By Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
The documentary “Life Itself” is about the life, career, death and legacy of film critic Roger Ebert but, as the title implies, also much more. It is about the role of work and love and passion and ideas in the living of one’s life, all the things that come together to make each of us who we are. An adaptation of Ebert’s 2011 memoir of the same name, the movie is directed by fellow Chicagoan Steve James, whose earlier film “Hoop Dreams” Ebert wildly championed.
“Life Itself,” which opened July 4, is also a loving tribute to Ebert’s relationship with his wife, Chaz. In the last years of his life, as Ebert struggled with cancer and a series of surgical procedures that left him unable to speak, she was seen more and more frequently by his side. Both before and since Ebert’s passing, Chaz Ebert has been stepping out from her longtime behind-the-scenes role overseeing the business side of her husband’s multiplatform presence in print, on television and online.
Q. Those last few years with Roger must have been an emotional roller coaster. What made the two of you decide to let cameras into your lives at that very delicate and difficult time?
A. No. 1, the biggest thing is we didn’t know he was going to pass away. We really thought Steve would be filming something over the period of a year …. We didn’t know it was going to be this version of “Life Itself.”
I thought it was important to have Roger’s contribution memorialized on film. I thought this was a good thing to leave for posterity. Roger was actually in good health, relatively speaking, for his situation and his new normal health situation.
Q. There are some things in the film you say you’ve never spoken publicly about before. What made you want to open up like that?
A. Being true to Roger, the spirit of what he was all about. I remember when he was writing his memoir, the chapter on his mother, even his publisher said, “Are you sure this is what you want to say?” It’s not all sugar and spice. And Roger said, “I am doing this only once, and if I don’t tell the truth there’s no sense in doing it at all.”
Q. Did he know of everything that was going to be in the film?
A. He knew and encouraged those things in the movie. One thing I’m really pleased with is when people come up to me after the movie — and the movie really is Roger as a young man, Roger and his relationship with Gene Siskel, Roger and his writing and his influence on filmmakers — but so many people come up to me and say, “That’s what I thought I was going to see, and what I really saw was a love story.” That surprised me.
Q. I know this might be hard to sum up, but what is Roger’s legacy to you?
A. It’s very easy for me to say. Roger’s legacy to me is the thing he talked about — empathy being one of the most important aspects of civilization. Roger led with his head and his heart, but he did them simultaneously.
