Roger Ebert

It's a gloriously beautiful, sunny day here in Chicago. One of those days that reminds me of why I moved back after upteen years of being away. I stand at the huge windows facing downtown's Loop as the train roars by on the eL(evated) tracks a block away. Beautifully picturesque in an urban sprawl kind of way.Glass and steel are my grass and trees.

I was reading Esquire magazine the other day and came across a brilliantly written piece about one of my childhood idols, Roger Ebert. Yes, that one. He, single-handedly, taught me how to express myself when it came to film. As a child, I used watch Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert verbally joust over films on "At the Movies" which aired on PBS, then, "Siskel & Ebert At the Movies" which was syndicated.

I knew Ebert had been diagnosed with head and throat cancer some years ago, which limited his public appearances on television or anywhere else for that matter. He had suffered a serious setback due to doctors trying to rebuild his....well, his mouth and the 40 or so surgeries have been unsuccessful.

Along with the article in Esquire is a moving, if not jolting photo of the Pulitzer Prize winning film critic, known for his eloquence, turn of phrase and fierce love of film. He no longer has a jaw. He has lost the ability to eat, drink or speak.

And I am devastated beyond words.

Aside from those setbacks, he is fine. His fiercely loyal wife, Chaz, cares for him in their 5 story Lincoln Park walk-up which, of course, is unimaginably beautiful. Or maybe it's beautiful to a film geek like myself. Thousands of books on film and a screening room is actually what I envision Heaven to be.

The silver lining to this is that he has retained the ability to write beautifully.

To communicate.

To continue being a champion of Black filmmakers.

To continue being one of my childhood idols.

I give him two thumbs up.






© 2010 Henry McMullen III