Synopses & Reviews
Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the
Chicago Sun-Times for nearly forty years. And during those four decades, his wide knowledge, keen judgment, prodigious energy, and sharp sense of humor have made him America's most celebrated film critic. He was the first such critic to win a Pulitzer Prize — one of just three film critics ever to receive that honor — and the only one to have a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His groundbreaking hit TV show,
At the Movies, meanwhile, has made "two thumbs up" one of the most coveted hallmarks in the entire industry.
No critic alive has reviewed more movies than Roger Ebert, and yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume — until now. With Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Ebert's work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of this indispensable critic's numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history, from the dramatic rise of rebel Hollywood and the heyday of the auteur, to the triumph of blockbuster films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to the indie revolution that is still with us today.
The extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time — Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman — but also some of the silver screen's most respected and dynamic personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep. Ebert's remarkable essays play a significant part in Awake in the Dark as well. The book contains some of Ebert's most admired pieces, among them a moving appreciation of John Cassavetes and a loving tribute to the virtues of black-and-white films.
If Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris were godmother and godfather to the movie generation, then Ebert is its voice from within — a writer whose exceptional intelligence and daily bursts of insight and enthusiasm have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark, therefore, will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic, but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.
Review
"[P]robably the most prolific film critic of all time....As film criticism becomes more marginalized, Ebert may come to be seen as the last of a kind the critic who actually has the power to influence a national audience." Booklist
Review
"Always alert to trends and defending film as an art form, Ebert never fails to connect with his readers." Library Journal
Review
"Roger Ebert is the grand poobah of them all." Robert Altman
Review
"Roger Ebert has become a member of our households, our families. He is the one who tells us all about the movies. And, as his passion for the cinema is so deep, and his knowledge so profound, he is the one we can always trust." Werner Herzog
Review
"Ebert is the most widely read and most trusted film writer in America because he is still, in some way, an amateur viewer he goes to the movies as a pilgrim, ready to be amazed, wanting to be enlightened." Dave Eggers
Review
"The book works as a simple retrospective, as well as a tribute to Ebert's talent as a writer....But it also serves as an invaluable time capsule, taking us through some of the most exciting and tumultuous changes in the film industry....Awake in the Dark is equally enjoyable as a tribute to Ebert's long and storied career...and as a chronicle of the last forty years of film. It is an essential volume for Ebert's fans, and film lovers in general." Chris Bolton, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the
Chicago Sun-Times for over forty years. In fact, no critic alive has reviewed more movies than he has. Yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume—until now. With
Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Eberts work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of his numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From
The Godfather to
GoodFellas, from
Cries and Whispers to
Crash, the reviews in
Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history.
In addition, the extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time—Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman—but also some of the silver screens most respected personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep.
Americas most celebrated film critic, Ebert is a writer whose exceptional intelligence and bursts of insight have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.
“As film criticism becomes more marginalized, Ebert may come to be seen as the last of a kind—the critic who actually has the power to influence a national audience.”—Booklist
“[Ebert's] writing is top-notch. In Awake in the Dark, Ebert has produced his most personal collection of reviews, essays, and interviews, providing insights into the man as much as the movies he loves. . . . This volume contains some of Ebert's most exciting writing.”—Gary Kramer, Filmbill
About the Author
Roger Ebert (1942-2013) was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than forty years. In 1975 he became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize. That same year he teamed up with his rival critic, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune, to host a movie review program on public television. Sneak Previews became the most popular entertainment program on the PBS network and gave Ebert a nationwide audience. He was the author of numerous books on film including Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert, the Great Movies essay collections, and a memoir, Life Itself.
Table of Contents
Foreword, by David Bordwell
Introduction
Prologue: Death of a Dream Palace
La Dolce Vita
Part 1
Interviews and Profiles
Introduction
Warren Beatty
James Stewart
Robert Mitchum
Mitch and Jimmy: Some Thoughts
Lee Marvin
Ingmar Bergman
Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader
Robert Altman
Werner Herzog
Meryl Streep
Woody Allen
Spike Lee
Tom Hanks
Errol Morris
Steven Spielberg
Part 2
The Best
Introduction
1967: Bonnie and Clyde
1968: The Battle of Algiers
1969: Z
1970: Five Easy Pieces
1971: The Last Picture Show
1972: The Godfather
1973: Cries and Whispers
1974: Scenes from a Marriage
1975: Nashville
1976: Small Change
1977: 3 Women
1978: An Unmarried Woman
1979: Apocalypse Now
1980: The Black Stallion
1981: My Dinner with Andre
1982: Sophies Choice
1983: The Right Stuff
1984: Amadeus
1985: The Color Purple
1986: Platoon
1987: House of Games
1988: Mississippi Burning
1989: Do the Right Thing
1990: GoodFellas
1991: JFK
1992: Malcolm X
1993: Schindlers List
1994: Hoop Dreams
1995: Leaving Las Vegas
1996: Fargo
1997: Eves Bayou
1998: Dark City
1999: Being John Malkovich
2000: Almost Famous
2001: Monsters Ball
2002: Minority Report
2003: Monster
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2005: Crash
Part 3
Foreign Films
Introduction
Tokyo Story
The Music Room
Au Hasard Balthazar
Belle de Jour
The Wild Child
Claires Knee
Last Tango in Paris
Fellinis Roma
Stroszek
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Wings of Desire
Raise the Red Lantern
The Scent of Green Papaya
Spirited Away
City of God
Part 4
Documentaries
Introduction
Woodstock
Harlan County, U.S.A.
Gates of Heaven
Say Amen, Somebody
The "Up" Movies
28 Up
35 Up
42 Up
Shoah
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam