Billy Wilder

I just want to single out Ace in the Hole. Honestly, it’s almost like he didn't even direct it. To me, Wilder was always the director of glamour and all that high-society atmosphere. Even his more serious stuff tends to come off as a bit comedic to my taste. For instance, I think Sunset Boulevard is massively overrated.

Peter Ruiz2 said:I just want to single out Ace in the Hole. It’s almost as if he didn't even direct it. To me, Wilder was always the director of glamour and that whole high-society milieu. Even his more serious films feel somewhat comedic to my eyes. Take Sunset Boulevard, for example—it's incredibly overrated.

I agree that one is overrated, but the rest are excellent, especially Witness for the Prosecution.

I honestly think The Lost Weekend and Double Indemnity are both absolute masterpieces.

Sunset Boulevard is the best. "I am big... It's the picture that got small." 🙏

Rashomon, All About Eve, In a Lonely Place, The Asphalt Jungle, Orpheus, Night and the City, and Harvey all came out in the same year. 🙏 It's insane. And then someone today tries to compare modern movies to the classics. Just this single year was too much to compete with.

I mean, you could honestly say that Wilder is easily one of the top five American directors. I guess I don't count the ones who worked in Hollywood but weren't actually born here—like Hitchcock or Lang—as true Americans.

bluenomad2 said:Sunset Boulevard is his best. I am big... It's the picture that got small. 🙏

That same year, we got Rashomon, All About Eve, In a Lonely Place, The Asphalt Jungle, Orpheus, Night and the City, and Harvey 🙏—it's actually sickening. And yet, people have the nerve to try and compare modern films to the classics today. Just this one single year was too much to handle.

It's airing this Saturday on NBC around 10 PM.

Samuel Scott54 said:You could honestly argue that Wilder belongs in the top five American directors. I’m not counting those who worked in Hollywood but weren't actually born in the States—you know, guys like Kazan, Hitchcock, or Lang.

Well, Wilder wasn't even born in America himself.

Not really, you totally caught me there! But since he moved to America when he was young, he didn't really build up that big European career like Hitchcock or Lang did.

Noah Roberts46 said:I find that one overrated as well, though the others are excellent, especially Witness for the Prosecution.

I can't quite bring myself to agree that it’s overrated; given its era, I suppose it was an incredibly innovative and pivotal film that broke away from all the standard Hollywood norms of the time, yet still managed to sweep up every possible accolade and, perhaps most importantly, passed the ultimate test of time. In my estimation, it’s actually All About Eve that ended up being overshadowed by it, and over time, it has (rightfully) remained in the shadow of SB.

As for Wilder himself, he is undoubtedly one of my favorite directors. What I find most fascinating, I guess, is that the man produced SO many top-tier films spanning such diverse genres and different eras—something that seems absolutely impossible in today's Hollywood landscape.

From the early Five Graves to Cairo and The Lost Weekend to the somewhat unfairly neglected Ace in the Hole (which, if you ask me, is the finest journalism film ever made), his comedy classics like Irma la Douce, Some Like It Hot, and Apartment, followed by Stalag 17 (which, according to various accounts, provides one of the most realistic depictions of POWs during World War II), then his take on Agatha Christie in Witness for the Prosecution, one of the greatest noirs of all time in Double Indemnity, and the classic Sunset Boulevard, and so on.

And that’s not even mentioning the ones I haven't listed, which are also wonderful, such as Love in the Afternoon, The Seven Year Itch, The Foreigner, and One, Two, Three.

If anyone hasn't had the chance to experience even a fraction of his filmography, I would suggest doing so; these are films whose quality simply doesn't age—if anything, they seem to improve.

I’m honestly thrilled that NBC decided to include Wilder's Apartment in their holiday lineup this season. Most people probably don't even think of it as a Christmas movie, despite the setting being right in the middle of the holidays.

It’s ironic, cynical (seriously, if you're going out with a married man, don't bother with the mascara), yet somehow overflowing with love for the little guy—and that's easily my favorite Jack Lemmon role...

Watching it really makes me realize how rare it is to find a director who championed the underdog quite like Wilder did. Everything that unfolds after Ms. Kubelik gets that $100 from her boss is pure cinematic poetry. You have this Jack Lemmon character ready to do absolutely anything to climb the ladder, only to finally realize that family is the only thing that actually matters. It’s about that one person you wake up next to, the person you decorate the tree with, or someone to just sit and play a game of chess with...

True, that festive spirit tends to fade into the background once you really start digging. Apartment is truly a staggering piece of cinema; it possesses such a multitude of layers and themes that seem to reveal themselves more deeply with every single viewing, which I suppose is precisely why Wilder remains such a cinematic legend. And Jack Lemmon's character is honestly one of the most heartbreaking figures ever put on screen, despite how the story concludes. I can't shake the feeling that Fran only turned to him because she finally realized she would never be the only woman in Fred MacMurray's life, and that realization makes that Lemmon character feel even more profoundly tragic and lonely.

I don't know. To be honest, I’m just not really feeling it... 🤷 I mean, sure, they're fine movies—Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and all those others everyone calls "classics." They've got that certain charm, you know? A little sweetness, a bit of subtle flirting with the audience... but overall, nothing really hit me deep in the soul.

I actually just rewatched The Apartment and thought it was pretty charming, but even then, it didn't go much further than that. Last week I sat through Stalag 17, and honestly? I can barely remember half of what even happened in that one!

The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity, Witness for the Prosecution, Ace in the Hole, The Apartment, Sunset Boulevard, The Fortune Cookie

I guess this might be his best work. He was just one of those timeless legends from old Hollywood.

Personally, I think those scenes where the guy is just wandering through the city in The Lost Weekend are probably the most realistic depictions of being drunk ever put on film.

Irma la Douce, Some Like it Hot, The Seven Year Itch... 👍