Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

 

New Acquisition: Double Indemnity (1944)

 

Double Indemnity (1944)

 

Buddy Buddy (1981)

 

During a high profile Mafia testimony case in California's Riverside County, a hired killer checks into a hotel room near the courthouse, while his depressed next-door neighbor wants to commit suicide due to marital problems.

From memory: Although this remake of L'emmerdeur is directed by Billy Wilder and presents the otherwise always irrepressible Matthau/Lemmon team, it's a tired and disappointingly unfunny comedy; even Klaus Kinski in a supporting role as an unsympathetic doctor can't help enliven the story.

Halliwell (no star): "Painful remake of the French L'Emmerdeur...Lugubriously funny at times, but generally much less attractive than the original." 

Maltin***: "Modest black comedy...A simple farce, played to perfection by Lemmon and Matthau..."

Double Indemnity (1944)

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

The Apartment (1960)

Midnight (1939)

 

 

 

A chorus girl stranded in Paris is set up by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man, while being romantically pursued by a cab driver. 

 

From memory: Classic Mitchell Leisen screwball comedy is fast-paced, witty and full memorable scenes.

 

Halliwell***: "Sparkling sophisticated comedy which barely flags until a slightly disappointing ending; all the talents involved are in excellent form."

 

Maltin+++1/2: "...near-classic comedy written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Barrymore's antics are especially memorable." 

Some Like It Hot (1959)

On the set: Orry-Kelly and Marilyn Monroe

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

On the set: Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe

The Fortune Cookie (1966)

A crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury.

Typically black Billy Wilder comedy outstays its welcome a bit, but the star duo Lemmon-Matthau is worth the watch.

Halliwell*: "Flat, stretched-out, only occasionally effective comedy which relies too much on mordant attitudes and a single star performance."

Maltin***: "Biting Wilder comedy...Matthau's Oscar-winning performance hits home."

Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder

Sabrina (1954)

A playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family's chauffeur, but it's his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.

Billy Wilder delivers with his usual expertise, humor and pacing in this entertaining comedy romance, and Audrey Hepburn is perfect in the title role, but the casting of the two much older male leads makes it all seem quite implausible.

Halliwell*: "Superior comedy, rather uneasily cast."

Maltin***1/2: "...good vehicle for Hepburn...Offbeat casting works in this fun film."

Gary Cooper and Billy Wilder

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

A veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.

Stalag 17 (1953)

When two escaping American World War II prisoners are killed, the German POW camp barracks black marketeer is suspected of being an informer.

A typical Billy Wilder mixture of humor and drama, an ensemble piece,  highly entertaining, but politically a bit dubious, if not dated.

Halliwell**: "High jinks, violence and mystery in a sharply calculated mixture; an atmosphere quite different from the understated British films on the subject."

Maltin****: "The pinnacle of all WW2 POW films...Wilder brilliantly blends drama with comedy to show monotonous, anxiety-ridden life of POWs."

A gathering

A gathering in Los Angeles, 1972: (from left to right standing) Robert Mulligan, William Wyler, George Cukor, Robert Wise, Jean-Claude Carrière, Serge Silberman;
(seated) Billy Wilder, George Stevens, Luis Buñuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Rouben Mamoulian.

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

On the set: Cecil B. DeMille, Billy Wilder and Gloria Swanson

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Sabrina (1954)

On the set: William Holden and Audrey Hepburn