New book tells the story of film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ย. 2023
- Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel are two of the most influential film critics ever, often making or breaking movies with their reviews. Now, a new book by film critic Matt Singer takes a look at their impact and professional rivalry. CBS News' Dana Jacobson has more.
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Wow. I watch Roger and Gene on TH-cam all the time. They were the real thing. I still value their reviews, their chemistry and their honesty. The new book is now at the top of my Christmas list! I still love Siskel & Ebert! PS, I just got a copy the first volume of Ebert’s The Great Movies. It’s an amazing reference of 100 great movies, showcased in 100 great Roger Ebert reviews. Well worth checking out. 👍🏼👍🏼 🤷🏽♂️
I have always loved that Gene Siskel loved Saturday Night Fever so much that he bought the Travolta outfit at auction. He understood that it was not some silly disco picture but a slice of life film about dreams and making something of your life, no different than a film like Rocky.
I agree - it's adorable.
There would be a Rocky influence on Saturday Night Fever because initially the director was John Avildsen, who directed Rocky. And then the sequel, Staying Alive, was directed by Sylvester Stallone.
It is a surprisingly good movie in many respects, especially as you said the accurate slice of life from that era and the ppl who lived it
Yep. It was his personal favorite film of all time.
@@nrkgaltJohn was also dumped in the Rocky series in favor of the star Stallone directing them. However he came back and directed the one film nobody likes which was Rocky V.
In England, I grew up with film critic 'Barry Norman' on TV. Everyone, of a certain age, remembers cuddly old Barry Norman. When I discovered Siskel and Ebert, in recent years, I was stunned by their reviews. These guys were laser-guided. They made Barry Norman appear like a novice. Every review is a masterclass in the art of critiquing. Honestly, America, you were witness to the absolute best in the business.
You can go back and read all of Roger's old reviews. They're all posted on his website. I think beyond find what makes a film good or bad, he was an amazing writer and knew how to wrote and convey his impressions.
@@mindeloman The guy didn't win a Pulitzer by accident.
I grew up watching them on Chicago public television, before they went network. I loved the show. I liked Gene as a reviewer better than Roger, but I didn't like how condescending Gene was to Roger,. I always wanted Roger to tell Gene to back the F off! He never did. Then when Gene got sick, he started being nicer to Roger. Finally.
Actually Siskel and Ebert had a predecessor here in the States too: Gene Shalit, he of the big mustache, who would review movies for the Today Show in the 60s and 70s in his schlocky way. He sounds a bit like your Barry Norman. Siskel and Ebert changed the game.
I haven't seen much of Barry Norman but I wasn't impressed by him. He was an okay critic.
I’m about 150 pages into the book so far and it’s extremely entertaining. Matt Singer has done a great job with this book. Thumbs up. 👍
My childhood unlocked! I used to watch them every weekend for the latest movies when i was a kid
When Gene passed you could tell it crushed Roger. He didn't seem the same after Gene passed . It's heartbreaking how these guys passed . Long live the memories they gave us .
The show ended when Siskel ended
I watched them all the time back in the day. And I remember when Gene died... and when Roger struggled with cancer as well. Thank you for profiling them. I'm happy their story is being told in this new book.
I grew up in Chicago and it was absolutely heartbreaking how Siskel and then Ebert passed away from horrible diseases. I was a huge fan of them.
They did start out genuinely disliking each other. But it grew to grudging respect to deep respect to friendship. Not the closest of friendships, but friendship. At the end of his life, Siskel had Ebert promise to take his (Siskel's) children to see The Phantom Menace because Siskel knew he wasn't going to be around when it was released. I really wish Roger had written a memoir about their relationship; it's such a unique story. Also, they agreed 70+ percent of the time.
From their celebrated lives to their tragic deaths, these guys deserve a biopic of their own someday. 2 thumbs up to both. Sorely missed. 👍👍
I’d absolutely love a biopic of Siskel & Ebert, they deserve their stories to be told. But with the state of how awful movies are now I doubt anyone could make a movie worthy of these two giants.
I agree.
I still miss them both and always enjoy watching old clips of them on TH-cam. You didn't have to agree with them on every movie (I certainly didn't) to thoroughly enjoy their banter and passion for cinema. No one has replicated it on television since.
I LOVED Siskel and Ebert growing up. I watched films just based on their recommendation alone. Then, when Siskel passed away, I admired Roger Ebert so much. He was my favorite of the duo and I was so glad we had him for so long. He should still be with us, but BOTH gone too soon.
Roger lived a long life, sad how he died in a wheelchair and everything, but like all things nothing last forever.
They once did a special SNL ep reviewing short videos. Skits. 🎬
As a movie lover since the early 1970s, I was a fan of Roger and Gene since the AT THE MOVIES days on our PBS station, channel 6, in Denver. I only agreed with them about half the time, but they were so much fun to watch and their honest sparring was marvelous.
It was Sneak Previews that was on PBS. At The Movies was their first syndicated show.
I watched Siskel and Ebert all the time while growing up. Even now, I still look up these old shows to get recommendations for films I might not have been interested in when I was a teenager. Hollywood could use a duo like this again because they were honest, hard to find today with movie critics who give glowing reviews for films after attending special starstudded premieres or special early screenings.
My parents were South Siders and Siskel & Ebert were required viewing in the household. We even saw them when they were on late night. The 1st time was on Carson. The 2 actually got into an argument that lasted about 5 minutes. They were so centered on their debate they had completely cut Johnny out of their minds & when the camera finally cut him, he had that look of "Where did i lose control?" The audience (& me and my family) were just howling w/ laughter upon seeing that. Wish that was here on YT; y'all would love it.
That sounds great!
I used to watch their show religiously. For any serious movie fan in the 80s & 90s, it was appointment television. Not only was it very entertaining watching them argue & make their case for why they liked or didn't like a movie, but you watched their show to find out what movies were coming out. Two thumbs up from Siskel & Ebert was a seal of approval that no marketing campaign could buy. And two thumbs down could literally destroy a movie's chance at the box office or in home rentals resulting in losses of millions of dollars.
We miss those two so much.
Miss them both, makes me laugh so hard when they're either funny or fighting.
Well, now I know which book I’m going to get for Christmas. I miss them dearly, can’t believe it’s been ten years since Roger passed away. And I’m so glad the filmmaker who directed Hoop Dreams got to do the Ebert documentary, Life Itself and that deserves a 👍
I, as a teenager in the 80’s, stayed up past midnight on Saturdays to watch their show. I cried when Ebert died.
I miss Roger Ebert every time I read a movie review (and I used to write reviews for seven years in the early 2000s). No one was better able to evaluate a movie in terms of WHAT IT WAS TRYING TO DO, rather than as compared to Ingmar Bergman or some auteur from Slovakia. He was always my go-to reviewer when a new movie came out.
I miss them both.....
I think of them often still.
Rest In Peace.
Their reviews helped champion alot of films that otherwise would have been forgotten
How I loved Sneak Previews. They're taking me back now. I loved Siskel and Ebert. They were great.
I watched their show every Saturday afternoon in college before I went to my part-time job. Plus their appearances on Letterman were legendary.
This book is on my Christmas wish list. Congrats to Matt Singer for having written it!
"At the Movies" was required viewing at our house. We never saw a movie without first checking to see what Gene and Roger had to say about it.
We loved their shows like so many millions of people. The show was one of those we would try to get home to watch until VHS came along.
They were like my childhood best friends. When I grew up and got a journalism internship at a small magazine in Chicago the first thing I did was make a pilgrammage to the Sun Times and Tribune for tours.
Hollywood who spends Milliona on a movie, don't want film critics panning their movies. No one has yet to replace them.
I can’t say enough amazing and great things about Roger Ebert as an early pioneer of the internet and fan communication. I used to have LONG and IN DEPTH back and forth discussions with Roger Ebert himself in the comments section on his own site. And it wasn’t just me or like I was special - he would engage with anyone and everyone who had something to say.
That was after he had his jaw removed and couldn’t speak. I always felt like he was talking to the fans on his website so much at least in part because he couldn’t verbally speak anymore - and he was a garrulous guy! So I felt some obligation to be at the very top of my game when arguing/talking to him online. And it was a huge privilege in any case.
Indeed he did. I earnestly hounded him for going on 2 paragraphs about a not quite a semi-gaffe in 2011's Atlas Shrugged. As sharp as he was, he had a curiously selective memory that you can catch time to time.
I watched Siskel and Ebert every Saturday afternoon. I miss both of them.
I met Roger Ebert and his wife who came into a shop in Hawaii to buy Hawaiian wear for the Hawaii Film Festival. I was awe struck!
Watching old clips of their is one of my favorite things on TH-cam
As an 80's baby, one of my earliest pop culture memories was sneaking into my parent's bedroom one night to find Siskel and Ebert critiquing THE 3 AMIGOS on Johnny Carson's late show. Little did I realize the hilarious thing about that moment was the guy sitting next to them. Why, that's Chevy Chase from the movie they're critiquing!
Should give himself a pat on the back for that book title lol
I remember watching them every Saturday night at 6:30 on my local PBS station. Roger was my favorite critic. Two of my favorite movies (Ghost World and Almost Famous) are due in large part to Roger's glowing reviews. I've almost memorized them word-for-word by now.
The show ultimately ended in 2010, and I think it would have done so anyway, even if Siskel and Ebert had been able to continue. They would have been pushing 70 years of age, and the movie industry was changing radically by then, as was the role of criticism, with the explosion of the Internet and the popularity of Rotten Tomatoes.
The show certainly wouldn't be around today, even if the ratings were there, because the movies they loved aren't being made so much anymore. Take this weekend (Nov. 17, 2023) for example: Hunger Games prequel, Trolls sequel, and a slasher flick. The guys would have retired the show because the landscape simply isn't there. Most original content these days is in the form of serialized television on streaming platforms, and the format of Siskel and Ebert wouldn't fit that.
They were a product and a celebration of the last great age of cinema. And it's only fitting we remember both together.
I agree. I honestly would not like to have seen them active,bpushing 80 because they most likely would not have had the same spark. I know it sounds rather callous but I sort of glad their partnership ended when it did.
I miss them immensly. So thankful we have old episodes on YT.
Siskel and Ebert, Legends!
Their reviews and their commitment to their craft have never been surpassed or replaced.
Many today will never know a time when movies were not available on any medium (VHS not out yet) let alone on-demand. Sneak Previews was the ONLY way to learn about or see snippets of movies outside of the very limited windows for seeing it at theaters.
Growing up in Champaign-Urbana you would see Roger in town every so often. He went to the same high school as myself (albeit decades before) and the University of Illinois for his BA that my brothers went to. Enjoyed seeing him at Ebertfest at the Virginia Theater for many years; that was the inspiration for the phrase they used at the end of the show, "Until then, 'The balcony is closed'. You would see that sign at the Virginia when walking in and looking over to the stairway that led to the balcony. From what I gathered he tended to be in town to visit his mother, especially around holidays. Remember being in the same bookstore as him one December. People were cool, they wouldn't bother him.
The way I still seek out old Ebert reviews to this day. He was THE opinion on film for decades. I miss him dearly. 😢 Can't wait to read this book!
i honestly have never had any idea how much their reviews actually mattered in a films success, and OFTEN i highly disagreed with their takes on a lot of films. but i loved the show because it usually showed a bunch of clips that gave you a far better idea of whether or not you wanted to see a film than the often vague and confusing trailers did. and most importantly they would review films i had no idea existed otherwise and i learned about a lot of films i really liked that way. films that otherwise had little promotion and i thank them for that.
Whenever I’m about to watch a movie from 80s and 90s I always TH-cam to see what Siskel and Ebert thought of it
I watched Siskel & Ebert all the time on PBS and then syndicated. I learned about movies from them: how to discern a good film from a bad one re: acting, directing, cinematography, etc. I learned to be my own film critic from them. Thank you, gentlemen. Great story.
I met & spoke briefly to Ebert. UVA film festival. 🎥
I first got introduced to Siskel and Ebert's show Sneak Previews that was on PBS in a High School Mass Media class, and I loved watching them from then on.
Such simple format, and yet they are irreplaceable.
Weren't friends? According to Ebert in 1999: Gene was a lifelong friend, and our professional competition only strengthened that bond. I can't even imagine what will it be like without him. ...As a critic, Siskel was passionate and exacting. I think it was important to Gene that this was the only serious film criticism on television. That made him proud. We had a lot of big fights. We were people who came together one day a week and, the other six days, we were competitors on two daily newspapers and two different television stations. So there was a lot of competition and a lot of disagreement.
Ebert once said of his relationship with Siskel:
Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency. When we were in a group together, we were always intensely aware of one another. Sometimes this took the form of camaraderie, sometimes shared opinions, sometimes hostility.
A friendly rivalry.
I heard when Siskel died they rarely socialized outside the show. The Critic poked fun that they were a almost gay couple
Sneak Previews was actually the best incarnation of the show because they had more time to talk about the film. Also, they focused more on independent cinema than they did later when they switched over to At The Movies.
I still watch TH-cam downloads of originally taped episodes of those two often. They were the influences I had in reviewing online the movies, tv shows, or the occasional books I would read. I never thought I would miss two guys that I never met so much as I do them. One of my favorite reviews was an example of how two opposing views can be completely correct at the same time, on a movie I still love "Batman 1989", Siskel loved it too but Ebert had some wise commentary on the logic flaws of the movie which got him enough to vote thumbs down. Both men were totally correct. RIP to Siskel & Ebert.
I was watching Sneak Previews in college. My love of film exploded, because of them and their intellectual discourse.
Siskel and Ebert pulled no punches with their forthright approach to reviewing movies.
Siskel and Ebert are remembered because they have incredibly high batting averages, they got it right much much more than they got wrong. Their tastes were pliable and complementary. These days critics have half the integrity and twice the irrelevant biases.
I read his column in the Sun-Times. I think he started there while I was in high school. I didn't find out about their tv show until they went on PBS and my brother told me about it. It brought a breath of fresh air to the Tennessee town where I was going to school. As a loyal Sun-Times reader I never agreed with Siskel. It was weird that Siskel got brain cancer shortly after a local sportscaster had died of brain cancer. They had gone to Yale together (possibly college roommates). I still miss Ebert's reviews.
Ebert said he received radiation treatments for ear infections as a child, that led to his cancer. May have been the same with Gene.
I loved their show! RIP to the best film critics ever.
Siskel and Ebert had one mission; making the movies better.
I was 7 or so when I first saw them in SNEAK PREVIEWS on PBS. I loved watching them debate on the merits of movies, performers' talents and industry trends. My own interpretations usually aligned with Mr. Ebert... but I treasure them both as appreciators of an artform I love so dearly. 🎦
RIP Roger and Gene 😢🙏🙏
I can’t believe no network or streaming service haven’t attempted to make a tv series or movie about this iconic duo..
miss these two guys - no one has been able to replace them
Thank you for this. Definitely getting this book. Sneak Previews and At the Movies were huge staples for me growing up. Couldn’t wait to see what was coming out bin theaters, and what Siskel and Ebert had to think about it!
Roger is from Urbana IL. Each year the EbertFest is held in sister city Champaign, IL. Out in front of the Virginia Theater in Champaign, where it’s held, there is a bronze seated statue of Roger with his thumbs. A fan favorite when they come by and a town source of pride for sure.
Growing up on the north side of Chicago, I watched MANY movies in the same theater where Gene had. Having moved downstate as a young adult, I now live a block down across the street from Roger's childhood home. Having seen (and briefly made contact with) each of them, I've felt an odd sort of connection to both.
Film criticism is just not the same without Siskel & Ebert.
6:10 - I believe they coined the phrase 'two hours out of my life that I'll never get back!" :)
I wish we still had them both and that cancer hadn't taken them.
Cancer will get nearly every human.
Watched these guys growing up in the Chicago suburbs.
A true appreciation of movies and the critics we loved.
The show came on at weird hours in my city and I’d set an alarm clock when it aired at 2am. I miss them so much.
For me the show was on Sunday afternoon. It helped ignite my love for movies. Miss those guys and I miss the variety of movies they had the chance to review.
I remember watching this as a kid when I first came to NYC. Thanks for taking me back.
I still miss them.
When she spoke about how they could make little movies find an audience, I thought they would mention My Dinner With Andre. Hoop Dreams was every critics' favorite documentary the year it came out (deservedly so) but My Dinner With Andre is part of the culture because of Siskel and Ebert. You may not have seen it per se, but you've seen it parodied on The Simpson and elsewhere, and that was possible because they made it an art house hit when otherwise it probably would have run for two weeks in very limited release, then disappeared.
This was great. I grew up watching these two as well as reading Ebert's reviews rught up to his passing. Their appreciation for each other definitely came through, and I never once felt that their subdued rivaly was an act, since they just as often agreed.
I wrote film reviews in my college paper and I remembered to look at the films not just from an entertainment perspective but a creative way as well by remembering how they looked at films. I also enjoyed trashing anything that I felt wasted my time because I remember saying things like "what a waste of two hours I'll never get back".
Used to watch them a lot since 1970s. Loved them per se. I saw ebert in person at academy awards in 1984 (took pic).
I enjoyed watching their show every time it came on. They always made new excited about new movies that came out.
They should make a movie about these two. Legends.
I recall an episode when that week's theatrical releases were so abysmal, at least by Siskel and Ebert's standards, that they recommended some made-for-TV movies and network shows being televised for that week in the US.
😂 And if so called movie critics (not a fan of political correctness but I prefer the term “movie/entertainment commentators” myself to describe Roger & Gene)might have gotten fired here in the mid 2020s if they went off script like that. That is of course to mention television movies and tv shows.
"Look into the camera and say I was wrong about Cop And a 1/2"
"No I'm not doing that"
LOL!!!
WHAT?!?!?!?
@@rhyancoleman6462 Only fans of Siskel and Ebert will know
Wow...I watched them from their PBS days (Sneak Previews incarnation of the show). I had forgotten that Gene was only 52 when he died ☹
53
@@rhyancoleman6462 Ah...correct. 3 weeks after his 53rd birthday.
If Roger and ebert were here they will be devastated how Hollywood is now
Ah, the good old days… 😎
Such Great Memories, Thanks.
I watched Siskel & Ebert on PBS before they went into syndication, both my Dad & I quickly learned,
whatever they liked was a movie to be avoided & if they hated a movie, THAT was the movie to see.
I remember them from the PBS days! I saw Roger Ebert speak at Wichita State University back in the 80's.
Let’s be honest, no one really paid attention the thumbs up or down unless they agreed. What was fun was their verbal but respectful back and forth. It did raise your awareness of movies at times because these were actually quite serious people. As a younger man back then, it didn’t make one ounce of difference what they said to my movie ticket purchase, because I was gonna see what I wanted to see, but I loved hearing their opinions.
I found Siskel and Ebert here on youtube some years ago. Review after review, I became a huge fan. So curious about this book and what else might teach me about them. Thanks for this interview!
Those guys made me admire cinema so much.
These Two were legends
My generation and remember the days when you had to look at the newspaper and see what time a movie starte🤣🔥😀
Thanks for such a great vid about two who were part of millions of people's lives. And congrats to Dana Jacobson on her 2019 marriage... guess I missed my chance! 😍
They were fun to watch. Good times seeing them exchange opinions on films.
Loved them both. The show was fantastic
Who else was taken back 25-30 years when they heard that saxophone?
They also impacted sports tv talk. Pardon The Interruption on ESPN has obvious S&E influences and other similar shows followed.
Or John even on Sports Talk Radio 📻 as well. While never openly admitting, I am sure the executives at WFAN radio in New York America’s first 365 day a year full time sports talk program, had Roger and Gene in mind when they created the Chris Russo (now currently known here in 2023 as the Co Host/Panelist of ESPN First Take with Stephen Smith & “Mad Dog Radio” streaming program on Sirius) and Mike Francesa aka the “Mike & the Mad Dog” program.
If none of you never heard of “Mike & The Mad Dog” especially non sports fans please do a YT search of an ESPN documentary about them.
Wished they were still around. They would've torn Hollywood a new one.
I miss these guys so much, watched them for close to 20 years. It was because of them, in their PBS show "Sneak Previews", that I took a film criticism class in college in the spring of '81.
I think they'd both be handing out a lot of thumbs down for today's movies with the preponderance of superhero movies, remakes and movies with simplistic plots.