Sad news to report. Pulitzer Prize winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert, known internationally as the co-host of several film review television shows with fellow Chicago film critic Gene Siskel, has lost his battle with cancer at age 70. Mr. Ebert announced a few days ago that he was cutting back on film reviewing upon learning of the reappearance of the cancer that had already resulted in the removal of his jaw in 2006. He is survived by his wife Chaz. The Sun-Times has a long and moving obituary to Mr. Ebert on their website.
Personally, the loss of Roger Ebert marks the end of an era. For thousands of film fans growing up in the late 70s to the present day, Mr. Ebert and Mr. Siskel were our introduction to the world of film beyond the blockbusters playing at your local cineplex. Through the passionate and frequently barbed dialogue between the two men, we learned about Fassbinder and Altman and Truffaut and Almodovar and the Coens and Tarantino. For those of us living in podunk America, far from art house cinemas and especially in the days before Blockbusters and Roku, they were our introduction and education to a world we could only read about, or see discussed on TV.
They were erudite, snarky, combative and both brilliant writers. Mr. Siskel passed away in 1999 and Mr. Ebert continued on television with the far less interesting Richard Roeper, but while the TV show didn’t have the same spark, Mr. Ebert’s unique voice continued in print and online. He will be missed by all fans of film and intelligent criticism.
A toast to Roger Ebert.
