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Camille Paglia Raves About...the Housewives?
The writer and intellectual says she could "watch the same episode four or five times."
Camille Paglia is the legendary (and sometimes controversial) intellectual, professor and cultural critic who's written about everything from Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor to Oscar Wilde and Simone de Beauvoir.
It turns out Paglia, who has appeared on Watch What Happens Live, is also a student of the Real Housewives franchises, too!
In a new interview with Salon, Pagila raves about the shows—comparing them to classic Hollywood movies. In her mind, the franchise isn't a guilty pleasure. It's high art.
"Too much film and TV in our digitized era has lost a sense of space," she says. "But Real Housewives has the old Hollywood flair for knowing how to situate bold, dynamic personalities in tangible four dimensions—from chic or glitzy interiors to exhilarating landscapes. This is contemporary cinematography at its sparkling best."
Calling the shows a "feast for the eyes," Paglia admires the work that goes into making each episode—and, of course, she loves the drama. "I have such admiration for the amazing camerawork and deft narrative editing—the rapid scene-setting, the revelatory reaction shots, the touches of realism in how people get out of cars or shop or order a cocktail."
Perhaps the best compliment? She's got many of the shows on repeat. "I can watch the same episode four or five times."
Paglia recently appeared on Watch What Happens Live. Watch clips of her appearance below:
