Based on the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, Stalag 17 is the story of a group of American prisoners at a German World War II prison camp who try to find out who is working for the Germans as an informant. Directed by Billy Wilder and screenplay by Wilder and Edwin Blum, the film is a war film set in a prison camp where a group of men try to figure out who had fingered them as they would all suspect each other as it’s narrated by Gil Stratton. Starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Neville Brand, Harvey Lembeck, Peter Graves, Sig Ruman, and Otto Preminger. Stalag 17 is a rapturous and lively film from Billy Wilder.
Set entirely in a German POW prison camp where American pilots are imprisoned at the camp known as Stalag 17. The film revolves around a group of men trying to escape but a botched attempt raise questions into what went wrong as some believe there’s a mole in their camp. While it’s a film with a simple premise, it also explore life at a prison camp where many Americans live in a cabin with someone elected as security while at the other side is a camp where the Soviet Union prisoners are. Notably as the Soviet prisoners are women which does excite some of the men who hadn’t seen women in a long time but there is trouble as they’re all under the watch of the Germans led by Colonel von Scherbach (Otto Preminger). The film’s screenplay by Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum begins with a prison escape of two men who had done everything carefully until they’re caught and killed by the Germans setting the tone for the rest of the film.
Among the characters that are prominent in the film are the clowns Stanislas “Animal” Kuzawa (Robert Strauss) and Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck), the toughie Duke (Neville Brand), the silent musician Joey (Robinson Stone), the no-nonsense cabin chief Hoffy (Richard Erdman), the cabin security chief Price (Peter Graves), and the cynical J.J. Sefton (William Holden) as they all try to make sense over what happened to the two prisoners who were killed though Sefton is the one who knew they wouldn’t make it. Sefton is seen as a suspect as the only person that trusts him is the film’s narrator Cookie (Gil Stratton) who helps Sefton with some of the business ventures he have with the other cabins which make him a suspect as he was seen walking back from the Soviet prison camp during the film’s second act. Yet, Sefton knows there’s a mole in the cabin as he know it isn’t him though he understands why he’s a suspect due to the things he has.
During the film’s second act when a couple of new prisoners come in as one of them is an officer in Lt. Dunbar (Don Taylor) as he is suspected of being involved in a sabotage towards a Nazi-German train as he’s being interrogated by Col. von Scherbach. It’s around this time that Sefton knows he’s been targeted as a suspect as he tries to figure out for himself who is the mole as little clues would emerge. The third act isn’t just about Sefton finding out who the mole is but also the little details into the clues as well as the level of communication given from the mole to Col. Von Scherbach through the officer Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schultz (Sig Ruman). All of which would climax during the Xmas period as well as news about Lt. Dunbar who is about to be given to SS officers.
Wilder’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the way he creates this world that is the prison camp while maintaining something that is kind of claustrophobic for the way the cabins are presented from the inside as it’s often crowded. Shot on location near the San Fernando Valley in California, the camp itself is a character in the film as it is muddy and grimy where the characters have to deal with the drab conditions though they’re given bits of comfort in their cabins under the rules of the Geneva Convention. While there’s some wide shots over the locations as well as scenes of the prisoners looking at the Soviet camp from across the border as it would include a very funny scene in which Animal and Shapiro would go across to the Soviet camp to meet the women while pretending to paint road lanes. Much of Wilder’s direction is more intimate as it play into some of the theatrical elements of the story.
Wilder’s approach to medium shots and close-ups would help play into the attention to detail into some of the things that goes on inside the cabin such as a hanging light bulb display. The sense of claustrophobia inside the cabin help play into some of the film’s humor but also the suspense such as the opening sequence as well as the visit from an official of the Geneva Convention (Erwin Kasler). When it comes to the film’s third act and Sefton’s discovery of the mole, it is presented in a very restrained manner as it help build up the tension as well as the climax of another prison escape that involves Lt. Dunbar. Wilder’s usage of the claustrophobia in the cabin as well as the camera showing all of the prisoners as they learn about the identity of the mole as it’s a moment that is just powerful but also scary. Overall, Wilder crafts a riveting yet evocative film about prisoners trying to find a mole in their cabin at a German POW camp.
Cinematographer Ernest Laszlo does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography from the look of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as some of the brightness in some of the daytime scenes. Editor George Tomasini does excellent work with the usage of rhythmic cutting to play into the humor as well as some of the suspense. Art directors Franz Bachelin and Hal Pereira, along with set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer, do fantastic work with the look of the cabins as well as the cabin of the camp’s commandant as it is more spacious to play into his personality. Sound recordists Gene Garvin, Harold Lewis, and John Carmada do superb work with the sound as it play into the some of the moments inside the cabin as well as the sound of gun fires and air sirens. The film’s music by Frank Waxman is amazing for its military-inspired score with a lot of cadence drumming and percussion arrangements as well as the usage of traditional military music as well as some of the contemporary music that was around in those times.
The casting by Bill Greenwald is great as it feature some notable small roles from Peter Johnson and Michael Moore as the two prisoners escaping in the film’s beginning, Erwin Kasler as the Geneva Convention official inspecting the condition of the camps, Robert Shawley as a prisoner known as Blondie who is good with radios, William Pierson as the mailman prisoner named Marko, Robinson Stone as the mute musician Joey, and Gil Stratton as the film’s narrator and Sefton’s aide Cookie as a man that knows Sefton might not be the mole but know that Sefton has put himself into trouble with some of his activities. Sig Ruman is terrific as Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz as an officer who watch over one of the cabins that the prisoners are in as well as be the liaison for the secret message between Col. von Scherbach and the mole. Richard Erdman is superb as the no-nonsense prisoner Hoffy who is the cabin chief for the prisoners while Peter Graves is fantastic as the cabin security chief Price who watches over the prisoners and make sure they don’t get in trouble.
Neville Brand is excellent as the tough prisoner Duke who is very suspicious of Sefton as he is someone who cares about his fellow brothers. Harvey Lembeck and Robert Strauss are brilliant in their respective roles as Harry Shapiro and Stanislas “Animal” Kuzawa as the two comic reliefs who provide some mischief with Shapiro as the talkative of the two while Kuzawa is the man who fantasizes about being with Betty Grable. Don Taylor is amazing as Lt. Dunbar as a new prisoner who has been targeted by Nazi officers over a mission he may not have been involved in as it becomes clear that he is about to go to a worse place than the POW camps. Otto Preminger is incredible as Colonel von Scherbach as this very eccentric officer who never puts his feet in the mud as he’s this charming individual that is quite evil but is determined not to lose any prisoners. Finally, there’s William Holden in a phenomenal performance as J.J. Sefton as a very cynical prisoner who has managed to use his gambling wins and dealing to make his life in prison comfortable only to get himself in trouble as he becomes the most likely suspect as a mole where he is determined to uncover the truth.
Stalag 17 is a tremendous film from Billy Wilder. Featuring a great ensemble cast, top-notch suspense, lively humor, and claustrophobic setting. It’s a film that showcases the world of the POW camps as well as men needing to survive as well as find out who has been ratting them out to the Nazi. In the end, Stalag 17 is a spectacular film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) – (The Major and the Minor) – (Five Graves to Cairo) – Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (Death Mills) – (Emperor Waltz) – (A Foreign Affair) – Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - (Sabrina) – (The Seven Year Itch) – (The Spirit of St. Louis) – (Love in the Afternoon) – (Witness to the Prosecution) – Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) – (Irma la Douce) – (Kiss Me, Stupid) – (The Fortune Cookie) – (The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) – (Avanti!) – (The Front Page) – (Fedora) – (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch and screenplay by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch from a story by Melchior Lengyel, Ninotchka is the story of a Russian woman who goes to Paris for official business relating to her government as she meets and falls in love with a man who represents everything she stands against. The film is a romantic comedy in which a woman who is on a mission to retrieve three men in trouble who are tempted by the offers in Paris as she tries to avoid that sense of temptation. Starring Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, and Bela Lugosi. Ninotchka is an enchanting and splendid film from Ernst Lubitsch.
The film revolves around a Soviet envoy who travels to Paris, after three men working for the government in retrieving jewels that once belonged to a grand duchess, where she comes to get the jewels and return them to the Soviet Union until she meets a Russian count who is working for the grand duchess. It’s a film that has a lot in not just being this romantic-comedy but also a film involving dueling political ideals as a woman with very socialist views arrive into a country that is more democratic with some leanings toward capitalism. Yet, the character of Nina Ivanova “Ninotchka” Yakushova (Greta Garbo) is a woman that would be new to this world as she struggles to be loyal to her own beliefs but also become tempted by what the free world has to offer. The film’s screenplay begins with the arrival of these three Soviet officials who hope to get these jewels from the Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire) that they can use for government funding. Instead, the three men meet Swana’s friend Count Leon d’Algout (Melvyn Douglas) who charms them with lavish gifts as they lose sight of why they’re in Paris.
The script does show Ninotchka as a no-nonsense woman who knows what she is in Paris for as she presents herself as someone that isn’t afraid to spout her own socialist beliefs as well as doing things for herself. In meeting Count d’Algout, she tries to resist all of his temptation as he would try to humor her to see if she can crack and eventually does. The film’s first half is about Ninotchka’s resistant towards the frivolities and capitalist ventures in Paris while its second half is about her conflict with what Count d’Algout wants to give her as well as her loyalty to the Soviet Union. The third act would begin with Ninotchka meeting the Grand Duchess where it is a key moment in the film where it is about Ninotchka’s idea for the new Russia versus everything the Grand Duchess had stood for and why those jewels mean a lot to her. It’s a meeting that would showcase what the Grand Duchess would sacrifice but also what Ninotchka would have to do for her country as it would come at a price for herself.
Ernst Lubitsch’s direction does have an air for style but much of the film’s compositions throughout the film are quite straightforward. Shot mainly in studio backlots at MGM, the film dos play into this world of pre-World War II Paris as it play into this very thriving and lavish world where everyone is staying at posh hotels or eating at cafes that are quite affordable. Much of Lubitsch’s direction include some close-ups to play into the expression of the characters as well as some medium shots to play into the world of the characters and the growing attraction between Ninotchka and Count d’Algout. Lubitsch’s approach to humor is straightforward but also has this slow build into the way it would show Ninotchka as someone becoming less stern and more outgoing. Even as she would buy this very silly hat as it would play into her development as a person as well as scenes that showcases some of the flaws of socialism and capitalism as it’s shown with some very subtle humor.
The dramatic moments would have Lubitsch use some unique compositions that include the meeting between Ninotchka and the Grand Duchess as it is this very simple yet evocative scene that showcase a game kind of being played. Yet, it is a moment in the third act that would shift things a bit but also play as a key moment of development for both Ninotchka and Count d’Algout for the film’s third act as it relate to their growing infatuation for each other. Even as the latter would do something to get Ninotchka out of the Soviet Union in an inventive way but also have scenes set in Moscow into the life that Ninotchka and her comrades are living in as it show a world that is changing where both socialist and capitalist ideals do have their good but also the bad as it’s all about how one could compromise for the good of the world. Overall, Lubitsch creates an evocative and engaging film about a Soviet envoy who falls for an exiled count in Paris.
Cinematographer William H. Daniels does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography from the usage of low-key interior lighting for some of the scenes set in Moscow for its third act to the very gorgeous array of lighting and textures for much of the film’s interiors including the club scene in Paris. Editor Gene Ruggiero does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with a couple of transition wipes and fade-outs that play into the drama and comedy. Art director Cedric Gibbons and set decorator Edwin B. Willis do fantastic work with the look of the Parisian hotel sweet the Soviet officials and Ninotchka stay in as well as Count d’Algout’s apartment and the interiors of the nightclub and cafe.
Gown designer Adrian does amazing work with the look of the dresses that Ninotchka would wear at the nightclub as well as the dresses that the Grand Duchess wears. Sound editor Wally Heglin does nice work with the sound as it play into the world of the cafes and clubs as well as some of the exterior scenes set in Paris. The film’s music by Werner R. Heymann is wonderful for its sumptuous orchestral score that play into some of the funnier moments of the film as well as the dramatic and romantic moments in the film.
The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from George Tobias as a Russian visa official, Charles Judel as a café owner, Rolfe Sedan as the hotel manager, Tamara Shayne as Ninotchka’s Moscow roommate, and Bela Lugosi in a small but superb performance as Ninotchka’s superior Commissar Razinin who is concerned about Ninotchka’s behavior and her time in Paris. The trio of Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, and Alexander Granach are fantastic in their respective roles as Iranoff, Buljanoff, and Kopalski as three government officials who give in to the temptation of what Paris has to offer as they have a hard time wanting to stay loyal to the Soviet Union as they become more enamored with the world of capitalism.
Ina Claire is brilliant as the Grand Duchess Swana as a former royal who had lost her jewels during the Russian Revolution as she is eager to get them back while making a major compromise that would affect Ninotchka greatly as she believes this compromise would be good for herself and her former country. Melvyn Douglas is amazing as Count Leon d’Algout as a former Russian royal who is a friend of the Grand Duchess as he is eager to get her jewels back only to be intrigued by Ninotchka whom he would fall for as he decides to help Ninotchka and do whatever he can to be there for her. Finally, there’s Greta Garbo in a magnificent performance as the titular character as a no-nonsense Soviet envoy who goes to Paris to do her job and get out as she tries to resist temptation where Garbo starts off as humorless and mechanic only to loosen up as someone full of charm and radiance while being vulnerable later on as it is one of her defining performances.
Ninotchka is a phenomenal film from Ernst Lubitsch that features incredible performances from Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, and Ina Claire. Along with its gorgeous visuals, top-notch art direction, and a witty script co-written by Billy Wilder. It’s a film that isn’t just a fun romantic-comedy but also a study of social classes and ideals that play into two people with different ideals who come together for one common goal. In the end, Ninotchka is a spectacular film from Ernst Lubitsch.
Ernst Lubitsch Films: (Shoe Palace Pinkus) – (When Four Do the Same) – (Die Augen Der Mumie Ma) – (Carmen (1918 film)) – (Intoxication (1919 film)) – (The Doll) – (My Wife, the Movie Star) – (The Oyster Princess) – (Meyer from Berlin) – (Madame DuBarry) – (Sumurun) – (Kohlhiesel’s Daughter) – (Anna Boleyn) – (The Wild Cat) – (The Loves of Pharaoh) – (The Flame (1923 film)) – (Rosita) – (The Marriage Circle) – (Three Women (1924 film)) – (Forbidden Paradise) – (Kiss Me Again) – (Lady Windermere’s Fan) – (So This is Paris) – (The Honeymoon Express) – (The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg) – (The Patriot (1928 film)) – (Eternal Love) – (The Love Parade) – (Monte Carlo (1930 film)) – (Paramount on Parade) – (The Smiling Lieutenant) – (Broken Lullaby) – (One Hour with You) – (Trouble in Paradise (1932 film)) – (Design for Living) – (The Merry Widow) – (Angel (1937 film)) – (Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife) – (The Shop Around the Corner) – (That Uncertain Feeling) – (To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)) – (Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)) – (A Royal Scandal) – (Cluny Brown) – (That Lady in Ermine)
© thevoid99 2017
(Co-Winner of the Palme d’Or & Best Actor Prize to Ray Milland at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on the novel by Charles R. Jackson, The Lost Weekend is the story of a writer struggling with alcoholism as he tries to clean himself up. Directed by Billy Wilder and screenplay by Wilder and Charles Brackett, the film is an exploration into a man and his addiction to alcohol as Ray Milland plays the lead role of Don Birnam. Also starring Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, and Frank Faylen. The Lost Weekend is a harrowing yet mesmerizing film from Billy Wilder.
Taking place in the span of a long weekend in New York City, the film explores Don Birnam’s struggle with alcoholism as he was supposed to go away for a long weekend with his brother. Instead, Birnam’s thirst for booze has him creating trouble for himself much to the worry of his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) and Don’s longtime girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman) who had been trying to get him sober. With Wick away for the weekend and Helen searching all over the city to find Don, Don would often shut himself from the world in his apartment finding whatever booze he has or use whatever money he can find to buy liquor. It’s essentially a character study of a man at the throes of his sickness as it raises question into when he will reach his bottom.
The film’s screenplay by Billy Wilder and producer Charles Brackett creates a structure that plays into Birnam’s descent as the first act is about Birnam hiding from his girlfriend and brother while doing whatever to get a drink at his favorite bar as it takes place on a Thursday. The second act is set on a Friday where Birnam is at his favorite bar talking about how he met Helen while talking about his ambitions to create the ultimate novel about his alcoholism. The third act is about Birnam finding his bottom and his desperation to drink booze and do whatever to get money so he can buy a bottle or something. The script would not just explore Birnam’s desperation but how low he can go into doing whatever just to have a drink as he would want one more. There’s also some very strong dialogue in the script as it plays to Birnam’s own self-loathing but also his struggle to get clean as he would endure not just others who have the same problem but also the sense of terror that his addiction has taken a toll on him.
Wilder’s direction is very entrancing not just in some of the noir-look of the film but also in his approach to framing. Some of which involved some tight close-ups and medium shots where Wilder would put Don right near the camera with Wick and Helen in the background to showcase how detached he is from them. Wilder does go for some simple shots but also maintains that sense of dread about when Don would hit his bottom. Wilder also puts in a lot of symbolism into his images such as the typewriter as it’s the one thing that Don has and needs yet his thirst for booze would have him do things to that. Especially as Wilder puts into great detail in his frame over the look of Don’s apartment and the things he sees as it would include a scene where he’s in a ward in the third act as he is confronted by men suffering from alcoholism. Even a flashback scene of the night Don meets Helen at a play where Don sees images of actors drinking as it plays to his struggle where it would come into this third act and climax into the decision he would make in his life. Overall, Wilder creates a very haunting yet intense film about a man’s struggle with alcoholism.
Cinematographer John F. Seitz does incredible work with the cinematography with its use of shades and lighting schemes to play into that sense of darkness creeping around Don in his apartment and the ward he briefly stays in. Editor Doane Harrison does excellent work with the editing with its approach to rhythmic cuts to play into Don‘s sense of fear and self-loathing along with a few fade-outs for structural reasons. Art directors Hans Dreier and A. Earl Hedrick, with set decorator Bertram C. Granger, do amazing work with the look of Don‘s apartment as it would play into the chaotic world that he lives in.
Costume designer Edith Head does brilliant work with the costumes from the dresses that Helen wears to the ragged suit and clothes that Don would wear. Sound recorders Stanley Cooley and Joel Moss do terrific work with the sound from the way things sound at the apartment as well as the bar Don goes to. The film’s music by Miklos Rozsa is fantastic for its mixture of somber yet chilling orchestral music that includes some eerie accompaniments from the theremin that adds to the dark tone of the film.
The casting by Robert Mayo and Alice Thomas is superb as it features some notable small performances from Mary Young as Don’s neighbor, Frank Faylen as a nurse at the ward who knows Don’s condition very well, Doris Dowling as a fellow bar patron Don knows and sometimes flirt with, and Howard Da Silva as the bartender Nat who doesn’t want to give Don anymore but needs to run his business. Phillip Terry is terrific as Don’s brother Wick who always ensure that he helps but starts to lose his patience over his brother’s drinking. Jane Wyman is amazing as Helen as this woman who becomes aware of how serious Don’s problem is as it’s a very fierce performance that has Wyman be dramatic but also not willing to give up. Finally, there’s Ray Milland in a magnificent performance as Don Birnam as this self-loathing writer who has a hard time being sober as he falls off the wagon again as he becomes desperate for booze as it’s a very dark yet captivating performance that explores the world of alcoholism.
The Lost Weekend is a phenomenal film from Billy Wilder that features a towering performance from Ray Milland. Not only is this film one of the most sobering portraits of alcoholism but also in how dark it is as it was a very daring film to be shown in the mid-1940s. Especially from someone as brave and confrontational in a filmmaker like Billy Wilder who wasn’t afraid to push boundaries. In the end, The Lost Weekend is a remarkable film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and D.M. Marshman, Jr., Sunset Boulevard is the story of a lowly screenwriter who tries to write a script for a fading silent star actress in the hope to revive her career. The film is an exploration into the world of Hollywood and how it treats those whose time have come and gone as it’s told in a film-noir style. Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, and Nancy Olson. Sunset Boulevard is a spectacular film from Billy Wilder.
The film is the story about a debt-ridden B-movie screenwriter who finds himself at the home of a fading silent star actress who is convinced that she will return as she hires the man to help her shape her script and become her lover while her loyal butler watches closely. It’s a film that explores the world of Hollywood and how fickle it can be as times have changed as there’s a man trying to make a break as a screenwriter though he has ideas that aren’t so great. There’s an aging actress who hadn’t been in the films for years yet is convinced that she is still a movie star that gets fan letters all the time. All of it is told by the screenwriter named Joe Gillis (William Holden) who is first seen lying dead on a swimming pool as he narrates the entire story trying to figure out what he got himself into.
The film’s screenplay has this unique narrative that is told by its protagonist who is found dead at the beginning of the film as it’s a narration that is sort of reflective but told in a noir-like language to give a sense of style where Gillis definitely has some regrets over the way he handled things and as well as the mess he got himself into. It starts off as someone who is full of ideas but not a lot of them that Hollywood wants as he owes money where he tries to hide from repossession men where he finds himself in a mysterious mansion that turns out to be the home of the once great silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Desmond is convinced that she will make a grand return to the big screen as she has created a project that will put her back on top despite not having been in the films since the emergence of sound in films. Still, she is still convinced that she is a star as she also waits for a phone call from Cecil B. DeMille whom she had worked with.
Another person that is crucial to the story is Desmond’s loyal butler/driver Max (Erich von Stroheim) who is also Norma’s great protector as he shields her from the reality that she’s unaware of. Especially as knows a lot more than one wants to think as Gillis is suspicious about Max as he finds himself trapped in Desmond’s home yet has no choice but to be with her. Still, he finds it suffocating an encounter with a script-reader named Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson) leads to a script collaboration between the two that makes Desmond very suspicious about Gillis’ frequent departure from the house. All of it would lead to some conflict over what is really going on around Desmond and how out of touch she is.
The direction of Billy Wilder is truly stylish from the way he opens the film that includes the shot of Gillis’ body lying face down in the swimming pool as he’s narrating the film. While some of the compositions are quite simple and to the point, there is that element of style that Wilder wants in terms of close-ups and slow zooms as well as some extravagant crane shots. Much of it is to display a world in Hollywood that is changing where a lot is happening where there are those that have no clue of the past though there are some who do recognize Desmond despite the fact that she hasn’t been around for years. There’s also some cameos that appear in the film to play up into a world that Desmond wants such as a bridge game with other silent film stars who don’t say anything yet there’s an element of meta-acting in their appearances.
There is also some satire that explores the way Hollywood is and such as Wilder showcases a place that Desmond doesn’t recognize yet is convinced that people know who she is. Even as the big scene where she arrives at Paramount studios showcases that sense of disconnect that she is unaware of where she meets Cecil B. DeMille who is surprised by her arrival as he is someone who doesn’t have the heart to disappoint her. Things do get darker in the third act when Desmond learns about Schaefer and Gillis where it all plays to something that is wild and melodramatic that would one of the most unforgettable endings in film. Overall, Wilder creates a very sensational yet dark film about the fickleness of Hollywood and a woman’s loss with reality.
Cinematographer John F. Seitz does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the bright look of its daytime exteriors to some of the stylish lights for the scenes at night including the scenes outside of the house to showcase a world that seems long and gone. Editors Doane Harrison and Arthur Schmidt do excellent work with the editing by going in a straightforward approach with the editing though infusing the film with some style in its transitional dissolves and montages. Art director Hans Dreier and John Meehan, along with set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer, do fantastic work with the home of Norma Desmond with its old-school look and a room full of her photos to showcase the sense of disconnect in her life.
Costume designer Edith Head does wonderful work with the costumes from the suits that Max and Gillis wears to the lavish dresses that Desmond wears throughout the entirety of the film. Sound recorders John Cope and Harry Lindgren do superb work with the sound to play into the tense atmosphere of the Desmond home as well as the raucous nature of some of the party scenes and such in the film. The film’s music by Franz Waxman is amazing for its bombastic yet thrilling orchestral score to play out some of the suspense and melodrama that just adds a lot of power to the film.
The film’s cast is incredible as it features some appearances from Cecil B. DeMille as himself as well as silent film stars Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, and H.B. Warner as bridge players, and famed gossip writer Hedda Hopper as herself in the film’s final scene. Fred Clark is terrific as Paramount producer Sheldrake while Jack Webb is excellent as Schaefer’s fiancée in assistant director Artie Green. Nancy Olson is wonderful as Betty Schaefer as script-reader who wants to write her own scripts where her strong opinions as her teaming up with Gillis where she finds herself falling for him. Erich von Stroheim is marvelous as Norma’s longtime assistant Max as a man who is her great protector as well as a man who knows more about her than anyone as there’s a lot more to him that makes von Stroheim’s performance far more entrancing.
William Holden is amazing as Joe Gillis as this lowly and unlucky screenwriter who arrives into the Desmond home by accident as he is someone that is just trying to catch a break only to become Desmond’s new companion for better or worse as he also drives the story to unveil all of the mistakes and such that he’s made. Finally, there’s Gloria Swanson in an astounding performance as Norma Desmond. Swanson brings a sense of terror and melodrama to the role as someone who believes she is bigger than life as well as someone who has lost touch with reality. It’s a truly tour-de-force performance that is really unlike anything or anyone as it’s definitely one that no one will forget.
Sunset Boulevard is a magnificent film from Billy Wilder that features phenomenal performances from Gloria Swanson, William Holden, and Erich von Stroheim. It’s a film that explores the dark side of Hollywood and how one so desperately craves to be in the spotlight again no matter how much things have changed. It’s also one of Wilder’s most entrancing films for its striking visuals and witty satire on Hollywood’s fickleness. In the end, Sunset Boulevard is a triumphant film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, The Apartment is the story of an ambitious office worker who begrudgingly lets his bosses use his apartment for their extramarital affairs where he ends up falling for one of his bosses mistresses. The film is an exploration into ambition and morality where a man deals with the way he tries to move up through things he didn’t like doing while falling for a woman who deals with her affairs with one of his bosses. Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. The Apartment is a witty yet grand film from Billy Wilder.
The film is essentially an exploration into the life of an insurance office worker named C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) who hopes to climb up the ladder in becoming an executive. Yet, his loyalty and hard work isn’t enough where he reluctantly lets his managers use his apartment for their affairs which gets the attention of their boss Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) who asks Baxter if he can use his apartment for his own extramarital affair. Sheldrake’s mistress turns out to be an elevator operator named Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) whom Baxter has feelings for where he later finds out about the affair which upsets him. Yet, Fran learns during the Christmas party on that same day that she is just another of Sheldrake’s revolving door of mistresses as she is hurt where she and the lonely Baxter bond over their loneliness and the humiliation they endure.
The film’s screenplay is in some ways a character study but also a love story of sorts between Baxter and Kubelik as they’re just people dealing with working in an insurance office. Baxter is just a man who just wants to make it in that world but he often endures moments of humiliation as his superiors call him “Buddy-boy” and sometimes call when they’re not scheduled to be at the apartment. Baxter would be outside of his apartment so he wouldn’t interfere as he would return to find his place a mess and lots of hairpins and such laying around in the couch and such. Adding to this humiliation is his feelings for Kubelik whom he thinks is a nice woman yet she, regretfully, stood him up on a date where he tries to forget about it until the office Christmas party where the broken hand mirror he found in his apartment belonged to Kubelik. It’s a moment that just adds to his own loneliness and despair yet it is balanced by Kubelik’s own revelation about Sheldrake.
Kubelik is just as interesting as Baxter as she’s a woman who later admits to falling for the wrong guy as she has this secret affair with Sheldrake whom she doesn’t see often. Yet, she becomes more uncertain that he will leave his wife where she is intrigued by Baxter but is in love with Sheldrake. The Christmas party scene is one of the key important moments in the film not just because of what Baxter discovers but also what Fran discovers from Sheldrake’s secretary Miss Olsen (Edie Adams) at the party that leaves Fran hurt and humiliated. The film’s second half becomes about Baxter and Kubelik dealing with the hurt and humiliation that both had endured as they deal with the things they’ve done where it would play to some growth in their characters as well as the fact that they could become a couple. Still, Baxter tries to protect himself and Kubelik from others including his neighbor Dr. Dreyfuss (Jack Kruschen) who has been suspicious about what goes on at Baxter’s apartment. Yet, it would take some events and such that would finally make Baxter stand up for himself and do what he feels is right for himself and Kubelik.
Billy Wilder’s direction is very mesmerizing for the way he explores the world of corporate offices where he uses the widescreen format and wide shots to get a sense of what goes on while putting in the middle of that shot is Baxter though he’s seen among the hordes of people in their desks. The use of dolly and tracking shots allows Wilder to create a world that is very go-go-go and busy but also quite raucous at times such as the Christmas party sequence where there’s a lot of fun that goes on and Wilder also knows where to put key important characters in the frame to help advance the story and such. Even as he creates some intimate moments in the offices such as the scene between Baxter and Kubelik where he discovers who that broken mirror belongs to. It’s among these very intense dramatic moments while Wilder also infuses a lot of melancholia to these moments to showcase the humiliation that Baxter and Kubelik both endure.
While there are some moments of humor in the film that includes Baxter’s superiors acting silly on their way to the apartment with their mistresses along with moments of how Baxter reacts to his situation. There is also a mixture of melancholia in some of the comedic moments that Baxter endures such as the scene where he’s at a bar drowning his sorrows with another woman. Yet, Wilder maintains that sense of loneliness that occurs in the story as he makes Baxter’s apartment as a key character in the story where it’s a place that represents his own lonely persona. Things liven up a bit once Kubelik stays there briefly following a very intense moment that plays into the growing bond she would have with Baxter. Even as he would maintain control about what he should do with his life and his apartment as well as what he wants for Kubelik who is stuck in her love for Sheldrake as well as her bad luck with men. Overall, Wilder creates a very engaging yet triumphant film about loneliness, humility, and overcoming all of that.
Cinematographer Joseph LaShelle does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into the sense of despair the protagonists endure as well as the use of lights in the offices and as well as the low-key look in Baxter‘s apartment. Editor Daniel Mandell does excellent work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play out some of the film‘s drama and humor as well as sequence where Sheldrake and Kubelik are in Baxter‘s apartment as he is in the bar drowning his sorrows. Art director Alexandre Trauner and set decorator Edward G. Boyer do fantastic work with the look of Baxter’s apartment that is very intimate and sort of a mess to represent Baxter’s loneliness while the look of the offices and places where he works is also unique to display more of his sense of isolation.
The sound work of Gordon E. Sawyer is superb for capturing some of the chaos in some of the moments in the office such as the Christmas party as well as the intimate moments in Baxter‘s apartment. The film’s music by Adolph Deutsch is amazing for its somber yet flourishing score with its mixture of orchestral and jazz music to play with some of the film’s melancholia while the soundtrack consists an array of music from jazz, classical, and pop.
The film’s cast is just splendid for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable small roles from Joyce Jameson as the woman Baxter meets at the bar after the Christmas party, Johnny Seven as Kubelik’s brother-in-law, Hal Smith as the drunk Santa Claus in the bar, Naomi Stevens as Dr. Dreyfuss’ wife, Hope Holiday as Baxter’s suspicious landlord, and Joan Shawlee as one of the mistresses of Baxter’s superiors. In the roles of Baxter’s four superiors, there’s David Lewis, Ray Walston, Willard Waterman, and David White as they each give very funny performances as men who take advantage of Baxter’s generosity in order to have fun with their mistresses. Jack Kruschen is excellent as Dr. Dreyfuss as a neighbor of Baxter who is suspicious about what goes on in Baxter's apartment as he also tells Baxter to grow up and be a man.
Edie Adams is wonderful as Sheldrake’s secretary Miss Olsen who accidentally reveals to Kubelik about Sheldrake’s previous affairs at the Christmas party as she would also play a part in trying to bring Sheldrake down over his affairs with other women. Fred MacMurray is great as Jeff Sheldrake as a man who likes to maintain control over his affairs as he is also someone who is a bit cruel to the way he treats Kubelik as he is also quite slimy towards Baxter as it’s definitely one of his finest performances.
Finally, there’s the duo of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in astonishing performances in their respective roles of C.C. Baxter and Fran Kubelik. MacLaine brings this presence that is very upbeat and playful in the way she interacts with Baxter early on though there’s a fragility to her that is just compelling as she deals with heartbreak and disappointment. Lemmon is very funny in some of his reactions but also has this melancholia that is just endearing where he has this physicality that is just amazing to watch in the way he deals with humility as well as his actions for what he’s doing. Lemmon and MacLaine have this chemistry that is just undeniable in the way they make each other laugh or bond over the pain they deal with in their loneliness as they are some of the best highlights of the film.
The Apartment is a magnificent film from Billy Wilder that includes incredible performances from Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. The film is truly an engaging and thoughtful piece on the world of loneliness and ambition that plays into the troubled morality of two people lost in their own chaos as they bond through that pain. It’s also one of the most charming and touching romantic comedies that strays from convention with characters that audiences can root for. In the end, The Apartment is an outstanding film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Billy Wilder and screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond from a story by Robert Theoren and Michael Logan, Some Like It Hot is the story of two male jazz musicians who witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre in 1929 as they pretend to be women to hide from the mob as part of an all-female band. A remake of a French film from 1935, the film explores men discovering what it means to be a women while hiding from the mob as well as the sexual interplay between men and women where one of them falls for a singer. Starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, George Raft, and Joe E. Brown. Some Like It Hot is a whimsical yet exhilarating film from Billy Wilder.
The film is a simple story about two penniless jazz musicians who accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre in 1929 Chicago as they have to hide from the mob. Upon hearing that there’s a job in Florida though it’s for an all-girl band, the two men dress up as women so they can hide from the mob and get paid while one of them falls for a singer while the other finds himself the object of affection for a millionaire. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet features a lot of aspects about the roles of men and women where Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are just two men looking for work as musicians so they can pay off their debts. By dressing up as women to hide from the mob and get some money, they are able to have some fun in Florida while Joe falls for the singer Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) who laments over her choices in getting the wrong men.
The film’s screenplay does have a unique structure where the first act is about Joe and Jerry trying to find work as they unknowingly witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre. Since they are now big targets for the mobster known as Spats Colombo (George Raft), they try to figure out what to do as the only job that is available is only for women. With Joe as Josephine and Jerry as Daphne, the two dress up where a lot of hilarity ensues as well as the fact that part of the second act takes place in a train with a bevy of beautiful women including Sugar. Sugar is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the film as she is someone who knows she isn’t the brightest girl in the bunch as she likes to drink and have fun. Yet, she is also someone who just wants to find the right man as she had been with too many bad men where Joe finds himself listening to her as a woman.
The second half, which is set in Florida, is very lively where Jerry as Daphne seems to enjoy himself as a woman playing with Sugar and the girls while Joe decides to pretend to be a millionaire as if he is the ideal man for Sugar. Yet, Jerry has to deal with a millionaire named Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) who is just smitten by Daphne where something strange happens. All of which plays into the idea that Jerry might go along with what Osgood offers despite the fact that Jerry is really a guy. Still, the presence of Spats and the mob would occur in the third act where both men have to make some hard decisions in order to stay alive while still pretending to be women.
The direction of Billy Wilder is definitely exciting through and through where it opens with a chase scene between the police and the mob where the latter is smuggling liquor for a party that is happening that also introduces Joe and Jerry who are playing at the party. It starts off as sort of straightforward with some humor for the ordeal that Joe and Jerry are dealing with as two penniless musicians needing work until they encounter the St. Valentine’s Massacre. Cold, needing work, and in need to hide from the mob, Wilder ups the humor from the moment he presents Josephine and Daphne as these two men pretending women are having a hard time wearing heels and be believable as women which helps the humor. Notably in the way they react to Sugar and her sex appeal where Wilder does use that sex appeal to enhance the humor but also play into the way men react towards women.
Through some gorgeous compositions in the train and in the scenes set in Florida, Wilder creates something that is a comedy but also infuse it with a bit of suspense and drama but also make it a film about the ideas of men and women. Notably as Joe is known for being a gambler and womanizer who manages to grow by being a woman and getting to know Sugar. Jerry’s encounter with Osgood has him thinking about what he needs where Osgood offers a lot to Jerry as Daphne despite the fact that Osgood doesn’t know that Daphne is really a man. More encounters with mob does lead into a sequence that mixes suspense and humor where Wilder maintains that comic energy right to the end where he creates one of the film’s most perfect endings. Overall, Wilder creates a very entertaining and thrilling film about two men posing as women where they learn to become better men as women.
Cinematographer Charles Lang does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the low-key yet dark look for the scenes set in Chicago to the mixture of lighting styles in the train scenes that would later play into the beauty of Florida as it‘s definitely one of the film‘s technical highlights. Editor Arthur P. Schmidt does excellent work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and suspense as well as some unique transitions in a scene where both Joe and Jerry go on their respective dates. Art director Ted Haworth and set decorator Edward G. Boyle do superb work with the set pieces such as the look of the train cars as well as the Florida hotel the characters are in for the film‘s second half.
The costume work of Orry-Kelly is fantastic for the look of the dresses that Sugar wears to play into her beauty. The sound work of Fred Lau is terrific for some of the sound work that occurs in the St. Valentine‘s Massacre scene as well as some of the moments in the beach where Daphne plays with Sugar and the girls. The film’s music by Adolph Deustch is a wonderful mixture of somber orchestral pieces and lively jazz cuts while the film also features some songs sung by Marilyn Monroe that really adds to the sense of entertainment as well as to help to tell the story.
The casting by Phil Benjamin is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from Mike Mazurki and Harry Wilson as a couple of Spats’ henchmen, Al Breneman as a bellboy who tries to woo Josephine, George E. Stone as Spats’ rival mobster Toothpick Charlie, and Nehemiah Persoff as the mob leader Little Bonaparte. Other noteworthy yet memorable small performances include Dave Barry as the band manager Beinstock, Joan Shawlee as the bandleader Sweet Sue, and Pat O’Brien as the police detective tailing Spats. George Raft is excellent as the mobster Spats who tries to regain control of his turf after a raid only to deal with the fact that Joe and Jerry had witnessed his attack on Toothpick Charlie as he tries to find them. Joe E. Brown is amazing as Osgood Fielding III as this very sweet millionaire who tries to woo Daphne as he gives her all sorts of gifts where Brown has some of the best moments that includes the word “zowie”.
Finally, there’s the trio of Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe as they give very remarkable performances. Monroe brings a sense of energy and charm to her role as the very dim-witted but fun Sugar as this woman just trying to find the right man as she is someone full of hope but is also very vulnerable that just adds depth to Monroe’s performance which is one of her best. Lemmon is great in the dual role of Jerry/Daphne as a man who is frustrated by what is happening as he later finds joy having fun with women while giving in to the idea of being married to a man for security and such. Curtis is phenomenal in a trio of role as Joe, Josephine, and the fake millionaire Shell Oil Jr. where Curtis adds a lot of humor and energy to his performances as the three characters while also displaying some growth and understanding as a man who is in love and just wanting to do what is right despite the trouble he’s facing.
Some Like It Hot is an outstanding film from Billy Wilder that features fantastic performances from Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe. The film is truly one of the funniest films ever made as it’s a comedy that still holds up after being released more than half a century. It’s full of moments that are very memorable as well as some great one-liners and antics that manages to still entertain. In the end, Some Like It Hot is a spectacular film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Billy Wilder with a screenplay by Wilder, Walter Newman, and Lesser Samuels from a story by Victor Desny, Ace in the Hole is the story of an amoral newspaper reporter who uncovers a major scoop in the hopes that he would regain his job in the world of newspapers. The film is an exploration into a man’s desire to regain his position in the world of journalism as he does whatever it takes to get the big story. Starring Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, and Porter Hall. Ace in the Hole is a chilling yet captivating film from Billy Wilder.
The film explores a disgraced yet charming newspaper reporter who arrives to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a job where he learns that a man is trapped in a cave as he decides to make it into a big story. That is pretty much the premise where it explores the desire of Charles Tatum (Kirk Douglas) in his attempt to get the biggest scoop of his career and become the toast of the journalist world. While he hopes that Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict) to survive the ordeal so that it would make a great story. Tatum knew he had to deal with other reporters vying to get the story while he masterminds everything to ensure that things will be great for himself, Leo’s wife Lorraine (Jan Sterling), the town’s sheriff (Ray Teale), and the contractor (Lewis Martin) who is drilling above the cave. Still, there are forces that Tatum couldn’t foresee as well as something inside him as the days to save Leo get closer.
The film’s screenplay is very unique in the way it presents Tatum as this very amoral yet charming man who arrives in Albuquerque with this idea that the only way to sell newspapers is to give them big juicy stories that embellishes and maybe even have lies. Something that Tatum’s new editor Jacob Q. Boot (Porter Hall) believes as he only believes in one thing when it comes to journalism and that is to tell the truth. When Tatum gets the story about Minosa by accident when he was supposed to cover a rattlesnake hunt, Tatum uses his swagger and wit to make one man’s ordeal into a major story. Once is story becomes known all over New Mexico and other parts of the country, people come in to see if Minosa will be saved as it becomes an event with carnivals and such. For Tatum, it’s like a party that is already happening and he is going to reap the rewards while helping out a few including a young photo-journalist in Herbie Cook (Robert Arthur) who wants in so he can get his break with Tatum’s help.
The script’s structure does start out in a sort of upbeat way as Tatum wanders into his newfound situation and the hopes that he can profit and prosper from this event. Yet, things begin to creep in a dark way in its second half where Minosa’s wife doesn’t really love him as she wants something more while the sheriff is eager to be re-elected and get more power. Even as the plan to get Leo out of the cave becomes just as problematic considering the other solutions where he can get out but it’s all due to Tatum’s planning of the event that troubles everything. Even as Tatum has to talk to Leo through the cave where it becomes clear that there’s some things that Tatum couldn’t mastermind in the reality of Leo’s situation. Largely as Tatum has to face some truths as well as the fact that things have gotten out of hand as it plays to not just the sense of cynicism that Tatum has but also the world in general where something has to happen.
Billy Wilder’s direction is very engaging for the way he presents the film in not just the world of journalism that can be very cutthroat and competitive where everyone tries to get the big story. Notably as the newspaper that Tatum works for is just a small paper that only is only successful enough to keep going and pay its workers despite the big competition it faces from other newspapers all over the country. Much of the direction that Wilder creates in the newspaper building is simple while he goes for a wider canvas including some gorgeous wide shots of the landscape that Tatum encounters though it is presented in its 1:33:1 Academy full-frame ratio. Still, Wilder manages to get enough depth-of-field in those scenes as well as the desert land where it seems very wondrous and empty until the circus and many people come in make it into this strange fundraiser.
Wilder does infuse a lot of noir-like touches to some of the scenes that includes Tatum’s encounters with Lorraine as she is definitely intrigued by him as she sees Tatum as her ticket out of New Mexico. Wilder does create some interesting images in those scenes as well as the way Tatum and Leo are shot together inside the cave where Tatum has to talk to him through a whole where they barely see each other’s faces. It’s among one of the great moments in the film as it plays into the drama as well as an unexpected development in Tatum’s character who is this very hardened cynic that only believes in selling newspapers where he would realize that there is more to that. Overall, Wilder creates a very mesmerizing yet harrowing film about a reporter’s desire to get a big story.
Cinematographer Charles Lang does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the grimy yet entrancing look of the interiors inside the cave to the gorgeous exteriors of the deserts and landscapes in New Mexico. Editors Arthur Schmidt and Doane Harrison do excellent work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play into some of its suspense and drama while keeping things straightforward. Art directors Hal Pereira and Earl Hedrick, with set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer, do fantastic work with the look of the cave interiors as well as the trading shop/restaurant that Lorraine runs.
Costume designer Edith Head does nice work with the costumes with the clothes that Lorraine wears to convey her look and desire to be part of the world outside of New Mexico. The sound work of Bob Carr and John Cope is superb for the way the atmosphere of the cave sounds like as well as the chaos that goes on outside where carnivals and such are happening. The music of Hugo Friedhofer is brilliant for its low-key yet haunting score with its orchestral arrangements to play into the drama and suspense that clashes with the original song about Leo that was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
The casting by Bert McKay is marvelous as it includes some notable small roles from John Berkes and Frances Dominquez as Leo’s parents, Frank Cady as a tourist who is the first to arrive to the place after reading Tatum’s story, Richard Gaines as Tatum’s old New York editor Nagel, and Lewis Martin as the contractor McCardle who is swayed into Tatum’s plan until he reveals the reality of the situation when an alternate plan wasn’t going to work. Ray Teal is terrific as the smarmy Sheriff Kretzer who hopes to prosper from the event as is he is up for re-election as he’s also obsessed with rattlesnakes. Ray Benedict is excellent as Leo Minosa as the man trapped on some rocks in a cave who hopes to stay alive while dealing with the reality of his situations and everything else as he becomes a crucial element to Tatum’s development as a man.
Porter Hall is superb as Tatum’s editor Boot as a man who carries an old-school idea of telling the truth as he realizes what Tatum is doing as he watches from afar to see how far Tatum will go to tell the story. Robert Arthur is fantastic as the young photo-journalist Herbie as a young man willing to make a name for himself in aiding Tatum while eager to get his break. Jan Sterling is amazing as Leo’s wife Lorraine as a woman who is intrigued by Tatum as she sees him as her way out while unveiling a dark side to herself in the way she speaks about her husband. Finally, there’s Kirk Douglas in a towering performance as Chuck Tatum as this once-revered but disgraced reporter who is eager to get back on top as Douglas has this charm and energy but also a dark cynicism to his role as a man eager to do what it takes only to face the reality of what he’s done.
Ace in the Hole is an incredible film from Billy Wilder that features a remarkable performance from Kirk Douglas. The film is a strange yet intoxicating mix of film noir and human drama that explores the dark side of journalism. Especially as it follows an amoral man’s quest to get back on top with a major scoop only to see a much harsher world of humanity. In the end, Ace in the Hole is a spectacular film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novella by James M. Cain, Double Indemnity is the story about an insurance salesman who finds himself in a plot to kill a client for that client’s wife which then leads into all sorts of trouble. Directed by Billy Wilder with a screenplay by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, the film is often considered one of the defining films that would create the suspense genre known as film noir. Starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. Double Indemnity is an engrossing yet stylish film from Billy Wilder.
The film is the story about an insurance salesman who meets the wife of a client about an insurance policy where she seduces him to get involved in a plot to kill her husband so she can lots of money from his insurance. Though he takes part in order to help this woman, he becomes consumed with guilt over his actions as one of his co-workers becomes suspicious of what happened to the man. It is a film that is told largely by its protagonist Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) as the film begins with him driving his car suffering from a bullet wound on his shoulder as he tells his story to his longtime friend and co-worker Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) though a Dictaphone. Neff’s narration drives the story which moves back and forth to Neff in Keyes office and the events that put Neff into total danger that involved the mysterious femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck).
The film’s screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler does have this unique narrative structure that plays into Neff’s guilt and all of the trouble he deals with in being part of a plot to kill Phyllis’ husband (Tom Powers) for some money where Neff tells Phyllis about a clause known as double indemnity which doubles the insurance money if the death is accidental. Neff and Phyllis plans on what to do as Neff is convinced that Phyllis is a victim in a loveless marriage yet things become complicated after the plot when Neff becomes guilty and Keyes looks carefully into the case. The film’s first half is about the plot while its second half is about Neff’s guilt and the idea that Phyllis may have been using him all along. Even as he learns more about Phyllis through her stepdaughter Lola (Jean Heather) who reveals something about Phyllis that makes Neff suspicious as he is also aware that Keyes is getting closer to uncovering the truth.
Part of the script’s brilliance in its storytelling is its language where it has this very stylish dialogue that not only drives the story but also play into the element of mystery. Even in Neff’s narration where this language is crucial to the storytelling as it has a certain rhythm as well. A lot of it is from the style of Raymond Chandler who infuses that sense of time but also emotion into the dialogue where it all plays into some form of melodrama but also the guilt that Neff would carry.
Wilder’s direction is definitely stylish in some respects while he also takes the time to create some simpler shots to play into the drama and the interactions between characters. A lot of which showcases an air of style in some of the scenes where the use of shadows and shades help convey a style in the look of the film. Even in the use of close-ups, two-shots, and medium shots, Wilder’s approach to framing is very succinct in the way he plays the drama and set up the suspense such as the scene in the train where Neff pretends to be Mr. Dietrichson in order to create the illusion that he fell off the train accidentally. All of which is part of the film’s first half where Neff and Phyllis set up the plot to kill her husband and drop his body on the train tracks.
That element of style in Wilder’s direction is one of the aspects of the film that is just mesmerizing to watch in not just the way Phyllis tries to charm Neff but also in the sense of romance that occurs. Yet, things get very strange in some of their meetings at a supermarket where they’re talking as if they don’t know each other. There’s also some pieces that play into the story such as Keyes’ investigation where he is essentially the film’s conscience as he knows that something isn’t right. He is someone who knows every scenario that could happen as he would become the one person in the film that would force Neff to face his crimes that would lead to a chilling climax about what he needed to do. Overall, Wilder creates a very compelling yet suspenseful film about a man who finds himself involved in a murder plot.
Cinematographer John F. Seitz does fantastic work with the film‘s stylish black-and-white photography to convey the sense of brooding atmosphere in some of the interiors including the use of shading to help maintain that tone that carries the film‘s suspense. Editor Doane Harrison does excellent work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves as well as rhythmic cuts to help build up the air of suspense. Art directors Hans Dreier and Hal Pereira, along with set decorator Bertram C. Granger, do amazing work with the look of Neff‘s apartment as well as the home that Phyllis lives and the office that Neff works at.
Costume designer Edith Head does fabulous work with the costumes with the designs of the dresses the women characters wear. The sound work of Loren Ryder is superb for its low-key atmosphere and sound effects to play into the film‘s suspense. The film’s music by Miklos Rozsa is brilliant for its thrilling orchestral score that includes some eerie pieces to help create that air of suspense and drama as it’s one of the film’s major highlights.
The casting by Harvey Clermont is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Richard Gaines as Neff and Keyes’ boss who thinks something isn’t right, Porter Hall as a man Neff unknowingly meets at the observation car in the train during the scheme, Tom Powers as Mr. Dietrichson, and Byron Barr as Lola’s boyfriend Nino Zachetti whom Keyes suspects might be involved. Jean Heather is wonderful as Lola Dietrichson as a young woman who dislikes her stepmother as she’s convinced that Phyllis is involved in her father’s death as Neff tries to be there for her. Edward G. Robinson is phenomenal as Barton Keyes as he is a man who knows every scenario that might happen as he’s also someone who knows that something isn’t right as Robinson has a great monologue about the way things are as he also invests in a few humorous moments as he is a major standout in the film.
Barbara Stanwyck is amazing as the smoldering femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson as this very beautiful woman who has this unique presence where she seems like someone in need. Yet, there’s also something about her that is off as it adds to the complexity of her performance. Fred MacMurray is great as Walter Neff as an insurance salesman who is manipulated into helping this woman only to get into some trouble. MacMurray has this sense of humility and darkness to his character that is very unique as he plays someone that would the typical prototype for many characters of film noir as it’s definitely one of his finest roles.
Double Indemnity is an incredible film from Billy Wilder that features remarkable performances from Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. The film is definitely a film that is filled with a lot of intrigue and suspense as well as sense of style that would create the ideas of what would become film noir. Especially in the way it plays with narrative and cinematic language that made the film something much more thanks in parts to the contribution of Raymond Chandler. In the end, Double Indemnity is a tremendous film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
