It is truly a sad day here in the city of Chicago as we have lost one of our sons, a true legend in the film industry. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert has passed away at the age of 70 today in Chicago, finally succumbing to cancers both of the thyroid and salivary gland.
Ebert put film criticism on the map with his column in the Chicago Sun-Times for the past 46 years and later in TV with his nationally syndicated show with fellow film critic Gene Siskel, Siskel and Ebert’s & the Movies. For all of us who write film reviews, either professionally or just as a hobby, Roger Ebert was the critic by whom all others would be judged. He was the epitome of a film reviewer, he told it like it was, if he liked a film there was no better advocate, but if he didn’t, he would let you know about it.
Ebert had been battling cancer for the last decade, he lost part of his lower jaw along with the ability to speak and eat in 2006. That would’ve derailed most others, but Ebert didn’t hide or shy away from what he loved doing. He continued to write film reviews for his nationally syndicated column, sometimes even scheduling cancer treatments around the release of a major film. It was just this past Tuesday that Ebert blogged he had suffered a recurrence of cancer following a fractured hip in December. He stated in his blog he would be taking “a leave of presence.” Tuesday’s blog also marked his 46th anniversary of becoming a film critic, he wrote “I am not going away. My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers hand-picked and greatly admired by me.”
Ebert was widely respected and popular, both by his peers and by fans alike. He won a Pulitzer Prize, the first film critic to win the prestigious award and was honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. He even tried his had at screenwriting when he wrote the screenplay to Russ Meyer’s sexploitation film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in 1970.
In 1975, Ebert launched a new endeavor for him, he started a Chicago television program with fellow critic Gene Siskel called Opening Soon at a Theater Near You. The show initially ran on a local Chicago channel and only aired monthly but then in 1978, the show proved to be a success and changed its name to Sneak Previews and moved to PBS and was distributed nationally. In 1981, the name changed yet again to At the Movies, and again in 1986 its title changed to Siskel & Ebert & The Movies. That title stuck until after Siskel passed away in 1999. The duo were known for their thumbs up or thumbs down rating system. “Two Thumbs Up” became their registered trademark and what they were known for.
Ebert was a huge proponent of film, film preservation, film festivals, he even created his own festival, The Overlooked Film Festival in Champaign, Illinois.
Ebert didn’t have much to do with the horror genre, he generally disliked many of the horror films which he reviewed, but he was a film lover and gave more to the film industry than most people could ever conceive. You don’t have to be a horror fan to be a fan of Roger Ebert, you just have to love film, as he did. For after all, what are horror films, they’re just films and that’s what Ebert loved so much. So let us all raise a glass to the greatest film critic and review of all-time, Roger Ebert. He was loved by so many and will be truly missed, he was a one of a kind person. I’m sure he’s in Heaven right now arguing with Gene Siskel about how bad the new remake of Evil Dead really is.
Roger Ebert’s friends and family have our deepest condolences from everyone here at Horror Society!
