"The reason we're devoting a half an hour to this woman is that she's extraordinary and special. That's her quality." - Gene
Siskel
Remembering
Roger Ebert
TWO
THUMBS UP
Siskel and Ebert review Barbra's performance in The
Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
April 4, 2013
Roger
Ebert
and
Gene
Siskel
were
the
most
influential
film
critics
of
the
'70s
and
'80s.
Sadly,
Roger
Ebert
succumbed
to
cancer
and
died
today
at
the
age
of
70.
The
first
ever
film
critic
to
win
a
Pulitzer
Prize
for
Criticism,
Ebert
was
fittingly
awarded
a
star
on
the
Hollywood
Walk
of
Fame
in
2005.
A
film
critic
for
the
Chicago-Sun Times, Ebert shot to fame when he and rival columnist Gene Siskel (who passed away in 1999) teamed up for a 23 year run of
their
immensely
popular
"At
the
Movies"
TV
show.
"Barbra Streisand could do a lot more than sing. From her first moment on the screen when she says that great line, 'Hello, Gorgeous,' it was clear that she was a very funny lady, an actress who projected intelligence, a quick wit, and could put a twist on a line with perfect timing."
-Roger Ebert
As
for
Barbra
Streisand's
performances,
Ebert
called
them
as
he
saw
them.
He
didn't
care
for
Funny
Lady
("the
worst
film
she's
ever
made")
but
was
in
the
minority
of
film
critics
who
actually
liked
Up
the
Sandbox
("a
smart
film
with
an
edge,
Streisand's
best
film
since
Funny
Girl").
So whether it was "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on a particular Barbra Streisand film performance, Roger Ebert had complete respect for her film career and always recognized her as one of the world's preeminent stars of motion pictures.
Siskel
& Ebert's 1987 episode on the films and career of Barbra
Streisand has finally been posted online.
March 16, 2010
When Gene Siskel
and Roger Ebert
gave "two thumbs
up" to a new
film, studios
cheered, box
office registers
overflowed, and
careers were
made. During the
day, Siskel &
Ebert were local movie critics for rivaling Chicago city newspapers. Siskel
wrote
for the
Chicago Tribune
while his
cross-town colleague,
Roger Ebert held the same post at the
Chicago
Sun-Times.
But it was their television collaboration that turned them into the most famous
and powerful film critics in the nation.
In 1975, these
two dynamos of
Chicago media
journalism
co-hosted a
local weekly
program called
"Sneak Previews"
which offered
reviews and
critiques of
recent movie
offerings. Their
program went
national in 1979,
and their
renamed show, "At the Movies" was must-see
television
viewing for both
ardent and
casual movie
fans for nearly 20
years. We all
grew up with
them.
In 1987, Siskel
& Ebert devoted an entire program to one subject: The Career and Films of Barbra
Streisand. For a solid 30 minutes, Siskel & Ebert reviewed Barbra
Streisand's
entire catalogue of films, all fourteen of them up to that point. Their
commentaries were insightful and thought provoking, with a bit of levity thrown
in for good measure.
On the merits of
Barbra's films,
they
didn't always
agree with each
other, and you
certainly won't
always agree
with them
either, but one
thing was
certain. Both
Siskel & Ebert
had an
unparalleled
appreciation for
Barbra
Streisand's film
career and
recognized
her as the
preeminent movie
star of her
generation.
Gene Siskel has
been gone for
over ten years
now, and ill
health prevents
Roger
Ebert from
appearing on
camera these
days. We
thought we'd
pay homage to two of our
favorite film
critics by
looking back at
their
Streisand film
critiques as
presented during
that 1987
episode of
Siskel & Ebert.
To complete the
Streisand
catalogue, we've
also provided
external links
to the three
remaining
Streisand films
reviewed solely
by Roger Ebert.
Select one of
the Streisand
film titles
(sidebar) for
Siskel & Ebert's
review, or page
Next.
Judith
Crist, Noted Film Critic Dies
August 7, 2012
Equally
as influential as Siskel & Ebert's were the film reviews of
Judith Crist. Like her Chicago colleagues, Christ was a
print and broadcast journalist. Her readership was vast, with
film
critiques regularly appearing in
New York Magazine and TV Guide. For many years,
Crist was also the official reviewer on "The Today Show."
Judith Crist passed away this morning at her home in New
York at age 90.
Crist enjoyed seeing Barbra on the screen. In a 1977 article
for The Saturday Review, she called herself a
Streisand admirer "with a high regard for her acting as
well as her singing."
While not always raves (she absolutely hated "For Pete's
Sake," calling it "a piece of schlock" and "the
worst Barbra Streisand package yet"), her reviews of
other Barbra Streisand performances usually came with a significant
measure of acclaim.
Crist loved "Funny Lady", even more than "Funny
Girl" - "Once again, a sequel proves
superior to it's original. 'Funny Lady' wins over its
predecessor, 'Funny Girl,' on all counts."
Of
Barbra's performance in "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever"
Crist wrote - "It's an absolute delight for Streisand
fans and a pleasure for even less passionate admirers of the
lady ... Not only is she an extraordinarily gifted
comedienne, but a sensitive actress."
Crist told her readers that they would "Delight in
Barbra Streisand's bravura performance as the brassy hooker"
in "The Owl and the Pussycat."
Crist didn't like the ending of "Up the Sandbox" but thought
that Barbra gave "her best performance to date."
And back in 1968, Judith Crist told us to "Revel in
Barbra's film debut and her Oscar winning impersonation of
the immortal Fanny Brice."
