The documentary is directed by Steve James, who was the most appropriate guy for the job knowing Ebert loved his film Hoop Dreams. In fact he loved it so much that he not only listed it as his top film of 1994, but the top film of the 1990s. I'm sure Ebert was as thrilled to have a film made about him by that guy as I would if Steven Spielberg decided to make a feature about me... or Morgan Spurlock if it was a documentary. The way Steve James approaches Ebert's life story is very interesting.
The documentary starts off by showing the impact Ebert has had on his fans, then cuts to Ebert himself in the hospital (filmed by Steve James himself) months before his death. We then progress back to Ebert's past about his life and family before he became a writer, but then the film keeps cutting back to Ebert in the hospital as the stories are told. It's interesting because there are three different types of narration going on as the story is being unfolded. We have Steve James' narration, Ebert himself talking in the hospital through his laptop voice and previous interviews, as well as a Roger Ebert impersonator narrating quotes from Ebert's book 'Life Itself' that the documentary is based off on. It might seem confusing at first, but it matches the pacing that Steve James is going for in telling Roger's life story. The hospital scenes to some viewers may seem unnecessary and depressing, but it fulfills Ebert's wishes in wanting to show his true self in what he's going through daily. Ebert promised that publicity of his health problems to the public after Gene Siskel's death, because Siskel hid his brain tumor from the public including Roger himself before his death. You can call it petty or odd; but for me I liked it because it was a wish fulfilled.
About 69% of the documentary tells Roger's life story at best, where the other 31% are all hospital scenes. Some of those hospital clips are uncomfortable to watch, but technically it does qualify for the title of the movie Life Itself. The hospital scenes do answer questions at the same time though where Steve James does send Roger a few email questions after filming a day and would get an answer from Roger about his childhood or how he would review his films in minor detail. He would always end his emails with the signature "Cheers, R".
There is plenty of behind the scenes footage (as most would want to see) of 'Siskel and Ebert At the Movies'. You find out how it was developed and how they were hired for the job. A fan of that show wouldn't be disappointed in this documentary if they are aware that this film is about Ebert featuring his life in that show. There's also interviews with his wife Chaz Ebert, old friends of his, famous filmmakers like Martin Scorsese (credited as executive producer of the documentary), as well as other filmmakers that may not possibly have a career if it weren't for Ebert's major thumbs up and publicity.
That's really all I can reveal about what there is. It's better in my opinion to watch the documentary to see the true results. It's a beautiful tribute to my favorite movie critic of all time who never stopped fighting to get his reviews out. When Siskel died, he got a new host. When he had thyroid cancer and had to leave the show, he made a website and twitter to post his reviews. When he couldn't attend theaters or festivals anymore to get a first look at the new release, he had the producers send him DVD copies of the film. That man never stopped reviewing movies literally till death. All I can say is this is a great piece to watch if you're a Roger Ebert fan.
A special thanks to Roger Ebert for the inspiration you gave me and millions of others. You were a smart and terrific human being. :)
***1/2
No comments:
Post a Comment