Life Itself (2014 film)
Life Itself | |
---|---|
Steve James | |
Based on | Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert |
Produced by | Zak Piper Steve James Garrett Basch |
Cinematography | Dana Kupper |
Edited by | Steve James David E. Simpson |
Music by | Joshua Abrams |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 121 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $810,454[2] |
Life Itself is a 2014 American
On December 2, 2014, the
Structure
The film makes use of footage and interviews with American film critic Roger Ebert during the final months of his life interspersed with interviews of his friends, colleagues, and family including:
Production
On September 7, 2012, a film adaptation of the 2011 memoir Life Itself was first announced by Ebert on Twitter: "Whoa! My memoir has been optioned for a doc by Steve James (Hoop Dreams), with Martin Scorsese and Steven Zaillian as exec producers."[10]
Steve James said: "That's what made me want to do the movie: the way in which his life had this extraordinary desire for adventure and then, of course, he did his share of suffering and soldiering on. And all of that informed the kind of critic he became. It informed his reviews. It informed everything about who he was and what we came to collectively love about him."[11]
On April 4, 2013, following Ebert's death, the filmmakers expressed their condolences and promised to finish the film.[12][13][14] On November 20, 2013, an Indiegogo campaign was launched to raise money for the film. Over $150,000 was raised.[15]
Locations seen in the film include the
Release
On January 18, 2013, CNN Films announced that it had acquired the rights to air Life Itself on television.[16][17][18] It premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[19] Magnolia Pictures released the film theatrically in the US on July 4, 2014.[20] Dogwoof released the film in the UK on November 14, 2014.[21] The film aired on CNN on January 4, 2015.[20]
Reception
Life Itself has received universal acclaim from critics.[22][23] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 98% based on 206 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10; the critics' consensus states: "Rich in detail and warmly affectionate, Life Itself offers a joyful yet poignant tribute to a critical cinematic legacy."[24] On Metacritic, the documentary has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[25]
Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post gave the film 3/4 stars and wrote: "You may not have agreed with Ebert's reviews — you may not have thought he was such a nice guy. But if you aren't moved by "Life Itself," you ought to have your heart examined."[26] Kate Muir of The Times wrote: "Fans of the great populist film critic Roger Ebert will be both moved and amused by Life Itself".[27] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Though Life Itself is a warts-and-all portrait Ebert didn't live to review, my guess is his thumbs would be shooting upward. Mine sure are."[28]
Mark Kermode, writing for The Observer, gave it a score of 4/5 stars and wrote: "this lovely, insightful film is a splendidly watchable tribute to a truly cinematic life. I laughed, I cried; I was inspired and uplifted."[29] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian also gave the film 4/5 stars, describing it as "an inspiring documentary for critics, and anyone who loves cinema."[30] Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent also gave the film 4/5 stars, writing: "A film about a movie critic might not sound an attractive proposition, but Steve James's biographical documentary... is deeply moving."[31]
Antonia Quirke of the
See also
- What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael, the 2018 documentary film about film critic Pauline Kael
- Hoop Dreams, the 1994 documentary film Ebert championed
- Film criticism
References
- ^ "LIFE ITSELF (15)". British Board of Film Classification. October 22, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ "Life Itself (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ Kit, Borys (April 4, 2013). "Roger Ebert Documentary Filmmakers Vow to Finish Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- Festival De Cannes. Archived from the originalon August 12, 2014.
- ^ Feinberg, Scott (August 31, 2014)."Telluride: A Film Fest That Knows How to Party". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Life Itself.". VHX. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (June 30, 2014). "Where You Can See 'Life Itself'". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ The Deadline Team (December 2, 2014). "Oscars: Documentary Feature Shortlist At 15". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS AT THE 37TH ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS". September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (September 7, 2012). "Whoa! My memoir has been optioned for a doc by Steve James ('Hoop Dreams') and Steve Zaillian, with Martin Scorsese as exec producer". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (July 5, 2014). "'Life Itself' Director Steve James Explains Why Roger Ebert Deserved a Documentary". IndieWire.
- ^ Life Itself (April 4, 2013). "We are devastated. But we will continue. We will finish the film". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Lussier, German (April 6, 2013). "Steve James Vows To Finish 'Life Itself,' The Roger Ebert Documentary". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (April 6, 2013). "Roger Ebert Documentary 'Life Itself' Will be Finished". Renegade Cinama. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- ^ "Life Itself - A feature documentary based on Roger Ebert's memoir". Indiegogo. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ "CNN to air Life Itself, our Roger Ebert Doc, in 2014". Kartemquin Films. January 18, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (January 18, 2013). "Sundance: CNN Films Makes Buying Debut; Announces Trio Of Documentaries". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (January 19, 2013). "CNN Films Acquires Roger Ebert Documentary Exec Produced by Martin Scorsese". Indie Wire. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ "Life Itself to World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014". Kartemquin Films. December 9, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Magnolia Pictures to distribute Life Itself". Kartemquin Films. February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- ^ "Strolling Through Roger Ebert's 'Perfect London Walk'". RogerEbert.com. November 14, 2014.
- ^ Common Sense Media
- ^ "Life Itself". MovieMail. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^ "Life Itself". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Travers, Peter (July 9, 2014). "'Life Itself' Movie Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (November 16, 2014). "Life Itself review – a delightful tribute to US film critic Roger Ebert". The Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (November 13, 2014). "Life Itself review – documentary tribute to film critic Roger Ebert". The Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (November 13, 2014). "Life Itself, film review: Deeply moving story of the life and death of a Chicago journalist". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Quirke, Antonia (November 13, 2014). "Life Itself – film review". Financial Times. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Puchko, Kristy (July 4, 2014). "Life Itself". CinemaBlend. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
Bibliography
- Ebert, Roger (2011). Life Itself: A Memoir. New York City, NY: ISBN 978-0-4465-8497-5.