Billy-Wilder Movie Reviews

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

"I once knew a guy, he had two heart-attacks. So they put in him a pace-maker. So his wife divorced him. She said it was interfering with the tv-reception". (Trabucco about women)

"Put a bucket full of ice-water next to your bed. Try to think of the names of the seven dwarfs". (Dr. Zuckerbrots advice against premature ejaculation)

"I'll put a bucket full of ice-water next to my bed". (Victor Clooney imploring his wife not to divorce him)

The postman puts a package in Mr. Schusters mailbox. Mr. Schuster is blown up. Contented, the postman lights his cigar.
Mr. Pritzig gets a new baby-sitter - the police. But they should have checked the bottle of milk on his threshold. The milkman lights his cigar as he drives away. the insription on his car reads: "Dairy products. Feel better - live longer".

Mr. Trabucco (Walter Matthau) calls his client. Due to extensive police-protection, the liquidation of the last stool-pigeon, Mr. Gambola, will be more delicate and therefore more expensive...The response is satisfactory, and so, Trabucco rents a room with a view on the court-building and starts to put together his rifle-rack.

You would not trouble strangers with your domestic problems? Victor Clooney has no scruples of this kind. His wife has left him! He has to vomit! He needs a shoulder on which he can weep his grief out. His face is long of disappointment when Trabucco forgets to wave back...

Due to Wilders & Diamonds malicious script, Victor now moves in Trabuccos adjoining room, and this hard-working citizen realizes, that his day's work has doubled...

Would I screen "Buddy Buddy" to someone who's never seen a Billy Wilder film? Mention in an awestruck tone that here he can see the wittiest director and the finest actor on earth at work? Probably not. "The Apartment" is better suited to this deed. When I first saw this film, I was in fact offended. By the shabby sets, the language and Lemmons performance, where he replaced timing with mannerisms. But now, somehow I start to like this film.

Loads of swearwords usually bore me. But here I'm amused at the thought of Wilder & Diamond writing them down in order to dupe some imaginary censor. They start innocently enough, with one or two "friggins". Soon, Lemmon uses a sanitary installation and specifies all the things that are forbidden at prime-time. (He's a mighty tv-censor, and how he preens himself like a peacock in order to impress Trabucco). One highlight in this film may be his realization of what has become of his wedding-ring ("The p-word!"). Or was it his "father - you said the f-word" remark?

Jokes about some innocent, hash-smoking hippie and his pregnant wife...Kissinger-jokes...sex-clinic-jokes...hm. Klaus Kinski as Dr. Zuckerbrot...hm. Paula Prentiss has the rotten role of Lemmons wife (Lemmon: "We've been married for 12 years". Prentiss: "Thaaat long?"). But then I think of how funny she was in "Man's favorite sport" alongside Rock Hudson, and forgive her.

But not all supporting performances are poor. There is Miles Chapin as pert bellhop, just as entertaining as his colleagues in "Some like it hot" and "Avanti", and there is Bette Raya as the kind of mexican maid who is so busy singing, talking and cleaning up, that she doesn't notice a gagged man, tied up on a chair.

But the only reason to watch this film is, it goes without saying, the presence of Lemmon & Matthau. Wilder later had afterthoughts. Why didn't he engage Clint Eastwood? ("People are not afraid of Walter"). Still - Matthau is extremely funny in his part. How tenderly ("He needs a little human warmth") he responds to Lemmons sorrows, while we can read in his eyes that he considers ways to dispose of him without attracting attention.

How solicitous his inquiry about Lemmons health sounds ("Wouldn't you feel much better if you threw up once more?") while he secretly slips Lemmons farewell-letter in his pocket. And even Lemmon has his great moment: Due to a case of mistaken identities ("He is better equipped than I expected") he learns that his wife has given her new lover a detailed account of his intimate life ("Every wednesday and saturday night"). He staightens up, Napoleon-like, proud of his achievement...Suddenly it is beginning to dawn on him, that this was not meant a a compliment...

My rating is too high? O.K - It's second-rate Wilder. But even second-rate Wilder is better...

is there any better jack lemmon/walter matthau movie than "buddy buddy"? maybe yes, but this is still a splendid performance from both of them.

victor clooney (jack lemmon) is a suicide attempter who manages to appear in trabucco's (walter matthau) life at the wrong time and with each meeting becomes more and more annoying. while trabucco tries to finish a contract before retiring as a hit man clooney thinks that his life isn't worth living any more because of problems with his wife.

i really liked the movie because it's a funny but not "standard" comedy. once i've been told that we laugh when things are true. though i never met a suicide attempter while i tried to shoot someone, the main story (meeting someone annoying at the time you really needn't) served me a lot of laughs and i can just recommend this movie to those who like to laugh while watching a movie (and - of course - to other lemmon/matthau or billy wilder fans).

The great German-born director, Billy Vilder, on his vay from Deutschland to Hollywood, stopped off in Paris to make this early car chase classic. A young French dandy, suddenly down on his luck, falls in with a slick gang of car thieves who run a phony auto shop, and who take him in and teach him the ropes in their cynical racket. He also falls in love, and attempts to break away from his criminal pals in order to live a clean life with his gal. Pretty cool presentation of French life in the interwar era, and of the growing fascination with the newly blooming car culture. Great crosscountry chase sequence at the end; fun stuff throughout. Recommended!

This movie was pretty funny, and I really enjoyed it, but the whole thing about a 12-year-old and a full grown man was a little... weird. Still, it's a lot of fun to watch, and I recommend it!

This film has raised a few eyebrows over the years, since the subject matter is of a grown man falling in love with a woman pretending to be a twelve year old girl. However, upon viewing, you will discover that this comedy presents the material in such an innocent way, you simply have to suspend disbelief and enjoy the complications that ensue. Ginger Rogers is the woman/girl who pretends to be the child to get the child's fare on the train since she is short on cash, and Ray Milland is the officer she meets on the train who takes care of her. She ends up at the military school where he works, and she causes quite a sensation amongst the young cadets. But more than that, she stirs up things in the relationship between Milland and his fiancee. Rogers does as well as anyone could playing a twelve year old in pigtails, making it almost believable that she could fool everyone. She's a lot of fun and well matched by Milland. Diana Lynn is terrific as Milland's fiancee's young sister, the only one who sees through Rogers' masquerade. There's a number of really funny moments, such as Rogers fending off the juvenile advances of the young cadets, and the hair "epidemic" of the girls at the dance (I don't want to give the funny visual away). Billy Wilder's clever dialogue is a treat to listen to (as usual) and deceptively adult. If you accept the premise of the film at face value, you'll find a number of laugh-out-loud moments and endearing characters in this comedy that is one of my favourites from the early Forties.

This is a nice film to watch if you enjoy good old-fashioned comedy or if you're a Ginger Rogers fan. She stars as Susan Applegate, who decides to leave New York and return to her small town. Unfortunately she doesn't have enough money so she disguises herself as a twelve-year-old so she can get a child priced train ticket. She later falls in love with a military academy instructor (Ray Milland) on the way, and that's just the beginning! This is a wonderful film for all Ginger Rogers and classic movie fans alike. Be sure to see Ginger in Monkey Business (1952) also starring Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe.

Billy Wilder made this film after Sunset Blvd(1950) and before Stalag 17(1953), two of his most popular works. He once referred to "Ace" as "the runt of my litter". It is one of the most brilliant films to come out of Hollywood in the early 1950's.

The idea of a newspaper man covering the story of a trapped miner, exploiting and managing the "rescue" in order to sell the story to the media, was way ahead of it's time, which is why the picture flopped at the box office.

The people at Paramount don't seem to value the artistry inherent in this masterpiece. They probably only look at the numbers and figure, "well, it didn't make any money in 1951, so it won't make any now if we release it on DVD"
But they are wrong. This is a cult classic and on every film buff's must-have list.

Besides the acting and direction and the bitterly pungent screenplay, the arid b&w cinematography of Charles Lang and the moody, impressionist, noir music score by Hugo Friedhofer are absolutely perfect for this story.

By all means, write a letter to Paramount Home Video and demand that this film is given a DVD release. You can get their address from their website. I wrote them last year and they said there were no plans to release it. So that means waiting for it to show up on Turner Classic Movies, where I last saw it about 3 years ago.
But if they get enough letters, well, you never know...............

The studio that made this movie (Paramount I think) is commiting a crime by not releasing this fantastic movie by one of the greatest directors of all time on DVD or for that matter even VHS! Yesterday I was wondering which were the movies I wanted to buy, and Ace In the Hole came to me immediately but I was disappointed to see that the studios haven't released it on DVD or VHS. Please release this movie, it's Wilder's masterpiece. And while i'm at it somebody please get ED WOOD released on DVD.

this is an amazing film, one of Mr. Wilder's best it is a shame that the studio is not releaseing it for douglas and wilder are at there best it was released at a time when people were not in the mood to see such an emotion wrenching film but todays world can handle it it is an amazing film help the fight to get it released. in many magazines including sight and sound have rated it high in the ranks make the studio rewatch it that's all that is needed for once they take a look at it their pant will fall down cause they got up so fast to release it. JOIN THE FIGHT FOR ACE IN THE HOLE!...

Other films have had courtroom scenes, but "Witness for the Prosecution" soars above them. Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Elsa Lanchester show what acting is all about. Laughton's crafty barrister is matched by Dietrich as the "witness."

But, what surprised me the most upon first viewing of this film was the performance by Tyrone Power. I had long dismissed him as one of those "pretty boy actors" of whom millions of American women fantasized. He turns in an Oscar-caliber performance as the defendent who is on trial for the murder of his matronly "friend."

A well-written and supremely acted motion picture that deserves shelf space in a videophile's collection.

Let me simply say this is a fantastic film. Incredible performances abound, particularly in the main leads. Charles Laughton as the crusty lawyer is wonderful, as his oscar for best actor for this role attests. Elsa Lanchester and Tyrone Power are also at the top of their game, but it's Marlene Dietrich who is the soul of this film. She breathes life into Christine Vole, and supplies the juice in what would be otherwise simply a typical sordid courtroom drama. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you guessing, and ending will amaze you. My family watched this film on video, and they simply couldn't keep from watching, not to mention the sheer amazement at the ending. I've read that this is considered to be one of the finest courtroom dramas ever made, and it really deserves that accolade.

Though made in the 1950's, this film retains its humor and still makes me laugh! It's also a serious courtroom drama with plenty of fun and intriguing twists!

Very highly recommended.

Other films have had courtroom scenes, but "Witness for the Prosecution" soars above them. Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Elsa Lanchester show what acting is all about. Laughton's crafty barrister is matched by Dietrich as the "witness."

But, what surprised me the most upon first viewing of this film was the performance by Tyrone Power. I had long dismissed him as one of those "pretty boy actors" of whom millions of American women fantasized. He turns in an Oscar-caliber performance as the defendent who is on trial for the murder of his matronly "friend."

A well-written and supremely acted motion picture that deserves shelf space in a videophile's collection.

Let me simply say this is a fantastic film. Incredible performances abound, particularly in the main leads. Charles Laughton as the crusty lawyer is wonderful, as his oscar for best actor for this role attests. Elsa Lanchester and Tyrone Power are also at the top of their game, but it's Marlene Dietrich who is the soul of this film. She breathes life into Christine Vole, and supplies the juice in what would be otherwise simply a typical sordid courtroom drama. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you guessing, and ending will amaze you. My family watched this film on video, and they simply couldn't keep from watching, not to mention the sheer amazement at the ending. I've read that this is considered to be one of the finest courtroom dramas ever made, and it really deserves that accolade.

Though made in the 1950's, this film retains its humor and still makes me laugh! It's also a serious courtroom drama with plenty of fun and intriguing twists!

Very highly recommended.

Like another film from the same year, All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard never quite succeeds in being as intelligent as it tries to be. And it is even less original, unabashedly stealing its base storyline from Dickens' Great Expectations, which up-and-coming director David Lean had just put out a few years earlier in the UK. Yet despite all these shortcomings, Sunset Boulevard is still ultimately a more satisfying film than the more decorated Betty Davis favorite. Part of this stems from its poignancy: it was a direct assault on Hollywood culture, values, and the then-prevalent and powerful status quo of the studio system, hence its noir designation. As interesting background, Gloria Swanson was herself an actual silent film star. In 1929, as talkies were taking over the cinematic world, she had just finished acting in a film called Queen Kelly, which was not incidentally directed by none other than the Sunset Boulevard butler and ex-husband, Eric Von Stroheim. The film was caught in the transition to talkies and had all sorts of marketing and production problems. The irony was not at all lost on Von Stroheim, for he was always ashamed of his Sunset Boulevard role, as he had only taken it for the needed cash. As it turned out, real life finished a little better for both of them as he finished up as a distinguished actor in Europe and she received the dignified swan song with this performance that her character would never experience.

By the way, Cecil B. DeMille's cameo was a nice plus, however I think I missed the great Buster Keaton's appearance (perhaps when I ran to the bathroom...) William Holden is strong and steady in the lead and Nancy Olson was absolutely delightful as his love interest on the side. Its a shame she never did anything else of substance.

I don't think most people understand Sunset Blvd. Many look at William Holden as the sympathetic character and see Norma as mad and obsessive. I don't think this is the fault of the film, but perhaps people misunderstand it. Norma Desmond is the sympathetic, vulnerable character. Her career was thrown away as she became older (something that still happens to actresses today) and nobody loved her. It is tragic as she falls in love with William Holden's cynical character, and even more tragic when people feel sorry for him and not Norma! Norma is a reflection of the ideal, and how the ideal can lose reality in a cynical, hurtful world. Holden is simply careless towards Norma and uses her. Because we have come to expect this stereotype of men being careless and insensitive, many people acknowledge Holden as the normal character, when in fact he is very, very flawed. And we see the ideal qualities of compassion and heartbreak in Norma as scary or possessive. That is, of course, until she goes over the edge at the end of the film - but wouldn't you, too? Contrast these ideas with the perception of Joan Crawford (Mommie Dearest) that we have today.

As a film critic says in one of the interviews on this splendid special edition, Billy Wilder not only had the craft, style and elegance we associate with classic Hollywood, he also had a biting wit that appeals to the sensibilities of today. This film has aged much better than it's central villian, the demented starlet portrayed to perfection by real-life demented starlet Gloria Swanson. William Holden's (literally) dead-pan narration as a two-bit screenwriter of B-movies is as sad and funny as it ever was.

The documentary on the disc does a good job of demonstrating just how unique the tone of this story is, how it perfectly navigates between funny and sad. Not everyone in Hollywood saw the funny side when it was released, and it lost to ALL ABOUT EVE at that year's Oscars. So what? With this disc, SUNSET BOULEVARD is finally getting it's due.

Besides the documentary, you can read two screenplay drafts of an excised opening sequence, explore 1950's Hollywood with an interactive map and watch the film with audio commentary by a critic and historian. All these features are secondary, of course, to the movie. It looks gorgeous. The black and white picture is rich and crisp, the sound is re-mastered and the story is as compelling as ever. The special features only do what all good special features should do on a DVD. They add to the richness of the film. You may already know that Eric von Stroheim (who plays a character who directed Gloria Swanson's character in silent films) directed Gloria Swanson in silent films. But did you know that the drugstore where all the screenwriter's hang out in the movie is the drug store where F. Scott Fitzgerald had a heart attack in 1940? One of the reasons I love this movie is because it is so rich with Hollywood history.

I can't recommend this disc highly enough. Kudos to Columbia for doing right by a classic, a real film lover's film. I love this movie and I love this disc! 5/5 stars.

A sentiment expressed by Feldwebel Schultz played by Sig Ruman. He is one of the many supporting cast members that etches a character that is dark but amusing in this movie. This movies popularity led to the TV series Hogan's Heroes. Of course the series was much lighter than the movie as was the Sgt. Schultz in the series. Even though the movie paints a foreboding picture of German P.O.W. camps, it still shows the enduring American spirit and optimism. Narrated by Cookie played by Gil Stratton, as though he is looking back on the events, it draws us into the story. William Holden as Sgt. Sefton is a cynic that scraps for everything he can lay his hands on. You sense he was put down by the rich and so he is making up for it in the prison camp by wheeling and dealing his way into a cushy position to the envy of his fellow prisoners. When he is accused of being a stoolie and is beaten he sets about to find the real infiltrator. It isn't all dark, one scene has two prisoners, Harry and Animal played by Harvey Lembeck and Robert Strauss, painting a false road line in order to get to the Russian womens bathhouse. If you enjoy WWII movies you will certainly want to see this. If you like P.O.W. movies like "Von Ryan's Express", "Escape from Sorbibor", "The Bridge over the River Kwai" and "The Great Escape" you will love this one.

Unusual War Flick, Great Ensemble Cast
Reviewer: cornhoolio from San Antonio, Texas USA
Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17" represents the director (may he rest in peace) at the top of his form. Austrian Jew Wilder safely got
out of Europe after the Reichstag fire, but his mother perished in the Holocaust at Auschwitz. But, as with 1948's "A Foreign
Affair," Wilder used comedy to skewer the Nazis.

William Holden's performance as Seften, the streetwise black-marketing POW, is equal to his portrayal as Joe Gillis in "Sunset
Boulevard," and he deservedly won the best actor Oscar for this ascerbic, witty and intense performance.

Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck as the Animal and Harry are nonstop comic relief in this movie, and turn an otherwise
"serious" film into great slapstick, screwball comedy.

But, best of all are Otto Preminger as Von Scherbach and Sig Ruman as Sergeant Schultz. Preminger really hams it up with an
overblown Prussian accent as the Camp Commandant who has his enlisted aides lay down planks in his path, so that his boots
won't get muddy. The famed German comedian Ruman, who always plays goofy foreigners, is perfect as a foil to Harry and the
Animal.

Most interesting casting is Peter Graves as Price. His is a pivotal role, but I still can't see him in a movie without thinking of his
famous line from "Airplane!": "Have you ever seen a grown man naked?"

Altogether, "Stalag 17" is cinematic perfection, perfectly cast, brilliantly written and never for a moment schmaltzy.

The perfect blend of comedy, drama and mystery. The horrors of war are protrayed in the eyes of a group of US Sgts. in a POW camp who have a traitor in their midst.

The mystery of course if who is the guy and the comedy is too good to give away here.

Our lead character played by Holden is one of the most dislikable heroes you will ever see. You hate to root for him but are forced to do so.

Buy it.

The Apartment is an insightful movie made by one of cinema's most talented directors. The plot is fairly simple, but C.C. Baxter's (Jack Lemmon) is anything but. By innocently lending out his apartment to a coworker, Baxter's residence becomes the love nest for his philandering colleagues. Along the way, Baxter develops a friendship with Fran Kubelik (Shirley Maclaine), one of several attractive female elevator operators. Baxter is rewarded for his generosity by getting promoted by Jeff D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). Little does he realize that Fran is Sheldrake's latest plaything. The Apartment has all that you expect from the best of Wilder: great performances, witty dialogue, and a plot that holds to this day, even if most of the depiction of the corporate office environment has changed dramatically (When was the last time you saw an elevator operator?). The three stars provide great characterizations, with MacMurray the real surprise here playing against type. This film is also notable for solidifying the Wilder/Lemmon team. With The Apartment, Lemmon was no longer playing second male leads or supporting roles. A worthwhile film that is still enjoyable today, but the DVD version leaves much to be desired. The picture quality is good, but the looping (the sound synchronization) is off and very distracting. Don't know the reason for this, but considering this film's place in cinema history, I would have thought it would have gotten the A treatment. The DVD is a disappointment.

In "The Apartment", Jack Lemmon gets to showcase and stretch his acting ability like in no other movie, and that's why it's my favorite Lemmon flick. Being a mixture of comedy and drama, we get to see Lemmon's raw talent and the ease at which he is able to accommodate the requirements of a given scene.

The 60's N.Y city setting is the perfect backdrop for Lemmon's attempt to climb up the ladder of success, by allowing his "higher-up" co-workers at the insurance company where they work access to his apartment for their various trysts and affairs. While the whole thing started as more or less an accident, Lemmon ("C.C. Baxter") puts up with the many inconveniences of the arrangement because he quickly sees the value ("business-wise", that is) of his beneficent behavior. And it seems to pay off when he finally receives a promotion, only to discover that his new boss ("Mr. Sheldrake", played by Fred MacMurray) also wants in on the apartment "action". The plot then thickens when Lemmon begins to fall for an elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) who happens to be the girl that Sheldrake is having an affair with.....

The storyline moves quickly so there is never a boring moment and the viewer easily becomes sympathetic to Baxter, who ultimately must make the "career vs. integrity" decision. As the movie continues, the funny lines and scenes (and they are top-notch) diminish somewhat and the more poignant moments surface - Lemmon is equally at home in both worlds. MacMurray as "the villain" works surprisingly well, and although I am not a Shirley MacLaine fan, she is excellent in this movie.

The DVD quality is very good and far surpasses my old VHS copy, plus it's in wide screen format.

Directed by Billy Wilder. The black and white works exceptionally well, creating an ironic sense of isolation and despair in the ever-bustling and often humorous world of unstoppable human.....progress? Not only my favorite Lemmon movie, but one of my favorite movies period, and one I watch 2 or 3 times each year. Highly recommended.

I first saw The Apartment on TCM and I thought it was a fantastic movie, it is a comedy/drama and is about a man named C.C. Baxter played by Jack Lemmon being taken advantage of by his superiors who use his apartmnent for their extra marital affairs with promises of rising up the corporate ladder and when they put in a good word for him with the boss he gets promoted and when the boss played by Fred MacMurray finds out about the arrangement with the apartment he makes Baxter give him a key so he can use the apartment for his trysts with his mistress Fran Kuberlik who also happens to be the sweet elevator operator at work that Baxter has a crush on. I don't want to give away too much information about this movie and spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it so I will just give that brief description and say that Jack Lemmon was great as Baxter and Shirley MacLaine was wonderful as Miss Kuberlik and Fred MacMurray was good as the boss and his character was so different than the loveable Dad he played in My Three Sons. In this movie his character is so cold and calulating but he did a great job of it and I highly recommend this movie on DVD which I think was done very well, yeah maybe some scenes show it's age a little with the white flickering spots but it's pretty mild and kind of adds to the charm of watching a black and white movie. This movie at the time it was made could have been filmed in color but was intentionally filmed in black and white and I think it really fits the mood of the film. I very highly recommend The Apartment!