Holiday weekends like Easter are also Hollywood weekends in America. It’s when whole families drive to their local multiplex to see the latest movies. Before they go, many of them turn to their favorite oracle for advice.
Roger Ebert has been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, when he was only 25. In 1975, he teamed up with Gene Siskel, a rival columnist for the Chicago Tribune, in a national television program. Without knowing each other’s opinion in advance, the duo showed clips from current films and then discussed what was good and bad about them.
Unlike many critics, Siskel and Ebert had actually seen the films and gave real criticism. They reviewed not only the latest Hollywood films, but also small independent productions and the occasional foreign film. It was fun to watch them disagree, as they did on Dead Poets’ Society in 1989.
At the end of the show, each critic gave his recommendation in the form of a thumbs-up or thumbs-down sign. The “two thumbs up” slogan appeared proudly in ads for the best films, and Siskel and Ebert became stars. They were popular guests on talk shows, and Siskel even had an audience with President Bill Clinton in 1997. Siskel, however, battled a brain tumor and died in 1999.
Ebert continued the show with other reviewers, but quit in 2006 when he developed thyroid cancer. The operation on his throat left him without salivary glands, and without his voice. This experience would have ended anyone else’s career, but it’s given Ebert the resolve to do even more of what he does best.
Without his voice, you see, Ebert has become the Stephen Hawking of newspaper columnists, thinking and writing more than anyone could imagine. In person, he communicates using short notes on paper. In print, he contributes his weekly film review. Online, he answers movie questions and writes a weekly blog, which receives hundreds of thoughtful comments from polite, educated and well-informed readers.
Ebert’s topics range from the technical (films are often shown too dark — it’s the projectionist’s fault) to the profound (Should we want to know the future?). Given the state of his health, his topics have become more and more existential — a recent post about the online phenomenon Twitter turned into a discussion of immortality.
Ebert runs a yearly film festival near Chicago, held this year from April 22 to 26. The only film reviewer ever to receive a Pulitzer Prize has also written several fascinating guides to film. One of his hobbies is collecting movie aphorisms (“Any fruit stand you see in a film will be knocked over” is just one of hundreds).
In one of their shows, Siskel and Ebert both said that you can always tell the pace of a film by the pace of the opening credits. Credits that come up very slowly, over several minutes, are a warning that the next hour and a half will be dull. Faster credits mean a more interesting film. It’s something to keep in mind the next time you’re at the movies.
Footnote: Roger Ebert passed away on April 4, 2013. He kept on writing until the end. His website is maintained by colleagues, who have added their reviews of recent films.
