Some Like It Wilder
The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder
Reeks: Screen Classics
Gene D. Phillips
- A
- biography
- of
- the
- six-time
- Oscar-winning
- director
- of
- films
- like
- Some
- Like
- It
- Hot
- and
- Double
- Indemnity,
- featuring
- analysis
- of
- his
- work.Although
- his
- career
- spanned
- fifty
- years
- and
- included
- more
- than
- fifty
- films,
- Austrian-American
- film
- director
- Billy
- Wilder
- (1906-2002)
- may
- be
- best
- known
- for
- the
- legendary
- shot
- of
- Marilyn
- Monroe’s
- dress
- billowing
- over
- a
- subway
- grating
- in
- The
- Seven
- Year
- Itch
- (1955).
- This
- “shot
- seen
- round
- the
- world”
- is
- representative
- not
- only
- of
- Hollywood’s
- golden
- era
- of
- cinema
- but
- also
- of
- one
- of
- its
- most
- prolific
- and
- brilliant
- directors.
- Wilder,
- whose
- filmography
- includes
- such
- classics
- as
- Sunset
- Boulevard
- (1950),
- Sabrina
- (1954),
- Witness
- for
- the
- Prosecution
- (1957),
- and
- Some
- Like
- It
- Hot
- (1959),
- is
- often
- remembered
- for
- his
- versatility,
- biting
- wit,
- and
- passion
- for
- challenging
- social
- and
- moral
- conventions.Author
- Gene
- D.
- Phillips
- departs
- from
- the
- traditional
- biography
- in
- Some
- Like
- It
- Wilder,
- offering
- new
- insights
- into
- the
- acclaimed
- director’s
- professional
- and
- private
- life.
- In
- preparation
- for
- the
- book,
- Phillips
- conducted
- personal
- interviews
- with
- Wilder
- and
- other
- key
- players
- from
- the
- legendary
- director’s
- life
- and
- times.
- Phillips’s
- unique
- combination
- of
- analysis
- and
- biographical
- detail
- brings
- Wilder
- to
- life,
- as
- both
- an
- artist
- and
- man.Phillips
- traces
- Wilder’s
- path
- from
- Berlin,
- where
- he
- worked
- as
- a
- scriptwriter
- for
- one
- of
- the
- city’s
- largest
- studios,
- to
- Hollywood,
- where
- he
- would
- quickly
- establish
- himself
- as
- a
- premier
- film
- director.
- Forming
- a
- partnership
- with
- writer-producer
- Charles
- Brackett,
- Wilder
- directed
- the
- classic
- films
- Five
- Graves
- to
- Cairo
- (1943),
- Double
- Indemnity
- (1945),
- and
- The
- Lost
- Weekend
- (1945),
- which
- earned
- Academy
- Awards
- for
- best
- picture,
- best
- director,
- and
- best
- screenplay.
- During
- the
- 1960s,
- Wilder
- continued
- to
- direct
- and
- produce
- controversial
- comedies,
- including
- Kiss
- Me
- Stupid
- (1964)
- and
- The
- Apartment
- (1960).
- The
- Apartment
- brought
- Wilder
- another
- round
- of
- Oscars
- for
- best
- picture,
- best
- director,
- and
- best
- screenplay.Wilder’s
- maverick
- approach
- and
- independent
- artistic
- vision
- pushed
- boundaries
- and
- ensured
- his
- legacy
- as
- one
- of
- the
- Hollywood
- greats.
- Sharply
- written,
- Some
- Like
- It
- Wilder
- serves
- as
- a
- comprehensive
- companion
- to
- Wilder’s
- films,
- offering
- a
- personalized
- and
- heartfelt
- account
- of
- the
- life
- and
- genius
- of
- this
- compelling
- director.Praise
- for
- Some
- Like
- It
- Wilder“Featuring
- Gene
- D.
- Phillips’
- unique,
- in-depth
- critical
- approach,
- Some
- Like
- It
- Wilder
- .
- .
- .
- provides
- a
- groundbreaking
- overview
- of
- a
- filmmaking
- icon
- .
- .
- .
- .
- This
- definitive
- biography
- reveals
- that
- Wilder
- was,
- and
- remains,
- one
- of
- the
- most
- influential
- directors
- in
- filmmaking.”
- —Turner
- Classic
- Movies“[Phillips]
- goes
- beyond
- the
- surface
- and
- deep
- into
- the
- complex
- mind
- and
- soul
- of
- the
- famous
- film
- director
- .
- .
- .
- .
- This
- book
- is,
- in
- my
- view,
- definitive.”
- —Vincent
- LoBrutto,
- author
- of
- Martin
- Scorsese:
- A Biography
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