A photograph of Gloria Swanson and Billy Wilder in 1950
Wilder in 1950 with actress Gloria Swanson

Billy Wilder (1906–2002) was an Austrian filmmaker. Wilder initially pursued a career in journalism after being inspired by an American newsreel.[1] He worked for the Austrian magazine Die Bühne and the newspaper Die Stunde in Vienna, and later for the German newspapers Berliner Nachtausgabe, and Berliner Börsen-Courier in Berlin.[2] His first screenplay was for the German silent thriller The Daredevil Reporter (1929).[3] Wilder fled to Paris in 1933 after the rise of the Nazi Party, where he co-directed and co-wrote the screenplay of French drama Mauvaise Graine (1934).[4] In the same year, Wilder left France on board the RMS Aquitania to work in Hollywood despite having little knowledge of English.[5][6]

In 1938, he began collaborating with Charles Brackett on screenplays with Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy Bluebeard's Eighth Wife.[7] It was the first of 14 consecutive commercially successful films that the pair co-wrote including the comedy Ninotchka (1939), and the romantic drama Hold Back the Dawn (1941), which both received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.[6][8][9] Wilder made his Hollywood directorial debut with comedy The Major and the Minor (1942), which starred Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Two years later, he directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the film noir Double Indemnity (1944), which is considered a classic of its genre.[6] He followed this with The Lost Weekend (1945), a drama about a writer struggling with alcoholism, for which Wilder won his first Academy Award for Best Director and shared the Best Original Screenplay award with Brackett. The film also won Best Picture.[10][11]

Wilder directed and co-wrote the screenplay for Sunset Boulevard (1950), a film noir about a reclusive silent film actress starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden.[12] It garnered 11 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and all four acting categories. He won his second Best Screenplay Oscar with Brackett for the film as well as the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama.[13][14] During the 1950s, Wilder also received Best Director nominations at the Oscars for Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Some Like It Hot (1959).[15] The lattermost film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon is considered one of the best comedies of all time.[16][17] In 1960, he directed and co-wrote The Apartment, a romantic comedy about an insurance clerk who allows his coworkers to use his apartment to conduct extra-marital affairs, which starred Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.[18] The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Film. Wilder shared the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with I. A. L. Diamond.[19][20]

In recognition of his career, Wilder received the AFI's Life Achievement Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Fellowship Award, the Directors Guild of America's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, and the Producers Guild of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.[21] Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment are included in the AFI's greatest American films of all time.[22] As of 2019, 10 of his films are in the National Film Registry.[23]

Films

As filmmaker

Year Title Credited as Language(s) Notes Ref(s)
Director Writer Producer
1934 Mauvaise Graine Yes Yes French English title: Bad Seed
Co-directed with Alexander Esway 		[24]
1942 The Major and the Minor Yes Yes English [25]
1943 Five Graves to Cairo Yes Yes English [26]
1944 Double Indemnity Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [27]
1945 The Lost Weekend Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [27]
1945 Death Mills Yes English
German 		German title: Die Todesmühlen
Also editing supervisor 		[28]
[29]
1948 The Emperor Waltz Yes Yes English [30]
1948 A Foreign Affair Yes Yes English [31]
1950 Sunset Boulevard Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [32]
1951 Ace in the Hole Yes Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [27]
1953 Stalag 17 Yes Yes Yes English [33]
1954 Sabrina Yes Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [33]
1955 The Seven Year Itch Yes Yes Yes English [33]
1957 The Spirit of St. Louis Yes Yes English [33]
1957 Love in the Afternoon Yes Yes Yes English [33]
1957 Witness for the Prosecution Yes Yes English [27]
1959 Some Like It Hot Yes Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [34]
1960 The Apartment Yes Yes Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [35]
1961 One, Two, Three Yes Yes Yes English [36]
1963 Irma la Douce Yes Yes Yes English [37]
1964 Kiss Me, Stupid Yes Yes Yes English [38]
1966 The Fortune Cookie Yes Yes Yes English [39]
1970 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Yes Yes Yes English [33]
1972 Avanti! Yes Yes Yes English [40]
1974 The Front Page Yes Yes English [41]
1978 Fedora Yes Yes Yes English [42]
[43]
1981 Buddy Buddy Yes Yes English [44]

As writer

Year Title Credited as Language(s) Notes Ref(s)
Screenwriter Storywriter
1929 The Daredevil Reporter Yes German German title: Der Teufelsreporter [45]
1930 People on Sunday Yes German German title: Menschen am Sonntag [46]
1930 A Student's Song of Heidelberg Yes German German title: Ein Burschenlied aus Heidelberg [47]
1931 The Man in Search of His Murderer Yes German German title: Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht [48]
1931 Her Grace Commands Yes German German title: Ihre Hoheit befiehlt; simultaneously filmed as Princesse, à vos ordres! and remade as Adorable [49]
1931 The Wrong Husband Yes German German title: Der Falsche Ehemann [50]
1931 Emil and the Detectives Yes German German title: Emil und die Detektive [51]
1932 Happy Ever After Yes English Simultaneously filmed as Ein blonder Traum and Un rêve blond [52]
1932 The Victor Yes German German title: Der Sieger [53]
1932 Once There Was a Waltz Yes German German title: Es war einmal ein Walzer; remade as Where Is This Lady? [50]
1932 Scampolo Yes German Simultaneously filmed as Un peu d'amour [52]
1932 The Blue of Heaven Yes German German title: Das Blaue vom Himmel [52]
1933 Madame Wants No Children Yes German German title: Madame wünscht keine Kinder; simultaneously filmed as Madame ne veut pas d'enfants [52]
1933 What Women Dream Yes German German title: Was Frauen träumen; remade as One Exciting Adventure [52]
1934 Music in the Air Yes English [54]
1935 Lottery Lover Yes English [24]
1935 Under Pressure Yes English [24]
1937 Champagne Waltz Yes English [33]
1938 Bluebeard's Eighth Wife Yes English [33]
1939 Midnight Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [33]
1939 What a Life Yes English [33]
1939 Ninotchka Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry [33]
1940 Rhythm on the River Yes English [33]
1940 Arise, My Love Yes English [33]
1941 Hold Back the Dawn Yes English [33]
1941 Ball of Fire Yes English Listed in the National Film Registry; remade as A Song Is Born [33]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Sikov 2017, p. 32.
  2. ^ Sikov 2017, pp. 35, 52, 56.
  3. ^ Sikov 2017, pp. 70.
  4. ^ Sikov 2017, pp. 109–110, 115–116.
  5. ^ Sikov 2017, p. 122.
  6. ^ a b c Oliver, Myrna (March 29, 2002). "From the Archives: Billy Wilder, 95; Director, writer and producer won six Oscars and peers' envy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Sikov 2017, p. 145.
  8. ^ "The 12th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "The 14th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "The 18th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Film From Any Source in 1961". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 27, 1999). "Sunset Boulevard movie review (1950)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  13. ^ "The 23rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners 1995-1949". Writers Guild of America. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  15. ^
  16. ^ Barber, Nicholas (August 22, 2017). "Why Some Like It Hot is the greatest comedy ever made". BBC. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  17. ^ "Some Like It Hot". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  18. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 22, 2001). "The Apartment movie review & film summary (1960)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  19. ^ "The 33rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  20. ^ "Film From Any Source in 1961". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  21. ^
  22. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies — 10th Anniversary Edition". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  23. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". National Film Registry. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Gemünden 2008, p. 173.
  25. ^ Crowther, Bosley (September 17, 1942). "The Screen; ' The Major and the Minor,' a Charming Comedy-Romance, With Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland, at the Paramount". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  26. ^ Crowther, Bosley (May 27, 1943). "'Five Graves' to Cairo,' Drama of World Conflict, With von Stroheim and Franchot Tone, at the Paramount Theatre". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c d "Billy Wilder". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  28. ^ Gemünden 2008, p. 168.
  29. ^ Jones, Abigail (February 6, 2015). "Why Hitchcock's Film on the Holocaust Was Never Shown". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  30. ^ Phillips 2010, p. 350.
  31. ^ Crowther, Bosley (July 1, 1948). "Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Land a Triangle in 'A Foreign Affair'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  32. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (August 11, 1950). "Sunset Boulevard". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Filmography". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  34. ^ "Review: 'Some Like It Hot'". Variety. February 24, 1959. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  35. ^ Crowther, Bosley (June 16, 1960). "Screen: Busy 'Apartment':Jack Lemmon Scores in Billy Wilder Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  36. ^ Crowther, Bosley (December 22, 1961). "Screen: Berlin Laughter:'One, Two, Three' Is at Astor and Fine Arts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  37. ^ Crowther, Bosley (June 6, 1963). "Wilder's 'Irma la Douce'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  38. ^ Weiler, A. H. (December 23, 1964). "Kiss Me, Stupid'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  39. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 20, 1966). "Screen: 'The Fortune Cookie,' Funny Fantasy of Chiselers, Begins Its Run:3 Manhattan Theaters Have Wilder's Film Walter Matthau Stars As Farcical Villain A Western and a Horror Film Also Open Here". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  40. ^ Weiler, A. H. (December 18, 1972). "'Avanti!,' Another Billy Wilder Farce, Stars Jack Lemmon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  41. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 19, 1974). "Wilder's Uneven Film of 'Front Page':The Cast". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  42. ^ Oleszczyk, Michal (May 20, 2013). "Cannes Classics: Tip of 'Fedora' to You". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  43. ^ Maslin, Janet (April 15, 1979). "Wilder's Movie 'Fedora' Opens:The Cast". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  44. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 11, 1981). "Wilder's 'Buddy Buddy'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  45. ^ Phillips 2010, p. 6.
  46. ^ Phillips 2010, p. 8.
  47. ^ Gemünden 2013, p. 193.
  48. ^ Gemünden 2008, p. 170.
  49. ^ Gemünden 2008, pp. 170–171.
  50. ^ a b Gemünden 2008, p. 171.
  51. ^ Phillips 2010, p. 9.
  52. ^ a b c d e Gemünden 2008, p. 172.
  53. ^ Sikov 2017, p. 77.
  54. ^ Phillips 2010, p. 15.

External links

Films directed by Billy Wilder
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