As we’ve been discussing all day, the foundations of traditional movie reviewing may be cracking, but there are monuments on the Acropolis of film criticism who endure.
(AP) Roger Ebert is becoming an honorary life member of the Directors Guild of America.
The announcement Tuesday from the top union representing Hollywood filmmakers says Ebert is receiving the honor at the guild’s Jan. 31 awards dinner.
“From the blockbuster to the tiny independent film, Roger Ebert has devoted his career to sharing his love of film with generations of moviegoers,” says guild President Michael Apted. “In doing so, he’s kept directors on their toes for more than 40 years.”
9 Responses for "DGA honors Ebert with Lifetime Membership"
Prior to his naming “Crash” as the movie most deserving to win the Oscar over “Brokeback Mountain” I used to respect the guy and always looked forward to read his reviews. Now I don’t bother reading them at all, although I do sympatize with what he’s going through.
Insert wisecrack about that “40 years” comment and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls here.
Insert wisecrack about NAACP awards audience shots here – something about the speck of vanilla in the chocolate, or usually something more rude.
In 1999, after Siskel died, I started saying that Ebert is luckier than most people, because he’s been able to see his own death. If you google the words “Gene Siskel obituary” you’ll see what I was trying to say – all 10 first-page links go to stories that basically say how Siskel and Ebert should be remembered. But my little death-crack has gotten a lot less funny over the years, as Ebert has been playing dodgeball with the reaper.
Painfully honest as this is, I have to say it: apropos of Crowther and Schickel, it’s been hard to watch Ebert turn into their opposite – a cheerleader for anything and everything. But his literate enthusiasm for film is infectious – infecting a lot of people that don’t check sites like these. He has well earned his status as the always-first review on imdb’s link for any film’s external reviews – he earns it through common-sense due diligence on the important ways that every film emphasizes its own themes – or as Ebert put it, “it’s not what the film is about, it’s how it’s about what it’s about.”
Ebert still has the capacity to move people and make a difference, as when every ad for An Inconvenient Truth featured Ebert saying: “In 29 years of movie reviews I have never written these words, but here they are: you owe it to yourself to see this film.” On some level, even Michael Bay or Quentin Tarantino hears the buzz of critics, a mosquito near their ears that says they may want to spend an extra 15 minutes shooting this one rape/murder a little less graphically just to get people like, uh, who, oh, maybe Ebert off my back. This matters. Ebert championed the idea of the critic amongst us non-French Americans who hate critics. Someone had to do it, and it wasn’t and isn’t always easy. Thanks Roger.
That’s just silly, maybe a WGA achievement award would be more appropriate, Ebert has nothing to do with directors… keeping them on their toes? yeah right
Consider what Roger Ebert has done through many years to make quality films accessible to the masses through his reviews and writing, by straddling serious film criticism and popular press, he deserves membership in any of the guilds involved in film directors, producers, writers or otherwise.
Amen to #3 and 4#. His genuine love for cinema is as Daniel said, “infectious”. And something very meaningful and beatiful we could interpreted behind that homage (not only the understandable concern with Ebert health problems): filmmakers and critics are not enemies. They ony fight for cinema in differents trenches.
Agree with him or not, like him or not, Ebert has made substantive contributions to film criticism, to the film industry, and to the general public. He’s earned a little acknowledgment.
I’m happy for any recognition that Roger gets. He deserves them all.
Ebert has had experience with talking to great directors about the movies. Martin Scorese being one of them.
Good for Ebert! I don’t always agree with his ratings, but I am still a huge fan of his.
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