BLOGGER ARCHIVE - MONTHLY FILM SERIES
JANUARY 2025 - Billy Wilder
MONTHLY FILM SERIES: BILLY WILDER
JANUARY 2025
Billy Wilder month is finally at a close. This month was a little abnormal because I started a bit early in December with The Apartment (1960), Sabrina (1954) and Double Indemnity (1944). I was anticipating being a bit too busy in January to watch very many films and I was right; but somehow I still managed to watch 4 more Wilder films.
Overall, I can understand why Wilder is respected; he’s pound for pound the most commercially efficient director of the 20th century. His films are tight and unbloated. He gets in and gets out- and I truly love that in a director or filmmaker. Wilder truly is funny in the timing of his scenes and in his writing. I read/saw a youtube video somewhere that said that Wilder liked doing jokes inside of jokes- which I started seeing throughout his films. Theres a couple examples that really tie a scene up into a little bow very poetically. It really shows good writing. I think specifically in Witness for the Prosecution (1957) in which Laughton is constantly giving his nurse hell. I also think of The Apartment (1960) where Jack Lemon gets the makeup mirror back from Shirley MacClaine when he’s trying his executive hat on in his office, and he realizes that she’s the one sleeping with his boss. I suppose this isn’t a joke scene per se; but I was really impressed with how concisely and uniquely Wilder was able to convey this key plot information.
Wilder shows his charisma in his films, but he had help from some of the biggest stars at the time. He worked with Jack Lemon, Shirley MacClaine, Fred MacMurray, Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. These legends were very entertaining to watch and make these films that much more enduring. Another aspect that makes his film enduring was his ability to blur genres elegantly. So much of romances are comedies, so many comedies are tradgedies, so many tragedies are thrillers, and so on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Apartment (1960) was likely my introduction to Wilder- usually the films that I first saw of any type were shown to me by my parents growing up. I know my dad showed me this one a few times. I remember Jack Lemon’s spry energy and MacClaine matching it perfectly. On this watch, I was reminded of the industrialism movement of the 1950s; every time you watch a film like this set in this time in New York City or another urban centre, it feels like you’re watching ants on the Ant Hill. Industrious with blinders. Not putting their heads down for a second to stop and smell the roses. Seeing this film again reminded me how great a show Mad Men is for showing us what live might have really been like for these middle management professionals immediately following WWII and Korea. The GIs got home and got to work; including in the bedroom- really booming some babes. This was a time when men were unbridled in their conduct at work. Once you are an executive you’re untouchable which makes every secretary under you touchable so to speak. Jack Lemon’s physicality is a delight to watch in this film. I enjoyed every second.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I especially liked Witness for the Prosecution (1957) as well. The first name in the credits I recognized was Edith Head who did all the Hitchcocks and a few other Wilders as well. She truly was cooking at this period. The wardrobes are part of the setting of an exciting story that challenges the viewer to find the truth. A classic courtroom drama; showing Wilder could do any genre, probably with an arm tied around his back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ace in the Hole (1951) (also Edith) was the one out of all of these that probably surprised me the most. I believe this might have been my introduction into Kirk Douglas. I totally understand the hype- what an incredible confident energy he has, and he really steamrolls through this entire film like a bat outta hell. Some very great lines in this such as:
“When they bleached your hair they must’ve bleached your brains too.”
“Girl: You know something? The sheriff don’t like you.” Douglas: “…and I was gonna propose to him.” *(Cig drag)
“We’re all in the same boat!” “NO! I’m in the boat. You’re in the water.”
This film raises a lot of really relevant contemporary questions about media sensationalism and journalism ethics. It reminded me a bit of Nightcrawler.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Double Indemnity (1944), Wilder shows his range in conducting one of the best Noir Films of the time. The ping-pong dialogue, the use of tension the origination of Femme Fatale (maybe).
“Youre not smarter Walter…you’re just a little taller.” God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sabrina (1957) caught me off guard in his class commentary. John Williams plays the father of Audrey Hepburn who both work as employees on the estate of the Larrabees. At one point, Williams is giving Hepburn fatherly advice/a warning…
“Democracy can be a wickedly unfair thing Sabrina…nobody poor was ever called deocratic for marrying somebody rich.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for the other films, the only thing I want to mention is Marilyn who was such a character; she looks like in real life on screen how she was tirelessly copied in cartoons for the past 60 years; blonde, big eyelashes, bedroom eyes. My favorite movie of Wilder’s is actually one that I didn’t watch this time around because I saw it too recently to quite justify it. But its one that I own and that I’ll rewatch again and again in the Future: Some like it Hot.
All in all, I hope modern filmmakers can take a few more notes from these types of films- I’d love to see rom coms, detective stories, War movies like Stalag 17 (1953)– original stories that are concise and well written. I guess that’s the dream isn’t it?
