Happy Celestial Birthday, Roger Ebert: June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013 | Tribute

Roger liked to celebrate his birthday! Birthday party? Of course! Birthday surprise? Even better! The secret is that he simply liked to savor life, and an anniversary was only another opportunity for celebration. Between these occasions was his writing, which he made prolific, and also as a kind of celebration. I thought about it today on June 18, which would have been his 83rd anniversary. It started early, with people who send me notes, emails or publications on social networks reminding me. So I decided to write a brief article in the celebration of him.

The main facts you probably know: he was born in Urbana, Illinois, the twin city of Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois, where he fell in love with journalism. His mother and father were Annabel and Walter. His father was an electrician at university. It was his father’s wish to see Roger insure a professor at the university one day, so that he could “sit with his feet on the desk, a pipe in the mouth, pontify the students” instead of working as hard as electricians. His mother, accounting and a housewife, idolized her only child. At first, they recognized his intellect and his gift for communications. Later, the world would also do it too.

In a way, Roger carried out the wish of his father by teaching a night class at the University of Chicago for 37 years, giving lectures to students on some of the greatest films ever made. He assumed this role a year after being hired as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Totes In 1967. His gift was apparent in the first sentence of his first criticism for the otherwise forgotten image, “Galia”, which he wrote: “[It] Open and closes with A arty clips of the ocean, mother of all of us, but between the two, it is quite clear that what washes is the new French wave. “Later that year, when many of his colleagues were taken aback by the violence uncomfortablely realistic in” Bonnie and Clyde “, Roger judiciously felt that he would be greeted as a classic.

In 1975, Roger’s rare ideas and capacity to transmit complex ideas in an accessible and engaging way led him to become the first film critic to receive the Pulitzer Prize. It was a distinction that regularly accompanied his name in the first years of his film criticism, which began in November of the same year and twinned it with its rival, Chicago tribune Gene Siskel criticism. As the show evolved towards the successful series, “Siskel & Ebert” (and later “Ebert & Roecper”), propelling the two Midwest criticisms to an improbable celebrity, it became clear for viewers that their tireless analyzes were because of their love for art form. Later, it became obvious to me that Roger’s arguments of Roger with Siskel on the air were fueled by what he thought was the vast potential of what cinema could achieve. For Roger, the films were also a door to understand the people who shared this earthly trip with us.

What impressed me the most by Roger, in addition to his intellect, was his “kindness!” He had a sincere desire to contribute to the world in a way that would improve him. For Roger, the film at its highest level was a machine capable of generating empathy, inviting the public to discover the world through the perspective of another. Its form of empathy has honored humanity by decomposing barriers, illuminating the unity of all living beings and celebrating the qualities that each make us unique. Whether through his writing or his humor, it was fun to be there. His deep love of humanity was undeniable. Just like his love for me and our grandchildren …

Roger has never lost his fear with a wide eyes of what could be experienced, not only through the lens of a camera. In his last moments, he wrote the deepest criticism of his life. Shortly before his death, he spoke of this world “an elaborate hoax”. He described an immensity unimaginable for the average human brain. However, it was a place of hope where knowledge, without judgment, was transmitted instantly. And where in the end, there is only love. His words then inspired the singer Clem who had a snu to write his powerful song, “Roger Ebert”. I am not surprised that everything that is “there” is something positive for Roger. I hope that wherever he is, he is somewhere brilliant and happy and full of hope, where our dreams come true. Where Roger is held and celebrated on the day of his birthday. And where there is only love.