The director of 14 Oscar-winning performances, Billy Wilder is one of American cinema's national treasures. The Austrian-born American filmmaker proved that he had the chops to be a great filmmaker with the classic film noir Double Indemnity. He earned the Oscar for Best Director and Best Screenplay in 1945 for the classic The Lost Weekend, as harrowing a film about alcoholism as has ever been made, though it's his screwball comedies for which he's most remembered. A documentary about the man, his life, and his sterling career has recently been made available online, so hit the jump to learn everything you'd ever want to know about one of Hollywood's greatest talents.
Wilder is perhaps most remembered for his classic '50s comedies The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, and The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe, but he could also turn on a dime, co-writing and directing Sunset Boulevard, a dark and cynical dramatic classic. His films are remembered for their tight directorial style, focusing on dialogue over cinematography (He believed shots that called attention to themselves took away from the story).
PBS' series American Masters aired the documentary Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy in 1998, and it's required viewing for any fan of Wilder or student of film. It features narration from Walter Matthau, clips from Widler's films, and interviews with a who's who of classic Hollywood.
The film is broken up into 4 parts, all of which you can view below.
What is your favorite Billy Wilder film? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Link: Watch: 55-Minute Billy Wilder Documentary 'The Human Comedy' -- The Film Stage
[via Filmmaker IQ]
