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Jul 11, 2014 Web Exclusive By Shawn Hazelett

In documenting the life of Roger Ebert, Life Itself leads with an uncommon fade-in on the legendary film critic. We aren’t presented with images of him shaking hands with Fellini, or receiving his Pulitzer, or sitting alongside longtime pal Gene Siskel. Life Itself begins with its subject in a hospital bed, near the end of a long, trying bout with throat cancer. It’s an ordeal that cost him the entirety of his lower jaw and, with it, his ability to speak, leaving a disfigurement so jarring that he would avoid his own reflection. It would be understandable for him to express reticence in allowing access to such candid moments, but it’s an experience Roger specifically asked director Steve James to document.

Chaz Ebert—who married Roger in 1992 and is central to the film—understands the inclination. “If you’re not going to be candid and transparent and allow full access, it’s not worth doing. That’s how Roger felt about films. The films that affected him so much over the years were the ones that you really strip bare and see what really makes someone tick. Not ones that are puff pieces or the ones that are just glossed-over filmmaking.”

Says director James, “He was a serious journalist. The journalist in Roger would not want something that doesn’t really try to dig in and get at all sides of who a person is.”

Indeed, while the film works to showcase his achievements and influence, James takes time to analyze the murky aspects of his life, most notably in casting a rare, dark shade over Roger’s relationship with Gene Siskel. Rising to prominence in dual Chicago skyscrapers, the Tribune and Sun Times film critics were natural rivals who seemed to eventually forge a friendship rooted in a mutual love for movies and countless hours of sparring. To counter that perception, James provides B-roll early in their television careers where conversations are less point-and-counterpoint disagreements, and more a volley of mean-spirited digs. Later—after Siskel passed away—Roger seems to suggest the rivalry may have never fully dissipated, lamenting that his pride and ego kept the two from having an even deeper friendship.

Siskel’s wife Marlene—probably the closest witness to the full arc of the duo’s relationship—rarely gives interviews but agreed to work on Life Itself, understanding that a film about Roger would also be a film about Gene. Her candor is very telling, both in recounting early, unflattering anecdotes about Roger and in the fondness she developed for her husband’s opposite.

Says James, “I think she was nervous, frankly, about how critical she was about Roger and hoped that we would present that in a way so that you see how she changed her mind about him. And for me, that’s one of the most important revelations, if you will, in the film. As someone who is channeling Gene and how Gene felt about Roger when they were not getting along, she’s so important to the film and to see the way in which she changed her view of Roger in those later years in big part because of Chaz coming along is really meaningful in the film.”

Though Chaz’s introduction came relatively late into Roger’s life, her presence can be felt immediately in his reviews, in his interactions with Gene (the bickering began to resemble playful ribbing), and later in his fight against cancer. Though he may have appeared softened or more docile, if he felt strongly about a film, he let it be known, including lampooning films that are now considered classics like Full Metal Jacket, Die Hard, and—famously—Blue Velvet. For Chaz, in living with such a passionate spirit, one can’t help but wonder: were there often heated disagreements about film at home?

Says Chaz, “The answer is…yes.” Though she has a greater fondness for memories of films they both loved, she admits, “He loved it when we disagreed.”

In fact, the two had to overcome a major disagreement early in their relationship, thanks to a playful jab by—of course—Gene Siskel. Somehow, Siskel learned that Roger’s new girlfriend loved Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. When meeting Chaz for the first time, Siskel used the inside info to make a dramatic introduction.

Remembers Chaz, “He said, ‘Hi, I’m Gene Siskel. Do you know that Roger didn’t like A Clockwork Orange?’ That was his first statement to me! And I didn’t know!”

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Life Itself is playing in theaters and on demand now. For more information, check out the film’s website. To read our review of the documentary, click here.