Not many directors are household names, but how Billy Wilder avoided becoming one simply baffles me. Film buffs, undoubtedly know the name, but for those of you who are simply movie fans or budding cinephiles, allow me to briefly educate you.
His best known films are Some Like It Hot (1959), Sunset Blvd. (1950), and The Apartment (1960). If you haven’t yet seen any or all of these three, they just became your top priority.
Some Like It Hot was named AFI’s #1 comedy of the last 100 years and stars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as musicians on the run from the mob who disguise themselves as women and join an all-girl band that includes, of course, Marilyn Monroe.
Sunset Blvd. contains a line you’ve no doubt heard, “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.” Well, actually, that’s not the line. It’s one of those famous misquotes like, “Luke, I am your father,” or “Play it again, Sam.” Regardless, it’s required viewing as a movie vegetable if nothing else.
The Apartment won the Oscar for best picture and stars Jack Lemmon as an office worker who allows his bosses to use his apartment as the rendezvous point for their mistresses. It all seems harmless until he falls for one of the girls.
Wilder tackled all genres with ease and was a master of blending comedy and drama to varying degrees. These three exemplify that with Some Like It Hot as a mostly comic story, Sunset Blvd. as the drama, and The Apartment right in between. He was nominated eight times for the best director Oscar (2nd most all-time), winning twice. Add in writing and producing and he earned 21 nominations.
He is one of those directors with whom it got the point where I was saying, “he directed THAT too!”
This is by no means a complete filmography, but here are more Wilder films I highly recommend:
Double Indemnity (1944)
The Lost Weekend (1945) – Best Picture winner
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Finally, here is the clip from the 1988 Academy Award ceremony where Wilder was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg lifetime achievement award:
dantes1815
Some Like It Hot is hilarious!