Streaming Quick Picks: Billy Wilder
The UW Cinematheque recently showcased two Billy Wilder films, Sunset Boulevard (or Sunset Blvd. for credits purists, 1950) and Fedora (1978), so we thought that some of you might want to follow up and see what Wilder films are currently available on streaming video. Wilder directed and co-wrote (with writing partners like Charles Brackett, George Axelrod and I.A.L. Diamond) some of the most entertaining films in Classical Hollywood. Wilder was the first individual to win an Academy Award as producer, director, and screenwriter for the same film (The Apartment, 1960), and his films and screenplays have influenced countless subsequent directors and screenwriters. If you’re not already familiar with these titles you should introduce yourself to his work.
Wilder is not particularly known as a visual stylist, but the screenplays for his films are some of the best dramas and comedies of their era. His directorial debut was the 1934 French drama, Mauvaise Graine, but for his first years in Hollywood he mainly contributed to screenplays such as Midnight, Ninotchka (both 1939) and Ball of Fire (1941). He returned to directing in Hollywood with The Major and the Minor in 1942, and proved himself equally capable in dramas (Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Stalag 17) and comedies (Sabrina, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like it Hot). Many credit Wilder as the best director for Marilyn Monroe, and he certainly brought out her best comic performances in The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. But Wilder also had successful collaborations with William Holden (Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, Sabrina) and Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Irma la Douce)
Personally, I am far less familiar with late Wilder than his classic films. The title I’ve always been intrigued about as an apparent departure for Wilder is The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. While he did not direct their first pairing in The Odd Couple, later Wilder paired Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in three films: The Fortune Cookie (1966), one of many remakes of The Front Page (1974) and Buddy Buddy (1981). Part of me wants to hunt and find Wilder’s last film, Buddy Buddy, which received some of the worst reviews of his career (even though I was only 11 at the time, I distinctly remember Siskel and Ebert tearing it apart).
For those of you who, like me, missed the UW Cinematheque screening of Fedora, be sure to check out Amanda McQueen’s blog entry, which discusses the production and reception of the film, and how it can be seen as a companion piece to Sunset Blvd. (In a separate entry, McQueen also provides an interesting discussion of Sunset Blvd. in its film and Broadway musical incarnations.)
Click on the movie posters without tags to take you to Netflix, Amazon Instant or other streaming resources based on current availability.
Links are confirmed as of the posting date. Use GoWatchIt for availability updates and for additional current streaming resources.
Local DVDs: Four Star Video Cooperative and Madison Public Library
For our Madison readers, here are some additional titles available for DVD rental or checkout. Some of the titles above are also available on DVD, so use the buttons below to search “Billy Wilder” in their catalogues.
