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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.
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The Apartment (Blu-ray disc)
Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Joan Shawlee, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, …
1
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R226
Discovery Miles 2 260
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Ships in 10 - 20 working days
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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.
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Knightdale (Hardcover)
W. a. "Billy" Wilder, Wanda Ramm
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R842
R691
Discovery Miles 6 910
Save R151 (18%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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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.
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Stalag 17 (Paperback)
Billy Wilder; Introduction by Jeffrey Meyers
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R937
Discovery Miles 9 370
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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"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.
Wilder's mordant humor and misanthropy percolate throughout this
bitter story of egoism, class conflict, and betrayal. As in a
well-constructed murder mystery, the incriminating evidence points
to the wrong man. Jeffrey Meyers's introduction enriches the
reading of "Stalag 17" by including comparisons with the Broadway
production and the reasons for Wilder's changes.
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.
This facsimile edition of "Double Indemnity" contains Wilder and
Chandler's original -- and quite different -- ending, published
here for the first time. Jeffrey Meyers's introduction
contextualizes the screenplay, providing hilarious anecdotes about
the turbulent collaboration, as well as background information
about Wilder and the film's casting and production.
"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.
This facsimile edition of "The Lost Weekend" not only reveals the
genius of the film but also illuminates how the script stands alone
as a rare, wonderful piece of writing. Jeffrey Meyers's
introduction looks at the transformation from novel to film and
examines Wilder and coauthor Charles Brackett's methods as
collaborators. Readers will gain important insights into the craft
of screenwriting, and the personality and methods of one of
Hollywood's greatest directors.
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Sunset Boulevard (Paperback)
Billy Wilder; Introduction by Jeffrey Meyers
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R693
R593
Discovery Miles 5 930
Save R100 (14%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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"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.
This facsimile edition of "Sunset Boulevard" makes it possible to
get as much pleasure from reading the highly intelligent screenplay
as from seeing the film. Jeffrey Meyers's introduction provides an
intriguing array of background details about Wilder, the film's
casting and production, and the lives of those connected to what
has become a classic.
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