Roger Ebert was recognized as one of the most influential critics of all time. I can see why. He was a friend who went to the movies with us, someone whose opinions on the subject we could understand. He never talked down; two thumbs up and his constant smile seems a pretty clear message in any language. He was one of us and considered himself to be “beneath everything else, a fan.” If we agreed with him we felt smart, if we disagreed, well, it was just his opinion after all, no reflection on our intelligence or lack of it.
How sad that he is gone, and I wonder if he knew, while he was alive, how loved he was by his public or to what extent he knew how influential he was not just in the area of movies, but of the influence he had through the humanity that came through his writing.
I am, of course, a huge fan of fan letters as love letters. A genre all its own. Several years ago Dan Field, a remarkable and creative young man (from, by the way, a remarkable and creative family) was a guest on Love Letters Live and talked about a love letter he had written to Roger Ebert. He knew Roger was ill and did the most admirable thing. He said what he felt while he still had the chance.
To listen to Dan tell the story of what Roger meant to him is touching, gleeful, and funny. It is a story of a boy’s growing up in San Francisco, a glowing example of appreciation and a lesson in the written expression of affection. I invite you to listen to Dan talk about life and read his letter, especially relevant now. When I told Dan I wanted to re-run his radio show on Roger and present his love letter, he sent me the following note that expresses his ongoing love for Roger. I am just quoting it exactly so as not to injure the flow of Dan’s wonderful, heart-felt writing. Here it is:
“Hi Janet,
I think it is wonderful that you reran the love letter I wrote to Roger--and my picture. Love is the overriding sentiment I have today for him--even though our only meeting was so brief and many years ago. I feel like I had a unique relationship with him shaped through the humanity and goodness that came through in his writing. He impacted my views about movies, yes, but also about being a good person. It may sound silly, but I am so happy and proud for the life he led, the countless people like myself whom he touched and his loving and joyous relationship with his wife. And he had a great sense of humor. I really feel like I've lost a beloved friend, and someone I will miss greatly. I love him...and I love you. Thanks for thinking of me and my connection to Roger--and for allowing me to express my love for him on Love Letters Live.
xoxo,
Dan”
I know that a love letter to someone ill is a gift like no other and sometimes has the power to bring about miracles that medical science cannot. The love, gratitude or “I remember” letter you write today will not only accomplish magic immediately but may serve later as the perfect eulogy for someone you love. And, what about history itself? Writer as historian? By all means. I think a fan letter that is so unabashed and fully expressed a love letter as Dan wrote becomes part of not just Roger’s history, but of film history itself. And, of Dan’s history. Thank you, Dan, for sharing and re-sharing not just both your relationship with and letter to Roger Ebert but your own loving soul.
From me to you with love in the air,
Janet
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