Paris' Rape Joke". Variety. Los Angeles, CA: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "David Edelstein, the "butter scene" in "Last Tango" and the darkness of the internet". Salon. November 28, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ Post Editorial Board (November 28, 2018). "It's time to stop firing people for bad jokes". The New York Post. New York. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ Dreher, Rod (November 30, 2018). "Defending David Edelstein". theamericanconservative.com. The American Ideas Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "NPR's 'Fresh Air' Fires Film Critic David Edelstein Over 'Last Tango in Paris' Rape Joke". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Shooting to Kill". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (October 22, 1994). "In Performance; Theater". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Edelstein's Top 10 films of 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010,2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998.
- David Edelstein at IMDb
- Archive of pieces by David Edelstein at New York Magazine
- Video (and audio) of interview/discussion with Edelstein and Alex Gibney at Bloggingheads.tv
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
- 1959 births
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- American film critics
- American film historians
- American male non-fiction writers
- CBS News people
- Film theorists
- Harvard College alumni
- Jewish American writers
- Living people
- New York (magazine) people
- NPR personalities
- Slate (magazine) people