Thumbs Up
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010Thumbs Up
A thumbs up sign is such a common thing, and is as old as history. Its so old that no one is even sure where it started. Maybe ancient Rome. But to film lovers, it means the two great movie critics, Siskel and Ebert. The unlikely pair of arguing, lovable critics became famous for their use of a thumbs up or a thumbs down for the movies they reviewed.
Siskel and Ebert were together for years – 17 years – until Gene Siskel died. Ebert has continued on sometimes with a partner and sometimes without. Due to a battle with cancer and losing his voice, he now mainly writes and hosts his own film festival in Chicago each year. The thumbs up/thumbs down given after each review became so famous that the term is held in a trademark by Siskels widow and Roger Ebert. Only two beloved film critics could take such a common gesture and turn it into something so indicative that it became theirs alone. Beyond their set with the balcony in the background and their usual sweater vests and blazers, this little sign of approval or disapproval has become a common sign of whether people approve of a film or not.
The unusual thing about Siskel and Ebert using the sign was that they were dispensing with the usual rating system for films and it is testimony to their success that studios still use the term when advertising their films. If Ebert has given it a thumbs up, wow!
It is one great failure on the part of the Disney Company, who produced Siskel and Ebert and later Ebert that they didnt continue with the thumbs up/down system. Apparently, there was bitterness with Ebert and it was never fully resolved. Ebert continues to use the term in his Chicago Sun-Times review column.
