Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert (Hardcover)

~ (Author), David Bordwell (Foreword)
Key Phrases: film generation, New York, Star Wars, Forrest Gump (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ebert, probably the most prolific film critic of all time, here distills his massive life's work into a single volume. After a nostalgic introduction recounting his initial forays into criticism, he presents reviews of the best films of each of the past 38 years, from Bonnie and Clyde to Crash, and a selection of foreign films, documentaries, and "overlooked and underrated" works. More compelling are longer "think pieces" on such topics as colorization, the movie-ratings system, digital projection, and Star Wars' deleterious effect on Hollywood. Those, and a selection of star profiles and interviews, allow him to share his expertise and voice his passion in a fashion that daily reviewing seldom permits. The volume's final selection, a 2004 piece about the healing effect of viewing movies--and of writing about them--during his convalescence from cancer treatment, may well serve as his valedictory. 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. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"To love the movies, [Ebert] tells us, 'does not mean to sit mindlessly and blissfully before the screen.... The task of every movie is to try to change how you feel and think during its running time,' and the task of the viewer is to participate in the process. He is moral but not moralistic, preferring stories of flawed people who struggle to do the right thing and fail over simplistic heroes facing simplified choices." - Tara Ison, Los Angeles Times "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" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (September 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226182002
• ISBN-13: 978-0226182001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #500,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unveiling Roger Ebert, November 9, 2006

By	Charles M. Robinson "classic film buff" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When you think of Roger Ebert you think of "movie critic". However, this book introduces us to the depth of this man's love of the cinema and his ability to understand it. The book covers forty years of reviews, essays and interviews. For the film lover it will be an exciting journey back to the darken theaters of yesterday, and to the present blockbusters. His engaging style of interviewing is tops. A great reference book..... highly recommended!

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasurable prose from one of America's great underappreciated treasures, July 26, 2007

By	C. R. Swanson "wilybadger.wordpress.com" (Phoenix) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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You know, there's a very good reason Roger Ebert won a Pulitzer. The man is an amazing writer. If you enjoy the pure pleasure of reading, and have a passion for the movies, you would be hard-pressed to find a better book than this to read.

The book is mostly a collection of writings by Ebert over the last several decades. There's some interviews with famous film folk, a collection of essays on subjects such as colorization, digital vs film, the need for a viable "adults only" rating, a few movie reviews, a discussion on the past, present and future of film review, and, most importantly, a serious love of the movies that comes through on every page.

I confess I am somewhat biased. Until I began reading Roger Ebert's fine website, I'd never heard of films such as M - Criterion Collection (Special Edition), Nosferatu, The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition), or The Grapes of Wrath (I knew about the novel, of course). I'd also never had any real interst in, or appreciation for, movies such as Dark City (New Line Platinum Series), "The Bride of Frankenstein", Citizen Kane, or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition).

Fool that I was.

Now thanks largely to Roger Ebert I've began to really develop a love and passion for movies in ways I never thought that I would. Just looking over my recent purchases on Amazon, I see things like Babette's Feast, Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition, All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics), the "Godfather" films, and many others. Roger Ebert really opened my eyes to the glory of film, and helped me to understand why something like "Sunrise", is a glorious movie and something like "White Chicks" is not (hint: the abscence of anyone named Wayans helps).

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like movies, buy it. If you like reading good writing, buy it. If you even think you might like this book, buy it! You'll be doing yourself a favor.

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great writer writing about what he loves, April 15, 2007

By	David W. Sugarman "David Sugarman" (Seattle Wa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Roger Ebert loves movies, and he is a wonderful writer. He can reveal the essence of a movie with a poet;s touch, and he can point out some elements of the great mystery that draws us to an actor we might love, but not know why (thinking of his piece on Tom Hanks).

In one of the last reviewed movies in the book, "Crash" his writing helped me understand why a movie that seemed to rely so much on the most unlikely of fates, really deserved to be seen as a great movie. In the review of "Million Dollar Baby" which precedes "Crash", he shines a light on the heart of a movie that touched my heart, and does so with such simple and elegant precision.

It is easy to think of Mr. Ebert giving a thumbs up sign, doing battle with one of his guest hosts, or trying to find some way to indicate how much better than that a movie might be by using a series of adjectives or modifiers. Sometimes this has seemed silly, and inaccurate. For my wife and I, an unmodified "Two thumbs up" these days is as likely to reveal a mild stinker as something worthwhile and entertaining. Yet, I appreciate that he even writes an essay about another writer who decries such kinds of "criticisms and rating systems", doing so elegantly and non-defensively.

Yet when you read these reviews and interviews and let yourself be touched by them you can feel the author's joy and appreciation of the movies as well as his great understanding of this art form. That he is able to do this with a complete lack of pretense allowed me to fully appreciate the stand he has carved for himself as falling between the critic's movie critic and the people's movie critic.

If this were the last major work that Mr. Ebert creates in his life, he has performed a great service to those of us fortunate to pick this book up and read it. Thank you Roger Ebert. Two Thumbs pointing to the stars!