Roger Ebert film critic dies

Gene Siskel, left, and Roger Ebert are shown in a 1994 file photo.(Photo: Associated Press)

Today American film critic, Roger Ebert (1942 – 2013), died at age 70 from the effects of salivary gland and thyroid cancer that he had been battling for eleven years.  He started reviewing films in 1967 for the Chicago Sun-Times and continued through several television shows (the most popular “Siskel & Ebert” was with fellow critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune who died in 1999) and his online journal at the Sun-Times when he was no longer able to speak after cancer surgery.

Although he later claimed to be agnostic Roger Ebert was born and raised a Roman Catholic and served as an altar boy. He was sensitive about the portrayal of Catholicism in film though he often criticized the most popular, such as Kevin smith’s “Dogma” and praised the most controversial such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ.” His review about Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ”   is one of his best though he detested the extreme violence and the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating abilities. He said “The Passion of the christ” was “ … the most violent film I have ever seen. The MPAA’s R rating is definitive proof that the organization either will never give the NC-17 rating for violence alone, or was intimidated by the subject matter. If it had been anyone other than Jesus up on that cross, I have a feeling that NC-17 would have been automatic.”

After Gene Siskel died Ebert teamed up with Richard Roeper, also of the Chicago Sun-Times. A generation younger than Roger Ebert, his views often annoyed me because they seemed so black and white compared to Ebert’s nuanced approach to film criticism. I wrote a get-well card to Roger after his first cancer surgery in February 2002 and added that Roeper’s style irritated me. He answered a later with a note saying that he hoped that by now I “liked Richard Roeper a little more.”

Roger Ebert, a recovering alcoholic and who once dated Oprah Winfrey, leaves behind his wife, Chaz Ebert, and millions of fans.  On his blog  he wrote just two days ago about the recurrence of the cancer:

“At this point in my life, in addition to writing about movies, I may write about what it’s like to cope with health challenges and the limitations they can force upon you. It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital. So on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness.

“So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I’ll see you at the movies.”

May he rest in peace.

 Click here for story at USA Today

Wikipedia has an extensive biography on Roger Ebert here

Click here for Roger Ebert’s website.