Roger Ebert Remembered for Pioneering Televised Film Reviews

Roger Ebert will be remembered as a film critic who expanded the appreciation of film through television, his commitment to his journalism roots and his calm, warm demeanor. That’s what Larry Knapp, a film studies teacher at Oakton Community College said when he received news of Ebert’s passing on Thursday.

Ebert and Gene Siskel pioneered film reviewing on television in the 1970s with their show Sneak Previews, Knapp said, something that didn’t exist before then.

“They made film appreciation something anyone could appreciate,” Knapp said.

Before television, film criticism fell into primarily two areas, Knapp said, either journalism or academia, much like literary criticism. Ebert was the first film critic to receive a Pulitzer Prize, Knapp said, and he continued his writing throughout his career. But that was only part of what made him special, Knapp said.

The best thing about Roger Ebert was how calm and casual he seemed to be, Knapp said.

“He came across that way; whether or not he was, I don’t know, but at least in his media appearances, he just seemed like a guest in your house, sitting down and just relating something,” Knapp said. “It never seemed like he was promoting anything; it never seemed like he was seeking attention.”

Ebert knew his subject well, Knapp said, and wanted to share that with people.

“If anything, he wanted to share a few stories and some conversation,” Knapp said.

Knapp, who has written about and taught film for about 14 years, said Ebert began influencing his career long before he received his doctorate in film studies from Northwestern University. He remembered watching Siskel and Ebert at his family’s home in Virginia as a boy; it was the first time he heard of Chicago.

“It gave me a sense of how film critics could come from a certain place,” Knapp said.

Ebert had a tone in his film criticism that was distinct from the style commonly associated with New York, Knapp said, where there was always a premium placed on being a bit superior to everybody.

“One thing I always admired about Roger Ebert was his ability to be literary, and yet very Chicago, very Midwestern, very direct, and very egalitarian in his writing style,” Knapp said.

Siskel and Ebert were both working writers, Knapp said, which strengthened their appeal.

“They really gave you a good example of how to be graceful, and also focused, in terms of film reviewing,” Knapp said.

Since Ebert first got cancer, then lost the ability to speak, attention to his work has slowly decreased, Knapp said.

“It’s kind of been a slow disappearance from the media that I think everyone took for granted for so long,” Knapp said.

Knapp said there was going to be more nostalgia than actual loss as Ebert was remembered.

“Ebert belonged to a different time when film was something that couldn’t be packaged, or put into a Twitter line,” Knapp said. “Ebert’s gift was to reinforce that cinema was life, that it was more than some promotional piece, that it really was a major part of our culture, and also one that should always get us in touch with our humanity.”

Related:

• Film Lovers React to Roger Ebert's Passing

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