The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

As the opening credits of Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes roll, the personal effects of John Watson (Colin Blakely) are examined. Among them are letters from Watson to his heirs. One of those letters talks about his days with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens).

Wilder was a Holmesian and had tried unsuccessfully twice before to make an adaptation. (A musical, no less!) Now finally given the opportunity, he and I.A.L. Diamond initially came up with a film that ran over three hours long. It's this heavy editing that makes the final product clunky; you can tell that it's missing something in its flow.

While not as strong as prior Wilder-Diamond collaborations, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes has a certain charm to it. The film serves as both a parody and a deconstruction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famed (and most personally loathed) creation. It's little wonder it served as inspiration for Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss when they made Sherlock.

That said, the film doesn't have Wilder's particular touch to it. Lacking the sharp cynicism and sardonic wit usually found in the director's work, it also has elements that are out of place for both Wilder and Doyle. Still, there's a particular amusement amid the oddity.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes may not be top-tier Wilder but seeing Hollywood was beginning a new movement, he shows that he's not going to retire like his contemporaries just yet. (He'd make four more movies after this.) That being said, it was clear that he was becoming old hat. Oh, well; nobody's perfect.

My Rating: ***1/2

One, Two, Three

Usually some directors have a certain style to their work after a few films. Sometimes it's how the characters interact. Other times it could just be the genre the films fall under. Either way, you can sometimes tell the film you're watching is one of theirs without seeing their name in the opening credits.

Take for instance Billy Wilder. His films more often than not feature sharp banter and even sharper opinions on politics. (Granted, the former gets more recognized than the latter.) That;s usually why his films have endured all these years later.

With One, Two, Three (a follow-up to the one-two punch of Some Like It Hot and The Apartment), Wilder takes aim at the then-simmering Cold War. (The Berlin Wall was being built during filming.) And with Wilder being one of Hollywood's big names to flee Europe as Hitler rose to power, he doesn't sugarcoat Germany's past actions either.

Wilder frequently knows whom to cast for particular roles in his films and hits the nail on the head as a result. Some instances include playing against type (Humphrey Bogart in Sabrina, Fred MacMurray in The Apartment). And the latter category definitely fulfills James Cagney's work in One, Two, Three. (Seeing the fast pace most of his lines are delivered, it's no surprise that Cagney went into retirement after making this.)

One, Two, Three feels more manic than some of Wilder's other films, almost to the point where it resembles more to a Mel Brooks film. That said, there are other aspects that are pure Wilder. It's not as great as his other comedies but when Wilder's name is attached to a film, you know you have to seek it out.

My Rating: ****

The Fortune Cookie

For over two years now, I have been an unapologetic admirer of Billy Wilder. How could you not like him? The man had enough humor and wit to shame anyone who dared to upstage him.

His 1966 film The Fortune Cookie stars regular/favorite actor Jack Lemmon as a TV cameraman injured from filming a football game. Like many of his other roles, you support him because of the many hardships he endures. Besides, who doesn't like Jack?

The Fortune Cookie is notable for being the first of many movies between Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and for good reason too. Their scenes together are just some of the best comedy captured on film. And Matthau is particularly a scene stealer as Lemmon's brother-in-law/lawyer. No surprise on how he got the Oscar.

This was Wilder's last big success (though not his last movie), but you can still tell that he had that stamina within him. This was also made when the Production Code was on its last legs, and there are the expected sly jokes (and then some). All in all, this has Billy Wilder written all over it.

The Fortune Cookie is undoubtedly one of Wilder's best. More than once I caught myself laughing out loud. It definitely gets up there among the ranks of Some Like It Hot and The Apartment.

My Rating: *****

Witness for the Prosecution

I said before that Billy Wilder is one of the few directors who can do drama and comedy excellently. And with nine of his movies down the hatch, the claim has still held up.

Esteemed barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) has just returned to practice after suffering a heart attack and supposed to be put on a diet of bland bland civil suits. But the case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is accused of murdering a wealthy widow, proves irresistible, particularly when Sir Wilfrid meets the accused's wife, the remarkable Christine Vole (Marlene Dietrich). Christine appears as a witness: not for the defense, but for the prosecution.

Witness for the Prosecution is a well-acted courtroom drama from Wilder. Laughton, Power, Dietrich and Elsa Lanchester (she play Sir Wilfrid's nurse) all play their roles excellently, Dietrich especially. She meets the criteria for a Wilder woman: dangerous and manipulative. The script is infused with Agatha Christie's wit and Wilder's humor. My opinion on the ending? Well, let's just say it reminded me of the ending for Primal Fear.

My Rating: *****

Ace in the Hole

Sunset Boulevard. Double Indemnity. The Apartment. Some Like It Hot. These are titles that most people associated with Billy Wilder. Sometimes, he has titles that aren't as well known.

Journalist Charles Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has recently taken a job at a small New Mexico newspaper. Not a lot of big news come through, so it's almost a relief for Tatum when he becomes aware of a store owner of a nearby town getting trapped in a cave-in. Tatum turns the story into a media frenzy.

How in God's name was Douglas ignored for an Oscar nomination? He handles the role with such intensity it almost hurts. His role of Charles Tatum adds to the list of Billy Wilder anti-heroes (other great examples include Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity and William Holden in Sunset Boulevard). At least Wilder's screenplay got nominated. Like Douglas' performance, the dialogue is so tense it almost hurts. To think the ironically named Ace in the Hole bombed upon its release. Now it's considered a must-see. Go figure.

My Rating: *****

Double Indemnity

I admire when Billy Wilder ventures into comedy (The Apartment, Some Like It Hot) because I know you're gonna get a good laugh. But when he does drama (The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard), I'm just as entertained.

Insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) becomes entangled in a plot to murder the husband of Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) for money. The scheme goes perfectly. Perhaps too perfectly as Neff's colleague Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) grows suspicious of the supposed accidental death.

I like the tense feeling throughout the movie, as well as the screenplay Wilder co-wrote with Raymond Chandler. MacMurray and Stanwyck deliver the performances of their careers with this. Along with comedy, film noir is one genre Billy Wilder is a master of.

My Rating: *****

Sabrina

The 1954 movie Sabrina marks a few things for me. It's the seventh movie I've seen directed by Billy Wilder, as well as the sixth with Humphrey Bogart and the fourth with William Holden. But it's the first movie I've seen featuring the always elegant Audrey Hepburn.

Linus (Bogart) and David Larrabee (Holden) are the two sons of a very wealthy family. Linus is all work -- busily running the family coporate empire, he has no time for a wife and family. David is all play-- technically he is employed by the family business, but never shows up for work, spends all his time entertaining, and has been married and divorced three times. Meanwhile, Sabrina Fairchild (Hepburn) is the young, shy and awkward daughter of the hosehold chauffeur, who has been infatuated with David all her life, but David hardly notices -- "doesn't even know I exist" -- until she goes away to Paris for two years, and returns an elegant, sophisticated, beautiful woman. Suddenly, she finds that she has captured David's attention, but just as does so, she finds herself falling in love with Linus and vice versa.

The correct mixture of romance and comedy is evident throughout. The romance between Holden and Hepburn is a little more believable than the romance between Bogart and Hepburn. Wilder's direction and writing is dead-on (as usual).

My Rating: *****

Stalag 17

Along with Tim Burton, I'm a fan of the work of Billy Wilder. Although I've only seen five of his movies, I know enough that he's a versatile director.

Life at a German POW camp is considerably normal, excluding the numerous attempted escapes. However, the prisoners in one barrack grow suspicious of Sgt. J.J. Sefton (William Holden), who always seems to get what he wants from the guards and he bets against the aspiring escapers. Is he a spy?

I really admire the tense writing of Wilder. I also like how Holden's character you want to like, but you can't bring yourself to do that. The movie itself is brilliant.

My Rating: *****

Some Like It Hot

Although I've only seen four of his movies, I know enough that Billy Wilder is a skilled director. I've seen his two Best Picture winners (The Lost Weekend, The Apartment), a film noir (Sunset Boulevard) and his best comedy (Some Like It Hot), the latter I shall be reviewing.

Musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are both down on their luck. They accidently witness a gang shooting and, to evade the gangsters, pose as women under the aliases of Josephine (Joe) and Daphne (Jerry) and join an all-girl band. However, band member Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) catches Joe's eye and Jerry catches the eye of aging millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown).

I have only one thing to say about Some Like It Hot: it's HILARIOUS. I mean, great performances, smart dialogue and the best closing line in movie history makes Some Like It Hot what it is: a classic that gets better with age.

My Rating: *****

Sunset Boulevard

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

That is the immortal final line of Billy Wilder's 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard.

A body is found floating in the pool of a decaying mansion. In flashbacks, we find out that the body was that of hack screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) and the mansion belonged to faded movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Gillis was hired by Desmond to write her comeback. But as the months roll by, Gillis starts losing interest in the project.

Is there one genre Billy Wilder can't do? I mean he's done comedy (Some Like It Hot), war (Stalag 17), romance (Sabrina, The Apartment) and of course film noir (Double Indemnity). Honestly I can't think of one, so that's a sign he's a very versatile director.

My Rating: *****

The Apartment

Having just covered one Billy Wilder movie, I thought I might do another one.

C.C. "Bud" Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a popular employee at an insurance agency. He's popular because he loans out his apartment to other employees for their (ahem) "other business". Because of this, Baxter's neighbors think he's a Don Juan. Baxter has an interest in elevator girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), but becomes heartbroken when he finds out that she's seeing his boss Jeff D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). After a failed date at Baxter's apartment with Sheldrake, Fran tries to commit suicide. As she's recovering, Baxter interest in her comes back.

It felt kinda weird for me to watch a comedy from Billy Wilder, since just a few months before I saw a very serious drama by him. But it definitely pays off. The dialogue is clever, the acting is great, and the movie is one for the ages.

My Rating: *****

The Lost Weekend

When the name Billy Wilder is mentioned, the most common movie titles thought are Some Like It Hot and The Apartment. But Mr. Wilder did more than the occasional comedy. He did film noir (Double Indemnity), war (Stalag 17), and drama (Witness for the Prosecution). Another drama from him is The Lost Weekend.

Don Birnam (Ray Milland), a struggling writer and long-time alcoholic, is planning to leave on a trip with his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) for the weekend. Don has been on the wagon for over a week, but his cravings are starting to control him. He manages to evade going on the trip, and he begins a weekend long drinking binge. His girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman) grows concerned about Don, but he choses booze over Helen as he slowly descends into self-destruction.

The Lost Weekend is considered a landmark film because it was one of the first movies to discuss the topic of alcoholism. Later movies focusing on the same topic, such as Days of Wine and Roses and Leaving Las Vegas, feature nods to Wilder's movie.

My Rating: *****