9:04am: Billy Wilder: His Films Are Unforgettable
There must be some good news out there today, but if so it's not being reported. Must be it's classified, and for all of my addiction to the NYTimes--call me crazy--I never touch the classifieds. And there's plenty of bad news, most of it happening in the middle east, and there are many outlets for a review of those events. But if you like films, and have ever seen a great one, chances are good it was written, produced and directed by Billy Wilder, who died Wednesday night at the age of 95. Here are two links that will recap this brilliant refugee's cinematic career, which spanned six decades, at his peak dominated the 40's, 50's and 60's, and earned Wilder 21 Oscar Nominations and 6 statuettes. He had a wry sense of social satire that served to create some of the most memorable films ever made.
His films include "Double Indemnity" (1944), "The Lost Weekend" (1945) (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay [co-authored with Charles Brackett]), "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) (Best Screenplay), "Ace In The Hole" (1951) [also known as "The Big Carnival" and a personal favorite of mine, starring Kirk Douglas as a newspaper reporter in a small town, exploiting the plight of a man trapped in a cave to create headlines], "Stalag 17" (1953) a masterpiece, "Sabrina" (1954), "The Seven Year Itch" (1955) including that classic shot of Marilyn above the subway grate!, "The Spirit of St. Louis" (1957), "Love In The Afternoon" (1957), "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957), "Some Like It Hot" (1959) perhaps his best, and one of the greatest comedies ever made, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis evading gangsters by masquerading as women traveling with an all-female band, "The Apartment" (1960) another masterpiece, (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay), "One, Two, Three" (1961), "Irma la Douce" (1966), "The Fortune Cookie" (1966), "Avanti!" (1972), "The Front Page" (1974) [a remake of the 1931 original and the 1940 "His Girl Friday"], and "Buddy Buddy" (1981), Wilder's last film.
Here is a more extensive Billy Wilder Filmography, as well as this very comprehensive obit in theNew York Times. He has left us a rich legacy in twenty-five installments, and we will watch them again and again.
Posted by cronish at March 29, 2002 10:07 AM