Roger Ebert & Vincent Gallo: The Brown Bunny apology controversy

(Roger)Ebert reports on Vincent Gallo's apology regarding the existence of his new film, Brown Bunny.

"I accept what the critics say," Gallo told Screen International, whose panel gave the bunny its record low rating. "If no one wants to see it, they are right. I apologize to the financiers of the film, but I must assure you it was never my intention to make a pretentious film, a self-indulgent film, a useless film, an unengaging film."

http://www.cinecultist.com/archives/000019.php

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Gallo: I never apologised for Brown Bunny

In the wake of his film's reception, Gallo was reported to have officially apologised to journalists for having the gall to inflict it upon them. This apology was reported by Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times and by other papers around the world, including the Guardian.

Now Gallo insists that he did no such thing. "I never apologised for anything in my life," he says. "I like the movie. I had 100% creative and financial control over it, and if I didn't like it, I would have changed it.

"The only thing I am sorry about is putting a curse on Roger Ebert's colon. If a fat pig like Roger Ebert doesn't like my movie then I'm sorry for him."

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/jun/03/world.cannes2003

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Ebert's Rebuttal:

Yesterday, in his column for the Chicago Sun Times, Ebert stuck to his guns - quoting the editor of trade magazine Screen International, who says that they have Gallo's apology on tape. On the question of his cursed colon, Ebert said: "I am not too worried. I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny."

The critic rounded off his article (as it were) by casually conceding that he is overweight. "It is true that I am fat," Ebert wrote. "But one day I shall be thin, and he will still be the director of The Brown Bunny."

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/jun/05/news2