Billy Wilder

johnny_ultimate

This is one of the director's whose filmography I have an embarrassingly limited knowledge of. Which I need to rectify, as of the mere two films I've seen of his - the wonderful The Apartment and the ever astonishing Sunset Boulevard - are easily amongst the greatest films I've ever seen. Has there ever been a Hollywood director so subversive yet playful? So funny yet cynical? Both films I've seen have lost none of their ability to shock and provoke. Sunset's dismantling of the early Hollywood dream packs is so much more insightful and intelligent than The Artist's recent, and disappointingly revisionist, attempt at revisiting the subject matter.

But, as said, my knowledge of the man is distressingly limited. A handful of his films are on my ever increasing 'to watch' list, with Some Like It Hot scheduled for the coming days. Double Indemnity is another one I've heard mentioned countless times over the years, but particularly recently, so I'll be checking that one out ASAP too. So I hand the floor over to you guys and gals on this one. Recommendations? Observations? Criticisms?

indough

I dont really have much to add other than that you should also check out Stalag 17

Corkfeen

Double Indemnity is one of my favourites of his, so you should definitely check it out. It's a woman's elaborate scam with her insurance salesman, t'is great. :P

FishBowel

Avanti! - overlong comedy romance from the 1970s.
Private life of Sherlock Holmes - didn't like this one
Fortune cookie - recommended, injury scam, funny enough
Kiss me, stupid - dated romance movie about adultery
Irma la douce - another movie with the 'Wilder touch' but it's old fashioned
One, two,three - Cold War comedy that still holds up
Witness for the prosection - the best Hollywood courtroom drama of all
Spirit of St Louis - about a solo plane journey
Sabrina - another good romance film
Ace in the hole- this is Wilder's most cynical film and still relevant today. The media keep a guy trapped underground to make the story last
Stalag 17 - classic POW movie
Lost weekend - alcoholic movie and another classic

quickbeam

Stalag 17 seconded (or thirded?) - fantastic POW film. I think best to know as little about it before watching as possible.

Some Like it Hot - of course, no argument about its status as a classic.

Truthfully, Double Indemnity was the only film of his that I found disappointing. Maybe it was just Barbara Stanwyck's hair that was just too distraction :rolleyes: Edward G Robinson was great in it though.

I should add that Sunset Blvd is an absolute favourite of mine too. All in all, Wilder is probably my favourite direction of that era of cinema.

mikhail

Wilder is a little hit and miss, but his films are mostly pretty watchable.

Some Like it Hot is as funny as its reputation, and should be a priority.

Witness for the Prosecution is hilarious and clever (based on an Agatha Christie story).

The other one I'd recommend in a big way is The Seven Year Itch, a great comedy about a guy, Jack Lemon, who sends his wife from Manhatten for the summer, and must resist the temptation provided by his upstairs neigbour, Marilyn Monroe.

indough wrote: »

I dont really have much to add other than that you should also check out Stalag 17

It's good, but didn't blow me away.

Corkfeen wrote: »

Double Indemnity is one of my favourites of his, so you should definitely check it out. It's a woman's elaborate scam with her insurance salesman, t'is great. :P

It has that stagy feel of many movies of its age, but it's clever.

FishBowel wrote: »

Private life of Sherlock Holmes - didn't like this one

It starts off rather promisingly, but quickly becomes a pretty routine Sherlock Holmes story.

Fortune cookie - recommended, injury scam, funny enough

It's okay.

FishBowel

Wilder was a routine Hollywood director whose fims had great scripts. There were many other directors from that era who made better and more interesting films.

mikhail

FishBowel wrote: »

Wilder was a routine Hollywood director whose fims had great scripts. There were many other directors from that era who made better and more interesting films.

Fishbowl is a routine member of the forums. There are many other members of the forum who write better and more interesting posts. [You see how helpful and interesting that comment was?]

Did it ever occur to you that some of us might like to see films made from great scripts?

It's very easy to casually dismiss someone. Why don't you contribute something constructive, like naming some of these many other directors and expounding a little on why they're great and Wilder isn't.

Phony Scott

The Lost Weekend is excellent and I've already said a number of times how brilliant Sunet Boulevard is. Ace in the Hole is very good as is The Apartment. I've never seen Some Like it Hot, though I must get round to it sometime. OP you should check out some of Frank Capra's films as well Like It Happened One Night, brilliant film and still very amusing.

marienbad

FishBowel wrote: »

Wilder was a routine Hollywood director whose fims had great scripts. There were many other directors from that era who made better and more interesting films.

You must be joking ! You do realize that Wilder cowrote most of those ''great scripts'' with I.A.L Diamond or Charles Bracket.

He really is a titan of the cinema and his influence is probably unrivalled and all this from a guy whose first language was'nt even English.

Sunset Boulevard , Stalag 17,Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Ace In The Hole,Some Like It Hot ,The Apartment, The Seven Year Itch, One Two, Three, - some cv and they are just my favourites .

If I had to pick two it would be Ace in the Hole and Stalag 17 .

Ace in The Hole-an depiction of venal cynicism and manipulation in the newspaper industry and a long way from the hardboiled reporter with a heart of gold type of stuuf that was the usual depiction of journalists .

Stalag 17 - Just a great war film but again overlaid with that Wilder slyness and cynicism undercutting stereotypes at every turn.