Directed by Roger Michell I can't find it right now, but there's some Billy Wilder quote about how in romantic comedies you don't need to establish reasons why the central couple should be together but instead establish reasons they can't be together. That's the whole movie, all those obstacles, and I think Notting Hill does just … Continue reading Notting Hill (1999)
billy wilder
Dead Ringer (1964)
Directed by Paul Henreid Dead Ringer is one of those old 40s-era films noir where a character makes a bad decision and must watch the walls slowly push in for the rest of the film. These are stories about morality and how even just a single decision is enough to doom you and, I suppose, … Continue reading Dead Ringer (1964)
The Breaking Point (1950)
Directed by Michael Curtiz Once again, crime doesn't pay. Harry Morgan (John Garfield) is a struggling fishing boat captain whose debts lead to criminal activity and a guilty conscience. We meet him as a Leave it to Beaver-kind of character, a happy family man, a gooey loving husband, who always wears that cocked to the side … Continue reading The Breaking Point (1950)
Fedora (1978)
Directed by Billy Wilder Everything about Billy Wilder's Fedora feels out of time and place. The story takes place in an isolated European estate, inhabited by characters with deliberately hidden agendas. Our hero, Dutch, is played by William Holden, two decades older than we're used to seeing him in his most well-known films (Sunset Boulevard, The Bridge on … Continue reading Fedora (1978)
Primal Fear (1996)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit Primal Fear is a fun courtroom drama with a few twists and turns, notably in the final ten minutes, like those of Billy Wilder’s The Witness for the Prosecution. The nature of the story is dead serious, including possible mental illness and the murder of a priest caught up in real … Continue reading Primal Fear (1996)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder The first thing Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution reminded me of was Kurosawa's Rashomon. Sure, maybe I only recently watched that film for the first time, or maybe Wilder captured some of what made that film so great and translated it into a more pulpy mainstream courtroom drama. The story, almost set … Continue reading Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Drunken Angel (1948)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Drunken Angel has more heart than you typically see in a film noir. It starts with a late night meeting between two alcoholics, one a doctor and the other a member of the yakuza (mafia). When the doctor reveals that the gang member has tuberculosis, his prognosis doesn't seem good. By … Continue reading Drunken Angel (1948)
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Directed by Mike Figgis We get right to the point with the romance between Ben and Sera (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) in Leaving Las Vegas. One is an alcoholic, and the other is a prostitute. They've both moved to Las Vegas following disappointing or unsustainable lives in Los Angeles. You get the sense that try as … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Directed by Billy Wilder [EDIT: This is a long, rambling review as I try to figure out what Stalag 17 is really about. By the end I decide it's about the postwar conditions of the 1950s, specifically the red scare. It takes me a while to get there, and I still might be completely missing the … Continue reading Stalag 17 (1953)
idrawonmywall.com 