TRIBUTE TO BILLY WILDER
The story goes that Billy Wilder knew almost no English when he arrived in Hollywood in the early ‘30s (via Paris & Mexico), and yet this Jewish native of Austria-Hungary (whose mother died in Auschwitz) became one of the greatest wordsmiths in cinema history. By the time he died on March 28, 2002 at the age of 95, Wilder had amassed 21 Oscar nominations & 7 golden statues for his many gems as screenwriter &/or director (plus the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award in
1988).
There are many who believe that Wilder’s work is timeless, but we disagree. In a few cases, the work has become dated. There’s not much left to
SABRINA now besides Audrey Hepburn’s luminous glow, &
FOREIGN AFFAIR is has only one redeeming moment (when Marlene Dietrich sings BLACK MARKET). But to quote the master himself (in
SOME LIKE IT HOT): “Well, nobody’s perfect.” Indeed!
FILMS FOR TWO welcomes this opportunity to name our own all-time favorite Billy Wilder films, as
follows:
TOP PICKS:
