Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Great Movies project began as a column for The Chicago Sun-Times written by Roger Ebert. It started as a personal tour of cinema landmarks rather than a definitive list or rigid canon.
Three Rivers Press released the first volume on the 2nd of November 2003 with 544 pages. A second book called The Great Movies II followed in February 2006 containing 517 pages. University of Chicago Press released The Great Movies III in October 2011 with 440 pages. The final collection arrived in September 2016 under the same press with 288 pages.
Roger Ebert selected films based on whether they were particularly well-made, important, or influential according to his own judgment. His criteria remained personal and subjective rather than academic or institutional. No film appeared twice within the series ensuring that every entry offered a fresh perspective on cinema history.
The competing book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die featured essays from 70 different critics and was also released in 2003. Roger Ebert's work stood apart because it reflected the singular voice of one critic rather than a committee of voices.
An official online listing preserves the original essays on Roger Ebert's website for public access today. This digital archive ensures that readers can still read the full text of his columns without needing to purchase physical books.