Roger Ebert

Roger Joseph Ebert ( born June 18, 1942 in Urbana, Illinois, † April 4, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American film critic and 1975, the first Pulitzer Prize - winner for movie reviews. Ebert wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and was regarded as the most important film critic of the United States.

Life and work

Roger Ebert grew up as the son of Walter H. Ebert and Annabel Ebert in Urbana, Illinois. His ancestors on his father's side were immigrants from Germany, mother's side they come from the Netherlands and Ireland. As a student at Urbana High School, he became interested in journalism and wrote his first sports for The News -Gazette in Champaign, Illinois. With articles in science fiction fanzines, as in Richard A. Lupoffs Xero, he began his own career as a writer and was towards the end of his schooling co-editor of his high school newspaper, the The Echo. In a simulation of radio broadcasts Ebert won the 1958 Award of the Illinois High School Association State Speech Championship. Except at the University of Illinois studied Ebert briefly at the University of Chicago and the University of Cape Town. His doctoral thesis was due to the double burden, unfinished. Ebert wrote in the mid- 1960s movie reviews. From 1982 to 1999, he moderated his colleague Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune, the television program Siskel & Ebert, in which both critics rated movies together. Siskel died in 1999. Became his successor in September 1999 Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun- Times. The program was called Ebert & Roeper and ran until August 2008.

Roger Ebert was a friend of Russ Meyer and wrote the screenplay for the film Valley of the Dolls ( Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, 1970), over, under and on it ( Up!, 1976, under the pseudonym Reinhold Timme ) and in the deep valley the Ultra-Vixens ( beneath the Valley of the Ultra - Vixens, 1979, under the pseudonym R. Hyde ).

Each year, Ebert gave a book to the movie reviews of the previous year out. In addition, he has published a book about movie clichés as well as one book with the best and worst films of the past. He also hosted the annual Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival in Champaign.

Since July 18, 1992 Ebert was married to the attorney Charlie " Chaz " Hammel - Smith. He was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in early 2002 and lost in 2006 in the course of treatment, the ability to speak, to eat and to drink, and has since been fed through a feeding tube. On 23 June 2005 he was the first film critic ever own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Blvd address. Roger Ebert died on April 4, 2013 at the age of 70 years to his cancer.

Views on the film industry

Ebert's favorite film was Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and the contrast was Rob Reiner's North, which he hated. He wrote a list of each of its opinion, the best and worst films of all time. His taste ran through sophisticated as well as popular cinema and especially old, but newer movies.

Ebert was an outspoken opponent of the Motion Picture Association of America. He criticized repeatedly awarded by their age recommendations on the films that have been classified as suitable for children.

In addition, Ebert complained regularly that cinemas outside major cities also showed only typical Hollywood movies, rather than local interest to be considered. This makes almost impossible to see high quality independent films or foreign films for most American moviegoers.

Roger Ebert was a proponent of the Maxi Vision 48 process, in which the film with 48 instead of the usual 24 frames is sampled per second. He had to cut against the practice, in theaters, the intensity of the bulbs of the projectors to extend the life. According to Ebert, this had only a small effect and also makes it more difficult to see the movie.

Ebert was skeptical about the recent return of the 3D effects in movies; this he considered unrealistic and confusing.

Awards

Except seven nominations for the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series Ebert received the following awards:

Writings

• Scorsese by Ebert. ISBN 978-0-226-18202-5.
• Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert. ISBN 0-226-18200-2. - A collection of interviews, essays, etc. from his 40 years as a film critic.
• Ebert's " Bigger " Little Movie Glossary. ISBN 0-8362-8289-2. - A book of movie clichés.
• The Great Movies. ISBN 0-7679-1038-9. - Several essays on great movies.
• The Great Movies II ISBN 0-7679-1950-5. - Several essays on great movies.
• I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. ISBN 0-7407-0672-1. - A collection of reviews of poorly rated movies.
• Roger Ebert 's Book of Film. ISBN 0-393-04000-3. - Over a century of writing about movies.
• Questions for the Movie Answer Man. ISBN 0-8362-2894-4. - Reply to the sent questions of his readers.
• Behind the Phantom 's Mask. ISBN 0-8362-8021-0. - Novel.
• An Illini Century. - The history of the first 100 years University of Illinois.
• The Perfect London Walk. ISBN 0-8362-7929-8. - A guide to foreign Ebert's favorite city.
• Your Movie Sucks. ISBN 0-7407-6366-0. - A collection of reviews of poorly rated movies.
• Roger Ebert's Four -Star Reviews 1967-2007. ISBN 0-7407-7179-5. - A collection of reviews of well- rated movies.
• Life Itself: A Memoir. Grand Central Publishing, New York, ISBN 0-446-58497-5. - Autobiography.