Life Itself (film)
| Life Itself | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Steve James |
| Produced by | Zak Piper Steve James Garrett Basch |
| Based on |
Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert |
| Starring | Roger Ebert Chaz Ebert |
| Music by | Joshua Abrams |
| Cinematography | Dana Kupper |
| Edited by | Steve James David E. Simpson |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $810,454 |
Life Itself is a 2014 American biographical documentary film about film critic Roger Ebert, directed by Steve James and produced by Zak Piper, Steve James and Garrett Basch. The film is based on Ebert's 2011 memoir of the same name. It premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. The 41st Telluride Film Festival hosted a special screening of the film on August 28, 2014.Magnolia Pictures released the film theatrically in the United States and simultaneously via video on demand platforms on July 4, 2014.
On December 2, 2014, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the film was 1 of 15 films shortlisted in the Documentary Feature category for the 87th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. As of July 2016, it is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Documentary.
The film makes use of footage and interviews with Roger Ebert during the final months of his life interspersed with interviews of his friends, colleagues, and family including: Chaz Ebert (his wife), Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, and Ava DuVernay, among others. The film features clips from Ebert's popular television show with Gene Siskel, including outtakes, and their many appearances on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. The film also explores the relationship between Siskel and Ebert, Roger's friendship with Russ Meyer and their collaboration on Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, as well as how Roger ultimately came to transcend film criticism to become an influential cultural voice.
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