Arts & Entertainment
‘Siskel & Ebert at 50’ Honors the Iconic Film Critic Duo With Chicago Events Throughout November
Film critics Gene Siskel, left, and Roger Ebert during an episode of “Sneak Previews” in 1978. (Courtesy of WTTW)
The iconic film critic duo Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert will be honored during a monthlong celebration in November, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced this week.
The event series, hosted by DCASE and the Chicago Film Office, includes weekly film screenings with post-screening conversations featuring guest speakers, along with a live performance, that aims to honor two of Chicago’s most iconic voices in film criticism.
“This program not only highlights the films ‘Siskel & Ebert’ championed, but the spirit of discovery they encouraged in every viewer,” Chicago Film Office Deputy Commissioner Natasha Parker Olguin said in a statement. “By spotlighting film classics through the lens of Siskel & Ebert’s expertise, we hope to inspire new generations to explore the power of film with the same curiosity and openness that these legends embodied.”
The “Siskel & Ebert at 50” programming celebrates the 50th anniversary of when the two first appeared on camera together on the WTTW television show “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You,” later known as “Sneak Previews.” Along with their television programs “At the Movies” and “Siskel & Ebert,” the duo helped transform the landscape of film criticism and how audiences discuss movies.
The celebration kicks off Nov. 5 with a screening of the southern gothic drama “Eve’s Bayou,” directed by Kasi Lemmons, and selected by Chaz Ebert, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion. The film was named Roger Ebert’s best film of 1997 and features powerhouse performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Jurnee Smollett.
The coming-of-age “Breaking Away” (1979), directed by Peter Yates, will screen Nov. 12, a film chosen by “Sneak Previews” creator and producer Thea Flaum, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion. The film features early standout performances from Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley.
Based on the autobiographical novel by James Fogle, “Drugstore Cowboy,” directed by Gus Van Sant, will screen Nov. 19, The film, which ranked high on both critics’ 1989 best of lists, was selected by FACETS programming director Charles Coleman, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion.
The series also includes a one-night-only live performance on Nov. 22, staged in the format of “Sneak Previews.” A conversation with “Sneak Previews” producers Flaum and WTTW’s Michelle McKenzie-Voigt moderated by Chicago Tribune’s Rick Kogan will follow the performance. WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer will introduce the event.
The program will close out on Nov. 25 with a screening of the drama western “Lone Star,” directed by John Sayles, and selected by Filmspotting podcast co-founder Adam Kempenaar, who will be in attendance for a live podcast recording with former Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. The film was on Siskel and Ebert’s top 10 lists of 1996.
All screenings are free and will take place in the Claudia Cassidy Theater, located in the Chicago Cultural Center downtown. An RSVP does not guarantee entry and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, according to DCASE’s website. More event details can be found there.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
