Mentioning Roger Ebert, the marketing department over at Random House was kind enough to send me a copy of his latest book, THE GREAT MOVIES. For the past month I've been picking it up now and then to read his thoughts on some of the greatest films ever made, to which he has dedicated five or so pages of analysis each. Books like this are great for digesting a piece at a time.

While his writing and approach are almost always top-notch, in the past I've had some problems with Ebert's take towards certain films, particularly during the last few years. A good example is how he gave both FIGHT CLUB and ERIN BROCKOVICH only two stars -- ignoring what is obviously quality filmmaking no matter what your personal tastes dictate -- while casually giving hollow tripe like XXX positive reviews just because it's summer. Of course, I'm sure every critic could be accused of doing this at some point. The difference is that when Ebert slips up everyone is watching.

Whether you agree or disagree with his reviews week-in and week-out, THE GREAT MOVIES underlines and reinforces that in the grand scheme of things Ebert really does have a great understanding of film and its history. In my opinion he truly deserves his already cemented status as the most famous critic of all time. Not only is he dedicated, but when you read what he has to say about particular movies, there's no denying that he simply "gets it" more often than not.

The book covers all kinds of cinema, from the silent era and Buster Keaton to the 90's and Quentin Tarantino. I was most impressed by his explanation and defense of Oliver Stone's JFK, which has been simultaneously adored and hated for over ten years now. The controversial aspects of the film naturally stem from Stone's creative license towards the assassination and all of the various conspiracy theories and questionable facts; Kevin Costner's district attorney character is based on a real man, but the depiction of what happens in the film is a far cry from what happened in reality. But as Ebert explains, "This is not a film about the facts of the assassination, but about the feelings."

I don't care what a lot of politicians and concerned citizens believe -- movie theaters are not the place to go for an accurately detailed history lesson, unless of course you're too stupid to learn by picking up a book. Ebert clearly understands this concept at its very core. Walter Cronkite lambasted him for praising JFK, even though there's not a "shred of truth in it," and Ebert's response succinctly covers the often confused line between film and journalism. "He wants facts. I want moods, tones, fears, imaginings, whims, speculations, nightmares. As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact. Fact belongs in print. Films are about emotions."

I couldn't have said it any better myself. My fear is that future generations of filmmakers and critics won't fully embrace these types of concepts and will allow political correctness and so-called "fact" to rule over art and expression. Anyway, THE GREAT MOVIES makes for an interesting read and is the type of book you might leave out on the coffee table for a couple of months.

Posted December 13, 2003 | link