Life Itself concentrates more on the man than his work, though we do get to hear some of his spirited on-air discussions with Siskel. He stopped drinking in 1979, started attending AA meetings – where he met his wife, Chaz – and has described himself as a recovering alcoholic ever since, though he notes in the film that without a way to physically drink liquids, he is probably safe from relapse. Life Itself has a lot of ground to cover, but it touches on many of the important (and sometimes strange) chapters in its subject’s life – like the time he crossed the critical divide to become screenwriter for Russ Meyer’s almost unclassifiable 1970 film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.Įbert, speaking through a synthesizer that recreates his voice from old recordings, also discusses his many trips to the Cannes film festival the Conference on World Affairs in Colorado (where he led frame-by-frame discussions of movies) and the pub.
The gift was conditional on Bahrani passing it forward to another deserving filmmaker one day. In the case of the last, he gave the filmmaker an arguably priceless jigsaw puzzle that had been a present to Marilyn Monroe by Alfred Hitchcock, and then passed down through Lee Strasberg, Laura Dern and finally Ebert. Gregory Nava’s El Norte, Michael Moore’s Roger & Me and Ramin Bahrani’s Man Push Cart have all benefited from Ebert’s imprimatur. But far from merely criticizing bad movies, he would often use his fame to champion smaller films that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. One former drinking buddy notes: “He’s a nice guy but he’s not that nice.”Įven Ebert admits he was no bastion of civility, calling himself tactless, merciless and a showboat. He seems to have lorded the win over friends, enemies and Siskel. Though Roger’s reviews are greatly missed, his legacy lives on through his wife, Chaz Ebert (whom he married in 1992) and the festival itself.Ĭhaz and the Festival Committee have kept Roger Ebert’s Film Festival (Ebertfest) alive by continuing to offer praise and viewing opportunities of overlooked films with help from the College of Media at Illinois.Ebert didn’t even apply for that job – he got it when the paper’s previous critic retired – but he excelled at it, to the point where, just eight years later, he became the first film critic to receive the Pulitzer Prize. After a lengthy battle with cancer, Roger passed away in April of 2013 at the age of 70. Accolade after accolade poured in to honor Roger for his contributions to both writing and film.
While Ebert struggled with health issues, his love for writing and film never wavered. Though Siskel passed away in 2004 to cancer, his replacement Richard Roeper continued a successful show with Roger. Alongside Gene Siskel, a film critic for the Chicago Tribune, their show “Siskel & Ebert” became an immediate hit. Life as a film critic granted Roger great success. College was no different as Roger quickly rose through the ranks of the Daily Illini and became the editor in chief during his senior year. Roger’s journey did not stop there as his talent for writing led him to become an editor for his school paper and The News-Gazette during his high school years. At a young age, Roger’s love of writing became apparent as he edited and produced his own local paper named after the street he lived on in Urbana, Illinois. They allow us to enter other minds, not simply in the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is an important part of it, but by seeing the world as another person sees it."Īs the first film critic to receive the Pulitzer Prize and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Roger Ebert’s love of writing and film followed him throughout the entirety of his life.
0 kommentar(er)
