The Great Movies III by Roger Ebert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I believe good movies are a civilizing force. They allow us to empathize with those whose lives are different than our own. I like to say they open windows in our box of space and time. Here's a third book filled with windows."

How do I review a collection of movie reviews? How do I write about writings of the best movie critic ever? A movie critic whose reviews were not only deep, thoughtful, and incisive, but also beautifully written. This review mainly quotes passages from The Great Movies III by Roger Ebert, his third set of reviews of movies that made the strongest impression on him. I selected only four of the hundred films praised by Mr. Ebert in this collection, the four that I like the most. In fact, the first three would place among the Top Twenty Movies I have ever seen, were I to venture compiling such a list.

First, 3 Women:

"Robert Altman's 1977 masterpiece tells the story of three women whose identities blur, shift, and merge until finally, in an enigmatic last scene, they have formed a family, or perhaps have become one person. I have seen it many times, been through it twice in shot-by-shot analysis, and yet it always seems to be happening as I watch it. Recurring dreams are like that: we have had them before, but have not finished with them, and we return because they contain unsolved enigmas."

Yes! An absolutely stunning movie: enigmatic yet beautiful and so very human! I could say exactly the same about The Double Life of Veronique (1991). Kieslowski's film is beautiful and impenetrable, yet resonates deeply with human subconsciousness - perhaps "not-quite-consciousness" would be a better phrase. Here's how Rogert Ebert explains it in one of the best passages of movie criticism that I have ever read:

"Here is a film about a feeling. Like all feelings, it is one that can hardly be described in words, although it can be evoked in art. It is the feeling that we are not alone, because there is more than one of us. We are connected at a level far, far beneath thought. We have no understanding of this. It is simply a feeling that we have."

Then comes Mike Leigh's (see my review of The World According to Mike Leigh) masterpiece Secrets and Lies (1996). Full psychological truth about "regular" people who suddenly find themselves in an unusual situation. Phenomenal acting and direction. Mr. Ebert writes

"The kind of fascination Mike Leigh generates is unlike almost anything else in the cinema, because it takes such chances, goes so deeply, explores the human comedy for its tears."

And finally Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), to me a totally underappreciated gem, little known but great black comedy. Mr. Ebert, as usual, masterfully explains his fascination with the movie:

"After Hours approaches the notion of pure filmmaking; it's a nearly flawless example of -- itself. It lacks, as nearly as I can determine, a lesson or a message, and is content to show the hero facing a series of interlocking challenges to his safety and sanity."

All 100 reviews in the book are wonderful! A great read! I will soon read and review the two previous volumes in the series.

Four stars.

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