Life Itself
(2014) - 120 min - R
Actors
Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorcese, Thea FlaumGenre
Documentary- Icky Stuff
- Nudity
Chief Chick Comments
This movie about the life of Roger Ebert was finished despite Ebert's death five months into its filming. Even though I have followed Ebert for 40 years, I learned many things I did not know about him. Some were not so nice, but true, while others especially as he embraced his wife Chaz's family as his own, and encouraged in very fine ways the careers of beginning or struggling filmmakers were very moving. In one scene he presents a young filmmaker he had encouraged with a gift which had been given by Alfred Hitchcock to Marilyn Monroe, through her estate, to Ebert who then insisted the fillmmaker take the gift with the proviso it be passed on at some point. I had not known that Roger Ebert wrote the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls as well as the many books we do know about. While filming continued during his illness, he did not shy away from the details and disturbing images of his failing body. We see earlier the combative yet ultimately close relationship between Ebert and Gene Siskel who died of brain cancer in 1999. The Siskel and Ebert film reviews raised the visibility of films and their reviews to a high level and it eventually was aired throughout the US even LA and NYC. I found that many parts were beautifully filmed in parts of Chicago or Cannes as examples. A truthful, fascinating film. Of note, there are points in the movie where you hear Roger speaking even though the events in question happened after he could no longer speak. I discovered that an imitator was hired who really did sound just like Ebert. See it!
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