The Great Movies II

by Roger Ebert

Book Overview

Continuing the pitch-perfect critiques begun in The Great Movies , Roger Ebert's The Great Movies II collects 100 additional essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm--or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. Neither a snob nor a shill, Ebert manages in these essays to combine a truly populist appreciation...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767919866
• ISBN13: 9780767919869
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Roger Ebert - always interesting

While I may not always agree with Roger Ebert, I always find his opinion valid and his choices are always intriguing.. His second installment of the great movies is no exception.. Ebert is familiar with a broad range of cinema.. from the classics, to lesser-known foreign films, to neglected movies that deserve more attention.. Ebert's straightforward writing style is unpretentious and stands alongside some of the finer film essays of our time.. It is refreshing to know that such a popular critic has integrity and truly cares about the preservation of cinema..

Film buffs will love this

Roger Ebert follows his book that compiles his bi-weekly column "The Great Movies" with a second volume. Classics such as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Five Easy Pieces" are examined here. Foreign films get their due, with films by Godard, Ozu, and Kurasawa that are discussed at legnth. So are obscure movies in need of rediscovery. What may surprise some readers is the inclusion of some audience favorites as "A Christmas Story", "Planes, Trains and Automobles", "Say Anything" and "This is Spinal Tap". We watch different movies for different reasons, and Ebert is no exception. If someone like Ebert loves to watch "A Christmas Story" (one of my favorites) over and over, then why shouldn't he include it in his book? How many other critics would have thought to include these movies together with "Rashomon" and "The Searchers"? Not very many. Bravo to Ebert for doing so. Ebert also looks at Gene Siskel's favorite movie "Saturday Night Fever". It as much a tribute to Gene's memory as it is a film review. Movie fans will love both volumes of this series. They are essential reading for anyone who loves film.

A pleasant surprise.

I've been watching Roger Ebert on TV for years and occasionally read his column. I always thought he had his critical head screwed on straight (when it came to American movies in particular -- he's not seduced by the Literary or someone's notion of High Culture) even when I disagreed about this or that movie. However, I never thought of him as anything other than capable, before I read his two books on The Great Movies. Ebert writes beautifully and, for me, re-awakens my experience of the movies he talks about. He clearly knows a lot about film vocabulary (far more than I do) and has read widely beyond his chosen field. These essays, one after another, have knocked me over. In the cases of movies I haven't seen, I now have GOT to see them. I'm putting these next to my Bazins, Agee, and Kaels.

Terrific read for any fan of film

While Ebert's annual collection of reviews make for an enjoyable read, this second collection of "great" movies, like the first, is an essential for the movie fan. One of the reasons I enjoy Ebert's film criticism is that he's open to finding something good in movies from all genres, never showing the bias that I see from too many critics. That range shows in his choices here, which run from classics like "The Grapes of Wrath" to brilliant works of anime like "Grave of the Fireflies." I've always thought of Ebert as the "common man" among movie critics, and this book furthers that reputation. Each entry is given 3-4 pages of discussion, and a picture is also included from each film. More than just a review, these entries explain what makes each film "great" in Ebert's view. While I might not agree with every selection, it's difficult to argue with his reasoning for their inclusion. For all films, he looks beyond the obvious reasons for greatness, focusing on cinematography in individual scenes, music selection, and other items that are often overlooked by those of us who have only seen the film once. I get the feeling Ebert has hundreds more of such films on his list, so I'll forward to the next collection. With excellent writing and strong arguments, I'd highly recommend this volume for any movie fan.

"Great Movies II" is Great

As always, Roger Ebert does not let his readers down with his new book, "Great Movies II." Like its predecessor, "Great Movies I", "II" looks back at films that were released before Ebert started writing film reviews for the "Chicago Sun-Times." Ebert reviews many of my all time favorites in this book -- "The Searchers", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Paris, Texas" and so many more. Most of you probably only know Ebert through the television program, "Ebert & Roeper." If so, you're loosing a luxury of great film critique writing that Ebert provides through the Chicago newspaper and online at http://www.rogerebert.suntimes.com. Ebert does not just review films - just about anybody can do that, instead, he analyzes them and shares with the reader something deeper found in the film than one may ever realize. The reader is left with a deeper appreciation not only of the movie reviewed but also of the art of filmmaking in general. I hope that Ebert will continue to grace us with his film thinking in future volumes as well.