Missing Roger and Gene

There are no shortage of eulogies to Roger Ebert available today.  You can read Grantland's long form essay on Ebert's career, or MovieBob's tribute with embedded videos.  For my money, the best one out there is James Berarnadelli's eulogy for Roger on his site, ReelViews.  Berarnadelli, you see, knew Roger personally, and thus has lost a friend rather than just a colleague or respected journalist.

My own perspective is somewhat different.  You see, while I have done a few movie reviews here and there, I can't really call myself a real movie critic by any means.  No, my point of view is a local one.  As a Chicagoan, by which I mean someone who's lived in Chicagoland most of his life if not in the city proper, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were ours long before they were the nation's.  I watched Sneak Previews as a kid long before Roger and Gene went national with At the Movies.  Reflected glory though it may have been, Chicagoans have always been proud that the two most well known and respected movie critics emerged on the shores of Lake Michigan rather than in LA or New York as one might otherwise expect.

What's more, for all that the TV shows were national, and Roger's numerous books were available everywhere, their actual reviews were to be found in the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.  And even if anyone could go to the Sun-Times site to read Roger's reviews in recent years, only someone from Chicago could hold them in his hands.

Gene and Roger.  Siskel & Ebert.  They were ours before they were the world's, and I will miss them both terribly.

The balcony is closed.