"I have the sin of the Cinephile" - Jean Luc Godard
Gene Siskel died ten years ago last week.
It is really easy to be cynical about film critics in general and Siskel and Ebert in particular. They were (and I guess Ebert still is) the most famous ones when I was growing up, approaching perhaps celebrity status. Their attention tended to lean heavily toward Hollywood movies, but when I was a kid, there was nothing but Hollywood movies in my world, so Siskel and Ebert were the height of my high culture. When I was lucky enough to catch their show "At the Movies" (it seemed to be always in syndication, from day one, and therefore always moving) it was a great thrill for me. I really listened to them and took seriously their likes and dislikes. It was the only thing in my life that took movies seriously. I didn't even have friends that were serious about movies until I went to film school. Gene and Roger were my first film buddies.
This is why I always say that the loss of Gene Siskel is, to me, the saddest loss of anyone that I have not met. I really missed that guy, for a long time. Even though I was long out of film school, and as far from a Hollywood mindset as could be, when he died I was still enjoying him tremendously as a personality and a film lover.
I'll never forget when he named "Babe 2" the film of the year. What a crazy choice. For some reason it didn't make me loose respect for him, it made me think the guy had balls for choosing something that spoke to him, despite what others (even Ebert!) might think of such a radically un-"film-of-the-year"-like choice. He had lost that pretension. He was working from the gut.
What really got me was when he was in the hospital for the second or third time, and they went on with the show anyway. Gene phoned in his reviews and they played his voice and had pictures of him on the screen. Movies were that much a part of his life. It was really inspiring and sad because he never did make it back on the show for real.
I can't look back on my young film going life without thinking about Gene Siskel. In a large way, he and Ebert cultivated my early appreciation of films. I am eternally grateful and I remember fondly Gene Siskel.
-Peter Rinaldi
It is really easy to be cynical about film critics in general and Siskel and Ebert in particular. They were (and I guess Ebert still is) the most famous ones when I was growing up, approaching perhaps celebrity status. Their attention tended to lean heavily toward Hollywood movies, but when I was a kid, there was nothing but Hollywood movies in my world, so Siskel and Ebert were the height of my high culture. When I was lucky enough to catch their show "At the Movies" (it seemed to be always in syndication, from day one, and therefore always moving) it was a great thrill for me. I really listened to them and took seriously their likes and dislikes. It was the only thing in my life that took movies seriously. I didn't even have friends that were serious about movies until I went to film school. Gene and Roger were my first film buddies.
This is why I always say that the loss of Gene Siskel is, to me, the saddest loss of anyone that I have not met. I really missed that guy, for a long time. Even though I was long out of film school, and as far from a Hollywood mindset as could be, when he died I was still enjoying him tremendously as a personality and a film lover.
I'll never forget when he named "Babe 2" the film of the year. What a crazy choice. For some reason it didn't make me loose respect for him, it made me think the guy had balls for choosing something that spoke to him, despite what others (even Ebert!) might think of such a radically un-"film-of-the-year"-like choice. He had lost that pretension. He was working from the gut.
What really got me was when he was in the hospital for the second or third time, and they went on with the show anyway. Gene phoned in his reviews and they played his voice and had pictures of him on the screen. Movies were that much a part of his life. It was really inspiring and sad because he never did make it back on the show for real.
I can't look back on my young film going life without thinking about Gene Siskel. In a large way, he and Ebert cultivated my early appreciation of films. I am eternally grateful and I remember fondly Gene Siskel.
-Peter Rinaldi
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4 comments:
Mr. Rinaldi,
I could not agree more with your favorble comments re the late Gene Siskel. I applaud his brave decision on Babe 2 for picture of the year. I too bravely suggested my picks for Best picture and perhaps best pictures of the century for Rambo and Wild Hogs and ridicule for me followed but I too will persist!
Palmcoast
What a unique Sin-E-File! Thank you for sharing that. Not only a cool slice of your life, but an honest tribute to GS. Interesting that one of the formative, inspiring people in your film roster was a critic, and a 'popular' one at that.
FYI Palmcoast thinks "Babe 2" was the softcore movie that was on cable the other night.
So nice to hear about how this guy touched your life. I am so glad you shared this and enjoyed reading about a man who simply loved film and was willing to express his thoughts and feelings minus the pretense. That is honorable.
When I was growing up, it seemed obvious that, between the two, Siskel was the "bad cop" in the relationship - and he was easier not to like than chubby Ebert. But in truth, Siskel was just being honest, and more often than not, it seemed Ebert wanted Siskel's approval and Gene was more than happy to stand his ground. I also remember him being the quicker/funnier of the 2, especially when they made their apperarences on Carson and Letterman. Siskel might have made a good sketch comedy guy on ocassion, because he had a witty and dry sense of humor. These two were DEFINITELY a big part of my young, filmgoing life. I can remember to this day three reviews very clearly: Goodfellas, The Mission and Midnight Run.
Here is a nice recent article by Ebert called "Remembering Gene."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/02/i_remember_gene.html
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