It's Now This Way
"There is one thing I can do as well as ever -- I can write," Roger Ebert said yesterday. "When I am writing my problems become invisible and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be.
"After my first stretch in the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, I began to write again, a little. After my second, I returned to a nearly normal schedule. This spring during my third rehab, I was able to log onto a wi-fi network and begin writing much more. This year, which has included two major surgeries, I have so far written 170 reviews, 22 Answer Man columns, 28 Great Movie essays (not all yet published), and 37 blog entries.
"In May, I began to sense a change going on. At first it was subjective. This autumn it has become undeniable. My writing has improved.
"By that I don't mean it's objectively better from the reader's point of view. I mean it has expanded within my mind, reaches deeper, emerges more clearly, is more satisfactory. Sometimes I glory in it -- not the quality of the prose, but the quality of the experience. I find myself writing more, because I will return to that zone longer.
"I take dictation from that place within my mind that knows what to say. I think most good writers do. There is no such thing as waiting for inspiration. The idea of 'diagramming' an essay in advance, as we are taught in school, may be useful to students but is foolishness for any practicing writer. The Muse visits during the process of creation, not before."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 25, 2008 at 2:20 PM
comment #1
huntermdaniels
says ...
No outlines? Maybe that explains "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."
Posted by huntermdaniels
at October 25, 2008 2:27 PM
comment #2
madskrilla
says ...
Mr. Ebert is a class act. Think what you want about his scholarship, but since his illness the man has been outstanding, in grace and courage. I tip my hat and wish many many more years of active life.
Posted by madskrilla
at October 25, 2008 7:14 PM
comment #3
huntermdaniels
says ...
As a sidenote, I mean NO disrespect to Ebert. He is a hero of mine and a huge influence on me.
Posted by huntermdaniels
at October 25, 2008 8:31 PM
comment #4
LexG
says ...
LOVE Ebert, but I have to respectfully point out his current PRIDE AND GLORY review has a WHOPPER of an error where he claims Norton's ex-wife spies him getting a visit from a shady character on XMas Day;
In fact, it's Farrell and his CURRENT WIFE, who is of an entirely different RACE, who get an unwelcome holiday visit from a street criminal.
Again, no disrespect intended, but kind of a HUGE error there when you can't tell decidedly white Lake Bell from Carmen Ejogo, who is in all of two scenes, neither of which involve the scenario Ebert attributes to her character.
Posted by LexG
at October 26, 2008 12:28 AM
comment #5
Rich S.
says ...
Whether it's because of his recent illness, I have no idea. But Roger is spending a great deal of time on political writing, and doing a pretty poor job of it. Maybe he feels he has to write about "real" topics. But his analysis of the topics is extremely shallow, as if his rules of movie criticism apply with equal force to politics and current events.
Even worse, you can predict with about 95% accuracy how one of his reviews is going to come out by the movie's political content, or sometimes the political bent of one of its stars. His writing may be "better," but it's certainly not as effective.
Posted by Rich S.
at October 26, 2008 5:38 AM
comment #6
EDouglas
says ...
I was never really a fan of Ebert in the old days but I do think his writing is better than ever.... I even liked his blatantly honest review of the first 8 minutes of a movie.
Posted by EDouglas
at October 26, 2008 9:25 AM
comment #7
vp19
says ...
If you look at all of Ebert's writing over the years, he's never restricted himself to the subject of film. Some of his non-Sun-Times work can be found in publications that have nothing to do with cinema.
I'm glad to have Roger back -- and to Lex G., while the error is unfortunate, just remember that none of us fields 1.000.
Posted by vp19
at October 26, 2008 10:29 AM
comment #8
TVMCCA
says ...
EDouglas wrote:
I was never really a fan of Ebert in the old days but I do think his writing is better than ever.... I even liked his blatantly honest review of the first 8 minutes of a movie.
I remember about three decades ago when Renata Adler (writing in THE NEW YORKER) reviewed the twenty minutes or so she saw of Blake Edwards' 10 before walking out. Some controversy, but not nearly so much as what happened with Ebert.
Posted by TVMCCA
at October 26, 2008 11:17 AM
comment #9
hcat
says ...
In Ebert's defense he walked out of an unprofessional eighth rung indie movie, while 10 was a high profile studio production with a respected cast and crew.
Posted by hcat
at October 27, 2008 8:29 AM
comment #10
janee
says ...
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Posted by janee
at May 18, 2011 6:41 AM