Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy WilderUniversity Press of Kentucky, 2010 M02 5 - 494 pages A biography of the six-time Oscar-winning director of films like Some Like It Hot and Double Indemnity, featuring analysis of his work. Although his career spanned fifty years and included more than fifty films, Austrian-American film director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) may be best known for the legendary shot of Marilyn Monroe’s dress billowing over a subway grating in The Seven Year Itch (1955). This “shot seen round the world” is representative not only of Hollywood’s golden era of cinema but also of one of its most prolific and brilliant directors. Wilder, whose filmography includes such classics as Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Some Like It Hot (1959), is often remembered for his versatility, biting wit, and passion for challenging social and moral conventions. Author Gene D. Phillips departs from the traditional biography in Some Like It Wilder, offering new insights into the acclaimed director’s professional and private life. In preparation for the book, Phillips conducted personal interviews with Wilder and other key players from the legendary director’s life and times. Phillips’s unique combination of analysis and biographical detail brings Wilder to life, as both an artist and man. Phillips traces Wilder’s path from Berlin, where he worked as a scriptwriter for one of the city’s largest studios, to Hollywood, where he would quickly establish himself as a premier film director. Forming a partnership with writer-producer Charles Brackett, Wilder directed the classic films Five Graves to Cairo (1943), Double Indemnity (1945), and The Lost Weekend (1945), which earned Academy Awards for best picture, best director, and best screenplay. During the 1960s, Wilder continued to direct and produce controversial comedies, including Kiss Me Stupid (1964) and The Apartment (1960). The Apartment brought Wilder another round of Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay. Wilder’s maverick approach and independent artistic vision pushed boundaries and ensured his legacy as one of the Hollywood greats. Sharply written, Some Like It Wilder serves as a comprehensive companion to Wilder’s films, offering a personalized and heartfelt account of the life and genius of this compelling director. Praise for Some Like It Wilder “Featuring Gene D. Phillips’ unique, in-depth critical approach, Some Like It Wilder . . . provides a groundbreaking overview of a filmmaking icon . . . . This definitive biography reveals that Wilder was, and remains, one of the most influential directors in filmmaking.” —Turner Classic Movies “[Phillips] goes beyond the surface and deep into the complex mind and soul of the famous film director . . . . This book is, in my view, definitive.” —Vincent LoBrutto, author of Martin Scorsese: A Biography |
Contents
1919 | |
1921 | |
1923 | |
1938 | |
1946 | |
The Lost Weekend and Die Todesmühlen | |
The Emperor Waltz and A Foreign Affair | |
Some Like It | |
The Apartment | |
One Two Three and Irma la Douce | |
Kiss Me Stupid and The Fortune Cookie | |
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes | |
The Front Page and Avanti | |
Fedora and Buddy Buddy | |
A Touch of Class | |
Sunset Boulevard | |
Ace in the Hole and Stalag 17 | |
Sabrina and The Seven Year Itch | |
The Spirit of St Louis and Love in the Afternoon | |
Witness for the Prosecution | |
Filmography | |
Notes | |
Selected Bibliography | |
Index | |
Other editions - View all
Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder Gene D. Phillips Limited preview - 2010 |
Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder Gene D. Phillips No preview available - 2010 |
Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder Gene Phillips No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
Academy Awards actor American Angeles Apartment audience Audrey Avanti Berlin Billy Wilder Bogart Brackett and Wilder Breen Cagney camera career cast Chandler Charles Brackett collaborated comedy Conversations with Wilder dialogue Director of Photography Doane Harrison Double Indemnity editor Emperor Waltz Fedora Film Noir film's filmmaker Five Graves Foreign Affair Fortune Cookie German Graves to Cairo Harry Holden I. A. L. Diamond interview Irma la Douce Jack Lemmon Kiss Lally Lehman Leisen Lindbergh Lost Weekend Lubitsch Marilyn Monroe Marlene Dietrich Matthau Mirisch movie Norma Paramount Phyllis picture play Principal photography Production Designer release Richard role Rommel Rozsa Sabrina Sarris scene screen screenplay screenwriter script Seven Year Itch Sherlock Holmes shooting shot Side of Billy Sikov song Stalag 17 story Stroheim studio Sunset Boulevard Swanson Tatum Trauner Walter wanted wife Wilder and Brackett Wilder and Diamond Wilder explained Wilder film Wilder in Hollywood writes York Zolotow