Famed Movie Critics Will Entertain at HLS

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert will be wielding their infamous critical thumbs at Harvard Law School (HLS) this Friday as part of a special movie-review presentation.

The visit of Siskel and Ebert, who are reviewers, respectively, for the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, marks the last day of classes for second-and third-year Law School students and is a "good way" to end classes, said Michael J. Chmura, a Law School spokesperson.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Ebert said that college audiences are "pretty well-informed of movies."

Ebert said he had visited Harvard before and had spoken at a class by film-maker and visiting lecturer Spike Lee about two years ago.

Ebert said the film societies have declined significantly in recent years.

"Three-fourths of the nation's film societies have been killed by home movies," he said. "Home videos have killed classics."

The movie critics will be reviewing six movies in their usual style as shown on their half-hour syndicated television show. Ebert and Siskel will each present three movies for unrehearsed reviews. Each critic's list is kept secret from the other before showtime.

"It will be spontaneous in nature," Ebert said. "We will not reveal to each other, so we won't reveal to you."

Andrew M. Leblanc, president of the HLS Forum, said, "We thought that they [Siskel and Ebert] would provide an interest to the Harvard community."

The Forum sent out a letter inviting Siskel and Ebert in September and they accepted the invitation in October.

Leblanc said the Forum has brought other notables this year to speak including filmmaker Oliver Stone, former U.S. Representative Robert K. Dornan (R-Calif.), and Greta van Susteren, co-host of a CNN show.

Some Law School students said they had not previously heard of Siskel's and Ebert's visit.

Elizabeth T. Bangs '97, a first-year law school student and a former Crimson executive, said, "I don't know of anyone who will go because they probably will be in their rooms studying for final exams."

The Law School's final exams begin next Monday.

Siskel's and Ebert's presentation will be free and open to the public. It is scheduled to be held in Austin Hall from 2:30 to 4 p.m.