The Lost Weekend – 1945 Wilder

Won best actor (milland), director (wilder) and screenplay (wilder and charles bracket) There is a gorgeous opening shot that is actually pretty similar to the famous opening of psycho as they wilder floats over the new york city skyline and focuses in on the bottle of booze on a string (milland is hiding from brother and girlfriend) outside of the window. Of course this shot and film predates psycho by 15 years though Hitchcock was doing this at this time and prior as well Wilder’s writing form is just superb (his visual form doesn’t always match) as he has

The Lost Weekend – 1945 Wilder2020-07-03T10:31:44+00:00

Fedora – 1978 Wilder

  Certainly feels like an update on sunset boulevard with the William holden and aging/old actress Hollywood royalty story line and plot Fantastic narrative twist that will be interesting to evaluate on a second viewing Cameos from Michael York and Henry Fonda Hilarious (and telling) comment from Wilder as writer talking about (through holden as his mouthpiece) how “the beards have taken over Hollywood” clearly referring to the American new wave movie brats that include coppola, scorsese, de palma, Spielberg, lucas. Something to the effect of “they don’t need a script at all- just a handheld camera”- this is

Fedora – 1978 Wilder2017-02-21T20:33:30+00:00

The Major and the Minor – 1942 Wilder

Wilder’s debut the major and the minor isn’t one of the best 10 films of 1942 but it’s worth recommending and I have it in the archives. I hate to get too cute with the title but it’s “minor” wilder but a major triumph for ginger rogers who is wonderful here showing her comedic skill and range; she spends most of the movie posing as a 12 year old but also plays a woman her own actual age for a while (31) and also pretends to be much older for a few scenes and pulls them all off. It’s

The Major and the Minor – 1942 Wilder2020-07-03T10:31:44+00:00
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