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Showing 1 - 10 of 10 matches in All Departments
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, chosen by Tom Stoppard "A revelation."-Marc Weingarten, Washington Post Acclaimed film director Billy Wilder's early writings-brilliantly translated into English for the first time Before Billy Wilder became the screenwriter and director of iconic films like Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, he worked as a freelance reporter, first in Vienna and then in Weimar Berlin. Billy Wilder on Assignment brings together more than fifty articles, translated into English for the first time, that Wilder (then known as "Billie") published in magazines and newspapers between September 1925 and November 1930. From a humorous account of Wilder's stint as a hired dancing companion in a posh Berlin hotel and his dispatches from the international film scene, to his astute profiles of writers, performers, and political figures, the collection offers fresh insights into the creative mind of one of Hollywood's most revered writer-directors. Wilder's early writings-a heady mix of cultural essays, interviews, and reviews-contain the same sparkling wit and intelligence as his later Hollywood screenplays, while also casting light into the dark corners of Vienna and Berlin between the wars. Wilder covered everything: big-city sensations, jazz performances, film and theater openings, dance, photography, and all manner of mass entertainment. And he wrote about the most colorful figures of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Prince of Wales, actor Adolphe Menjou, director Erich von Stroheim, and the Tiller Girls dance troupe. Film historian Noah Isenberg's introduction and commentary place Wilder's pieces-brilliantly translated by Shelley Frisch-in historical and biographical context, and rare photos capture Wilder and his circle during these formative years. Filled with rich reportage and personal musings, Billy Wilder on Assignment showcases the burgeoning voice of a young journalist who would go on to become a great auteur.
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in this acclaimed satire from writer-director Billy Wilder. Insurance clerk C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) lets his superiors use his apartment as a secret love nest and as a result begins to make his way up in the company. Things go awry when director Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) wants to use the apartment for a rendevouz with Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), an elevator operator whom the young clerk already holds a candle for. The film won five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, chosen by Tom Stoppard "A revelation."-Marc Weingarten, Washington Post Acclaimed film director Billy Wilder's early writings-brilliantly translated into English for the first time Before Billy Wilder became the screenwriter and director of iconic films like Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, he worked as a freelance reporter, first in Vienna and then in Weimar Berlin. Billy Wilder on Assignment brings together more than fifty articles, translated into English for the first time, that Wilder (then known as "Billie") published in magazines and newspapers between September 1925 and November 1930. From a humorous account of Wilder's stint as a hired dancing companion in a posh Berlin hotel and his dispatches from the international film scene, to his astute profiles of writers, performers, and political figures, the collection offers fresh insights into the creative mind of one of Hollywood's most revered writer-directors. Wilder's early writings-a heady mix of cultural essays, interviews, and reviews-contain the same sparkling wit and intelligence as his later Hollywood screenplays, while also casting light into the dark corners of Vienna and Berlin between the wars. Wilder covered everything: big-city sensations, jazz performances, film and theater openings, dance, photography, and all manner of mass entertainment. And he wrote about the most colorful figures of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Prince of Wales, actor Adolphe Menjou, director Erich von Stroheim, and the Tiller Girls dance troupe. Film historian Noah Isenberg's introduction and commentary place Wilder's pieces-brilliantly translated by Shelley Frisch-in historical and biographical context, and rare photos capture Wilder and his circle during these formative years. Filled with rich reportage and personal musings, Billy Wilder on Assignment showcases the burgeoning voice of a young journalist who would go on to become a great auteur.
Classic German adventure drama adapted from the novel by Erich Kästner, who co-wrote the script with Billy Wilder. The film follows young Emil (Rolf Wenkhaus) as he travels to Berlin by train to visit his grandmother. When his money is stolen by a fellow passenger, who turns out to be a member of a gang of criminals, he asks a group of youthful detectives for help.
"Stalag 17" (1953), the riveting drama of a German prisoner-of-war
camp, was adapted from the Broadway play directed by Jose Ferrer in
1951. Billy Wilder developed the play and made the film version
more interesting in every way. Edwin Blum, a veteran screenwriter
and friend of Wilder's, collaborated on the screenplay but found
working with Wilder an agonizing experience.
"The Lost Weekend" swept the 1945 Academy Awards, with nominations
for Best Film Editing, Score, and Black and White Cinematography,
and Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Screenplay. It
also received numerous awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the
Golden Globes. Based on the novel by Charles Jackson, a work that
many in Hollywood had thought unfilmmable because of its relentless
grimness, "The Lost Weekend" was one of the first films to explore
the devastating effects of alcoholism. Ray Milland was cast against
type as Don Birnam, a writer plagued by depression and self-doubt
who, as his alcoholism progresses, slips into a horrifying downward
spiral of lying, begging, stealing, and madness. Milland's riveting
performance won him an Oscar. Jane Wyman also delivers a powerful
performance as his faithful girlfriend, Helen St. James, whose
selfless love offers Birnam a hope of redemption.
On every level -- writing, direction, acting -- "Double Indemnity"
(1944) is a triumph and stands as one of the greatest achievements
in Billy Wilder's career. Adapted from the James M. Cain novel by
director Wilder and novelist Raymond Chandler, it tells the story
of an insurance salesman, played by Fred MacMurray, who is lured
into a murder-for-insurance plot by Barbara Stanwyck, in an
archetypal femme fatale role. From its grim story to its dark,
atmospheric lighting, "Double Indemnity" is a definitive example of
World War II-era film noir. Wilder's approach is everywhere
evident: in the brutal cynicism the film displays, the moral
complexity, and in the empathy we feel for the killers. The film
received almost unanimous critical success, garnering seven Academy
Award nominations. More than fifty years later, most critics agree
that this classic is one of the best films of all time. The
collaboration between Wilder and Raymond Chandler produced a
masterful script and some of the most memorable dialogue ever
spoken in a movie.
"Sunset Boulevard" (1950) is one of the most famous films in the
history of Hollywood, and perhaps no film better represents
Hollywood's vision of itself. Billy Wilder collaborated on the
screenplay with the very able Charles Brackett, and with D. M.
Marshman Jr., who later joined the team. Together they created a
film both allusive and literate, with Hollywood's worst excesses
and neuroses laid out for all to see. After viewing "Sunset
Boulevard" Louis B. Mayer exclaimed: "We should throw this Wilder
out of town " The "New York Times," however, gave the movie a rave
review, praising "that rare blend of pungent writing, expert
acting, masterly direction, and unobtrusively artistic
photography." The film was nominated for Best Picture, and Wilder
won an Academy Award for Best Story and Best Screenplay.
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