Legendary film critic Robert Ebert’s Life Itself documentary was introduced at the Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Famous Hollywood director Martin Scorsese is one of the executive producers of this project. Also, Steve James directs the film. James is known for the documentary Hoop Dreams.
According to NBC Chicago, the film makers spent hours upon hours with Ebert fourth months before he passed away from his battle with cancer.
Martin Scorsese explains Ebert knew who Scorsese was before he even had an idea. Scorsese reflects on Ebert’s great comments on the film he made released in 2006 called The Departed.
“When I saw he said that, I said, ‘Well, that’s what it’s all about.’ I mean, he may say, ‘Well, it’s not enough.’ I think it is, in terms of being a human being and saying, ‘I know it was wrong. But I had no choice, I couldn’t do otherwise.’ And it took me years to understand that that’s who I am. And Roger knew that,” said Scorsese, reported by the New York Times.
In 1975, Ebert was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. His lists of critical preferences for films became one of the memorable things he was known for. He listed his opinion of the best films from the years 1967 until 2012. His passion as a film critic helped him earn a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.