Double
Indemnity (US/1944) ****
A wife
seduces an insurance agent into murdering her husband.
The
epitome of the film-noir of the 1940’s. Brilliantly written, directed and
acted, its mix of sex, violence and a hero/villain would remain forever
unsurpassed and endlessly imitated.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, Raymond Chandler (Based on the Novel by James M. Cain)
ph – John
F. Seitz
ad – Hans
Dreier, Hal Pereira
m –
Miklos Rozsa
ed –
Doane Harrison
cos –
Edith Head
p –
Joseph Sistrom
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall,
Tom Powers, Jean Heather, Byron Barr, Fortunio Bonanova
The Lost
Weekend (US/1945) ***
An
alcoholic writer goes on a severe binge over the course of two days.
The first
Hollywood production to treat this subject seriously, it was remarkably original on its first
release. Today, it remains a dynamically filmed piece of work, particularly its
depiction of lower Manhattan.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, Charles Brackett (Based on the Novel by Charles R. Jackson)
ph – John
F. Seitz
ad – Hans
Dreier, Earl Hedrick
m –
Miklos Rozsa
ed –
Doane Harrison
cos –
Edith Head
p –
Charles Brackett
Cast: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris
Dowling, Frank Faylan, Mary Young, Anita Bolster, Lilian Fontaine
Sunset
Boulevard (US/1950) ****
A young
screenwriter becomes involved with a faded, reclusive star of the silent era.
A
haunting, devastating melodrama that is brilliant in every conceivable way,
from acting to writing to photography to design. On another level, its
depiction of Hollywood and the way it treats its children, is not only crushing
but unbelievably precise; with each passing year it becomes more and more
haunting.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, Charles Brackett, D.M. Marshman Jr
ph – John
F. Seitz
ad – Hans
Dreier, John Meehan
m – Franz
Waxman
ed –
Arthur Schmidt, Doane Harrison
cos –
Edith Head
p –
Charles Brackett
Cast: Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson,
Fred Clark, Jack Webb, Lloyd Gough, Cecil B. DeMille, H.B. Warner, Anna Q.
Nilsson, Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper
Ace in
the Hole (US/1951) ***
(aka The Big Carnival)
In order to extend the commotion and boost
newspaper sales, an egotistical journalist delays the rescue of a man trapped
in a cave.
Harsh, at times downright nasty melodrama from the
master cynic in which the seriousness and insight create a tremendously
compelling piece.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, Lesser Samuels, Walter Newman
ph – Charles
Lang
ad – Earl
Hedrick, Hal Pereira
m – Hugo Friedhofer
ed –
Arthur Schmidt
cos –
Edith Head
p – Billy
Wilder
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, Bob Arthur, Frank Cady,
Richard Benedict, Ray Teal, Lewis Martin, John Berkes, Frances Dominiguez, Gene
Evans
Witness
for the Prosecution (US/1957) ***
A recuperating QC defends a man charged of
murder and finds himself in a maze of deception.
Altogether rather silly aggrandized courtroom drama
based on Christie’s witty play that is made thoroughly entertaining due to overall
sophistication and, of course, the magnetic lead performance.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, Harry Kurnitz (Based on the Play
by Agatha Christie)
ph – Russell
Harlan
ad – Alexandre
Trauner
m – Matty
Malneck
ed – Daniel
Mandell
cos –
Edith Head
p – Arthur
Hornblow Jr
Cast: Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa
Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Torin Thatcher, Una O’Connor,
Norma Varden, Ruta Lee
Some Like
it Hot (US/1959) ***
Two musicians who witness the St. Valentine’s
Day Massacre disguise themselves as members of an all-girl band.
Deft, landmark comedy that many consider to be the
best of its kind. Despite thin patches, it certainly works exceedingly well with
a perfect cast and a director with endless wit.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
ph – Charles
Lang
ad – Ted
Haworth
m – Adolph
Deutsch
ed – Arthur
Schmidt
cos – Orry-Kelly
p – Billy
Wilder
Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Joe E. Brown, George
Raft, Pat O’Brien, Nehemiah Persoff, Joan Shawlee, Billy Gray, George E. Stone,
Dave Barry
The Apartment
(US/1960) ****
A lonesome but ambitious clerk rents out his
apartment to philandering executives until he discovers that one of them is
with the girl he loves.
Beautifully realised romantic-comedy with a great
deal of sting; it contains many of its director’s greatest touches.
d – Billy
Wilder
w – Billy
Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
ph – Joseph
LaShelle
ad – Alexandre
Trauner
m – Adolph
Deutsch
ed – Daniel
Mandell
p – Billy
Wilder
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Edie Adams, Ray
Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens,
Johnny Seven, Joyce Jameson, Willard Waterman, David White
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