
Billy Wilder
Director · 1906 – 2002 · Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary
Billy Wilder, born Samuel Wilder; (22 June 1906 - 27 March 2002) was an Austrian-born director, screenwriter and producer who is regarded as one of the most successful filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Today he is best known for his comedies, although he also directed dramas and film noirs. Wilder is one of only five people who have won Academy Awards as producer, director, and writer for the same film (The Apartment). Wilder's career began in Germany, where he worked as a writer for comedy films from 1930. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, he emigrated to the United States, where he continued to write screenplays, including Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka (1939) and Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire (1941). From the early 1940s, Wilder was allowed to film his own screenplays and thus made a name for himself as a director. Initially, his greatest successes included predominantly dramatic film noirs such as Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Ace in the Hole (1951). It was only then that he increasingly turned to comedy, including Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954) and The Seven Year Itch (1955), although he made a small detour to courtroom drama with Witness for the Prosecution (1957). With Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960) he made his most famous and probably most successful comedy films, the latter even receiving five Oscars. In One, Two, Three (1961), Wilder dealt with the conditions of the time in his former adopted country, Germany, and made the successful romantic comedy Irma la Douce (1963). In the two decades that followed, Wilder made seven more films, which were less well received by critics and audiences, although the German-French drama Fedora (1978) is viewed somewhat more favorably today by predominantly pretentious film experts. Some time later, Wilder was under discussion as director for Schindler's List, which he had wanted as the end of his long career, but ultimately had to turn it down due to his advanced age.
Movies19
Movie7.1DocumentaryHistoryAn unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Audrey
2020 · 65 votes
Movie8.5DocumentaryA look back at the impact Billy Wilder's comedy classic "Some Like It Hot" has left since it's release in 1959.
The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
2006 · 2 votes
Movie7.6TV MovieDocumentaryAudrey Hepburn was one of the movies' best-loved stars, blessed with beauty, talent, an elegant sophistication and an enduring aura of youthful innocence. As Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, she spoke for the world's suffering children and families, earning an affection and admiration that only increased with news of her untimely death. From the star herself we learn of her career and the family and friendships that were her priority.
Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
1993 · 5 votes
Movie6.7DocumentaryThe Legend of Marilyn Monroe is a 1966 American documentary film chronicling the life and career of actress Marilyn Monroe. Directed by Terry Sanders, and narrated by John Huston.
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
1966 · 7 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryA profile of writer-director Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1998 · 1 votes
Movie7.0DocumentaryA look back at the making of Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy classic "Some Like It Hot."
The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
2006 · 1 votes
Movie7.5DocumentaryJack Lemmon made over 60 films and received numerous awards, including eight Academy Award Nominations and two Oscars. Later in life, his achievement was enriched by new challenges in which he exposed the vulnerability and emotion of the later years as few had dared. He reveled in his ongoing screen partnerships with directors like Billy Wilder and stars like Walter Matthau. Narrated on-camera by Jack Lemmon, this documentary includes interviews with Lemmon's son, the actor Chris Lemmon. Also appearing are such legends as Jack's life-long friend, the writer and director Billy Wilder, writer-director Garson Kanin, drama teacher Uta Hagen and actor Gregory Peck.
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
1996 · 2 votes
Movie7.0DocumentaryDocumentary discussing the casting and making of "Some Like It Hot", the film voted as the Best Comedy ever made by the American Film Institute.
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
2001 · 2 votes
Movie7.0DocumentaryAmiable and unassuming, Fred MacMurray went from small-town boy to one of Hollywood and television's most enduring stars.
Fred MacMurray: The Guy Next Door
1996 · 1 votes
MovieDocumentaryKlaus Kinski is one of the few German actors who has achieved international fame. He made headlines. And disappeared behind them. Kinski lived his parts 24/7. This film tells the story of a man who no longer could understand the difference or distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Movie6.5DocumentaryA profile of the life of actor Walter Matthau.
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
1997 · 2 votes
Movie8.0DocumentaryWarFor the USA, World War 2 was an all-out war - to mobilize the masses, the US government launched a huge propaganda campaign and cinema, the medium of the masses, was quite simply their most important weapon. Government authorities monitored the production of feature films and the military itself produced documentaries aimed at rallying the American people to support the troops. This film tells the story of four Hollywood directors of European origin, who returned to the "Old World" during the Second World War to make propaganda documentaries for the US Army at the front: William Wyler from Alsace, Frank Capra from Italy, Anatole Litvak from Ukraine and - in post-war Germany - Billy Wilder from Austria.
- MovieDocumentary
Movie6.9DocumentaryTV MovieFrench film critic Michel Ciment interviews Billy Wilder about his life and filmmaking.
Portrait d'un homme 'à 60% parfait': Billy Wilder
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
1982 · 11 votes
Movie7.3DocumentaryA funny walk through the life story of Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a cinematic genius; a portrait of a filmmaker who never was a boring man, a superb mind who had ten commandments, of which the first nine were: “Thou shalt not bore.”
Movie6.7DocumentaryTV MovieIn 1988, German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff sat down with legendary director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) at his office in Beverly Hills, California, and turned on his camera for a series of filmed interviews. (A recut of the 1992 TV miniseries Billy, How Did You Do It?)
Billy Wilder Speaks
2006 · 18 votes
Movie7.6DocumentaryBiography on the famous writer-director, Billy Wilder.
Movie9.0DocumentaryA chronicle of the rescue of oppressed intellectuals and artists from Europe before the outbreak of World War II. It studies the cultural and intellectual impact of this emigre population on American life.
The Exiles
1989 · 1 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryAn interview between Volker Schlöndorff and Billy Wilder.
Billy, How Did You Do It?
1992 · 4 votes
Series9
TV7.0An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
The Oscars
1953 · 84 votes
TV9.5Talk ShowMarcello Mastroianni, Isabelle Adjani, Alain Delon, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen... the biggest stars in cinema were welcomed by Christian Defaye on his show Spécial cinéma. Between intimate confessions from actors and immersion in the world of the greatest filmmakers, Christian Defaye took viewers on a journey into the fascinating world of cinema for nearly thirty years.
Spécial cinéma
1974 · 2 votes
TV6.0Talk ShowA talk show presented by Michel Drucker
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975 · 2 votes
- TV5.1
The BBC's flagship cinema review TV program featuring reviews of new releases, news items and interviews. The title of the program changes each year to incorporate the year of broadcast.
Film '72
1971 · 8 votes
TV8.7DocumentaryFamilyCinépanorama
1956 · 3 votes
TV7.4The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978 · 8 votes
TV6.3RealityIn 1973 the American Film Institute initiated its Life Achievement Award, to be presented to a yearly recipient whose talent has fundamentally advanced the film art; whose accomplishments have been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973 · 3 votes
TVDocumentaryTalk ShowA 4-part series of interviews and demonstrations by various artists, authors and performers put on in 1991 for the Viennale film festival (which Herzog directed). Herzog conducts the interviews himself.
TVDocumentaryDirector Billy Wilder is interviewed by German critic Hellmut Karasek and director Volker Schlöndorff about his movies.