Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder

by Gene D. Phillips

Overview

Although his career spanned fifty years and included more than fifty films, Austrian-American film director Billy Wilder (1906–2002) may be best known for the legendary shot of Marilyn Monroe's dress billowing over a subway grating in The Seven Year Itch (1955). This "shot seen round the world" is representative not only of Hollywood's golden era of cinema but also of one of its most prolific and brilliant directors. Wilder, whose filmography includes such classics as Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Some Like It Hot (1959), is often remembered for his versatility, biting wit, and passion for challenging social and moral conventions.

Author Gene D. Phillips departs from the traditional biography in Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder, offering new insights into the acclaimed director's professional and private life. In preparation for the book, Phillips conducted personal interviews with Wilder and other key players from the legendary director's life and times. Phillips's unique combination of analysis and biographical detail brings Wilder to life, as both an artist and man.

Phillips traces Wilder's path from Berlin, where he worked as a scriptwriter for one of the city's largest studios, to Hollywood, where he would quickly establish himself as a premier film director. Forming a partnership with writer-producer Charles Brackett, Wilder directed the classic films Five Graves to Cairo (1943), Double Indemnity (1945), and The Lost Weekend (1945), which earned Academy Awards for best picture, best director, and best screenplay. During the 1960s, Wilder continued to direct and produce controversial comedies, including Kiss Me Stupid (1964) and The Apartment (1960). The Apartment brought Wilder another round of Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay.

Wilder's maverick approach and independent artistic vision pushed boundaries and ensured his legacy as one of the Hollywood greats. Sharply written, Some Like It Wilder serves as a comprehensive companion to Wilder's films, offering a personalized and heartfelt account of the life and genius of this compelling director.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813125701
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	02/05/2010
Series:	Screen Classics
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gene D. Phillips is author of Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir and Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola.

Editorial Reviews

[Phillips] tells the story of this iconic filmmaker's journey from being a writer who escaped Nazi controlled Germany to becoming an Academy award-winning director.

kydirect.net

Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder paints both a comprehensive and affectionate portrait of Wilder.... The work remains and speaks for itself, but this book will give anyone interested in Wilder a fresh insight into how it got made.

Pretty Clever Films

Featuring Gene D. Phillips' unique, in-depth critical approach, Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder provides a groundbreaking overview of a filmmaking icon.... This definitive biography reveals that Wilder was, and remains, one of the most influential directors in filmmaking

Turner Classic Movies

Some Like it Wilder is an absolute must for any fan of film history or for film history collections in general.

Wisconsin Bookwatch

The real trick is to keep the narrative interesting, and Father Phillips is certainly up to the task, so much so that his book has recently been touted on the America Movie Classics cable television network—surely a promotional coup for the University Press of Kentucky. Wilder's life story told many times before is here usefully updated.

Literature/Film Quarterly - J.M. Welsh

Phillips, who interviewed Wilder several times, has mastered the voluminous correspondence between Wilder and his antagonists and collaborators, which reveals a hidden history of studio filmmaking that often contradicts the myths.

DGA Quarterly

Phillips presents Wilder in accurate detail and sets many legends to rest. He understands and analyzes each project with support from his copious research, countless interviews with those who knew and worked with Wilder, as well as an interview with the grand master himself.... He goes beyond the surface and deep into the complex mind and soul of the famous film director.... This book is, in my view, definitive.

Vincent LoBrutto

Wilder's life story, told before, is very usefully updated here. Recommended.

Choice

"Phillips intertwines Wilder's life story, drawn from archival records and his interviews with Wilder, with his films, providing a plot synopsis, quotes, anecdotes, and mildly interesting trivia for each film." — Library Journal

"Phillips presents Wilder in accurate detail and sets many legends to rest. He understands and analyzes each project with support from his copious research, countless interviews with those who knew and worked with Wilder, as well as an interview with the grand master himself.... He goes beyond the surface and deep into the complex mind and soul of the famous film director.... This book is, in my view, definitive." — Vincent LoBrutto, author of Martin Scorsese: A Biography

From the Publisher

In a typical "life and works" fashion, Phillips (Beyond the Epic: The Life & Films of David Lean; Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir) begins with biographical information about filmmaker Billy Wilder's humble beginnings in Austria, his move to Berlin, and his eventual flight from the Nazis to the United States. Phillips intertwines Wilder's life story, drawn from archival records and his interviews with Wilder, with his films (e.g., Sunset Boulevard; Sabrina; Some Like It Hot), providing a plot synopsis, quotes, anecdotes, and mildly interesting trivia for each film. VERDICT Charlotte Chandler's Nobody's Perfect: Billy Wilder; A Personal Biography and Kevin Lally's Wilder Times: The Life of Billy Wilder discuss the same films and basic information Phillips compiled for this uninspired addition to Billy Wilder tributes. Not an essential purchase.—Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL

Library Journal