Roger Ebert: 'I'm an optimistic person'

[n2doc]

Rachel Cooke
The Observer, Saturday 5 November 2011

Roger Ebert, who has been reviewing movies for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer prize. He is one of the few critics to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His reviews – he still writes up to six a week both for the newspaper and his website (which receives 110 million visits a year) – are syndicated around the world. He runs his own film festival, Eberfest, and co-wrote the screenplay of Russ Meyer's 1970 camp classic, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

In 2006, following post-surgical complications connected to his treatment for thyroid cancer, Ebert lost a large section of his right jaw; he has not been able to speak, eat or drink since. This encounter was therefore conducted by email. "Your questions are provocative!" he wrote, when I sent him my queries. "I like them." A typically Ebertian response. For he is nothing if not cheery. He has written that he knows that death is coming "and I do not fear it because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear… I was perfectly content before I was born and I think of death as the same state". On the other hand, "I don't expect to die any time soon… I have plans".

interview at link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/nov/06/roger-ebert-cancer-life-cinema

[Lucinda]

1. Thank you for the post.

I knew about his jaw loss but wasn't aware of the other health problems. His attitude is very inspiring.

[tavalon]

2. I never used to care for the Siskal and Ebert show,

but since he's been blogging, I've come to love his style.

[tabasco]

3. I sent him an email once about his reviews

and I received a personal email response.

Ebert is a tremendous writer and an excellent human being.

[qazplm]

4. I'll be honest, I fear it

not because of what lies on the other side, but because of what doesn't.

I like existing, I want to continue existing as long as possible. I realize once I cease to exist I won't care that I don't exist because well I won't exist, but up til that point, I'm going to look at every possible way to continue to exist as long as possible.

Signed,

Hoping for robot bodies!

[undeterred]

5. He taught me how to watch movies.

I feel like I have learned so much from listening to him.