The Great Movies III

Roger Ebert

University of Chicago Press, Oct 15, 2010 - Performing Arts - 440 pages

Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for over four decades now and his biweekly essays on great movies have been appearing there since 1996. As Ebert noted in the introduction to the first collection of those pieces, “They are not the greatest films of all time, because all lists of great movies are a foolish attempt to codify works which must stand alone. But it’s fair to say: If you want to take a tour of the landmarks of the first century of cinema, start here.

Enter The Great Movies III, Ebert’s third collection of essays on the crème de la crème of the silver screen, each one a model of critical appreciation and a blend of love and analysis that will send readers back to the films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm—or maybe even lead to a first-time viewing. From The Godfather: Part II to Groundhog Day, from The Last Picture Show to Last Tango in Paris, the hundred pieces gathered here display a welcome balance between the familiar and the esoteric, spanning Hollywood blockbusters and hidden gems, independent works and foreign language films alike. Each essay draws on Ebert’s vast knowledge of the cinema, its fascinating history, and its breadth of techniques, introducing newcomers to some of the most exceptional movies ever made, while revealing new insights to connoisseurs as well.

Named the most powerful pundit in America by Forbes magazine, and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Roger Ebert is inarguably the most prominent and influential authority on the cinema today. The Great Movies III is sure to please his many fans and further enhance his reputation as America’s most respected—and trusted—film critic.

Contents

• 3 Women: 3
• Ace in the Hole: 7
• Adaptation: 11
• After Dark My Sweet: 15
• After Hours: 19
• The Age of Innocence: 23
• Army of Shadows: 27
• Atlantic City: 31
• Au Revoir les Enfants: 35
• Babel: 39
• The Band Wagon: 43
• Baraka: 48
• The Battle of Algiers: 52
• Through a Glass Darkly: 56
• Winter Light: 60
• The Silence: 64
• The Best Years of Our Lives: 68
• The Big Red One: 72
• The Final Cut: 76
• Cabiria: 80
• Cat People: 84
• Chimes at Midnight: 88
• Chop Shop: 92
• Three Cartoons: 96
• Cool Hand Luke: 101
• Crimes and Misdemeanors: 105
• Crumb: 109
• Dark City: 113
• The Dead: 117
• Diva: 121
• Dog Day Afternoon: 125
• The Double Life of Veronique: 129
• Easy Rider: 133
• El Norte: 138
• El Topo: 143
• The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser: 147
• Exotica: 151
• Fanny and Alexander: 155
• Faust: 159
• Fitzcarraldo: 163
• Forbidden Games: 167
• Part II: 171
• The Great Dictator: 175
• Groundhog Day: 179
• Howards End: 183
• Inherit the Wind: 188
• Johnny Guitar: 193
• Juliet of the Spirits: 197
• Killer of Sheep: 201
• La Belle Noiseuse: 205
• LA Confidential: 209
• The Last Picture Show: 213
• Last Tango in Paris: 217
• The Last Temptation of Christ: 222
• Late Spring: 226
• Leolo: 230
• The Long Goodbye: 234
• Magnolia: 239
• The Marriage of Maria Braun: 243
• Mephisto: 248
• A Life in Four Chapters: 252
• Mon Oncle Antoine: 256
• Moolaade: 260
• My Fair Lady: 264
• My Man Godfrey: 269
• Nanook of the North: 273
• Ordet: 277
• Out of the Past: 281
• Pans Labyrinth: 286
• Paths of Glory: 290
• The Phantom of the Opera: 295
• Pixote: 299
• Playtime: 303
• A Prairie Home Companion: 307
• Rebel Without a Cause: 311
• The Red Shoes: 315
• Ripleys Game: 319
• The River Le Fleuve: 323
• Rocco and His Brothers: 327
• Safety Last: 331
• Samurai Rebellion: 335
• Sansho the Bailiff: 339
• Santa Sangre: 343
• The Scarlet Empress: 347
• Secrets Lies: 351
• The Shining: 355
• The Terrorist: 359
• The Thief of Bagdad: 363
• Top Hat: 367
• Triumph of the Will: 371
• Vengeance Is Mine: 375
• Waking Life: 379
• Werckmeister Harmonies: 383
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: 387
• Withnail I: 391
• A Womans Tale: 395
• Woodstock: 399
• WRMysteries of the Organism: 403
• A Year of the Quiet Sun: 407
• Yojimbo: 411
• Essays Appearing in The Great Movies 2002: 415
• Essays Appearing in The Great Movies II 2005: 417

About the author

Roger Ebert is the Pulitzer Prize–winning film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times. He is the author of numerous books on film, including The Great Movies, The Great Movies II, Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert, and Scorsese by Ebert, the last two titles published by the University of Chicago Press.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Great Movies III
• Author: Roger Ebert
• Contributor: David Bordwell
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2010
• ISBN: 0226182118, 9780226182117
• Length: 440 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Film / Guides & Reviews; Performing Arts / Film / History & Criticism; Performing Arts / General