We should all love what we do as much as Ebert did.

Remembering Roger Ebert, one of the greats

4/7/13

Just the other day, legendary film critic Roger Ebert announced via his blog that sadly, his cancer had returned and he wouldn't be doing as many movie reviews. Having followed Ebert on Twitter for years, I spotted his update, entitled "A Leave of Presence," and read with a heavy heart. Ebert began by thanking his fans and followers, noting that it had been exactly 46 years since he took the job as the Chicago Sun-Times' movie critic.

Even in the face of unimaginable illness, Roger Ebert had an incredible positive energy. It was this energy that drove everything he did, including his illustrious career as one of the world's foremost movie critics.

Sadly, Roger Ebert has lost his battle with cancer. The 70-year-old Ebert died on Thursday, April 4, 2013, just two days after announcing the recurrence of his disease. His loss is immeasurable and his influence on writers everywhere is impossible to quantify (though this sums up his influence quite well, in my opinion).

Roger Ebert's nearly 50-year career as a movie critic began in the 1960s, when a slew of excellent films were hitting theaters. It was a golden time for movie fans, and Ebert's prolific reviews quickly gained him a huge following. You didn't have to agree with every review Ebert wrote, but you had to respect his arguments for or against a film.

What were Roger Ebert's favorite films? In April of 2012, Ebert mused about his choices for Sight & Sound's poll of the greatest movies of all time. His choices included Fellini's La Dolce Vita (which he called "a touchstone in my life"), 2001: A Space Odyssey ("a great visionary leap") and Apocalypse Now ("the bravest and most ambitious fruit of Coppola's genius").

What was Roger Ebert's all-time favorite film? According to The New York Times, when Ebert was asked what film "he thought was shown over and over again in heaven" (along with what snacks were served), he answered: "Citizen Kane and vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream."

As I sit here perusing the many, many wonderful tributes to Roger Ebert, I'm learning so much more about the man that I never knew. I didn't realize, for example, that Ebert won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975. To this day, he remains the only film critic ever to receive such an honor for his writing. And did you know that in 1969, Roger Ebert wrote the screenplay for the cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls? His interest in all things film-related was enormous, but ultimately, he opted to continue his newspaper career.

And we are all so grateful for that decision, aren't we? I was a devoted viewer of Roger Ebert's At the Movies (and right before that, Sneak Previews on PBS). Each week, I eagerly awaited a new episode, so I could find out what Ebert and his partner, Gene Siskel, thought about the newest films (and see all the newest movie clips). Thumbs up? I immediately hit the theater to see that movie. Thumbs down? Eh, forget about it. Then there was this, a wonderful compilation of some hilarious At the Movies outtakes:

Siskel & Ebert '80s Outtakes

The Roger Ebert/Gene Siskel sparring matches over movies were epic, memorable and certainly passionate. Both men loved what they did, and it was clear in the way they so often (and so eloquently) argued their points. For me, they made it perfectly OK to express an opinion about a film as a layperson, right or wrong.

Roger Ebert did not let his battle with cancer slow him down for long. Although he couldn't speak, he managed to communicate so eloquently through his writing. In fact, in 2010, Ebert told Esquire magazine, "When I am writing, my problems become invisible, and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be."

If you are a Roger Ebert fan, I highly recommend picking up a copy of his 2011 memoir, Life Itself. He talks at length about his early life, his efforts to learn about movie-making (even without a formal film education) and his struggle with alcoholism (he quit drinking in 1979).

Just a few nights ago, two days before his death, Roger Ebert signed off in "A Leave of Presence" with these words:

"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."

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You will be missed so much, by so many. I only hope that you and Gene Siskel are hanging out together in the balcony, watching Citizen Kane, arguing your points and/or giving two enthusiastic thumbs up and consuming copious amounts of vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

What are your fondest memories of Roger Ebert? Was it a film review he wrote that you totally disagreed (or agreed) with? No one ever agrees with everything a movie critic says, after all. Ebert's reviews were no exception, though they were (for the most part) exceptional.