Conversations with Wilder

Rating:
Summary: An apt successor to Hitchcock-Truffaut...
Review: ...but a portrait of a very different artist. While Hitchcock was a "pure" director, Wilder was a writer who directed. Tired of seeing other directors misinterpret his work, Wilder took on the job himself. Crowe followed the same route, and the one-time Rock 'n Roll fanboy shows the evolution of his own character into a student of film, and interviews the aging master with the reverence and unabashed enthusiasm he once bestowed upon the long-haired idols of his youth. His journey into the world of Wilder is more personal than Truffaut's extended conversation. We read of the amazing dinner parties with the Wilders, who are two of the most genuinely funny people you could imagine. This is why the exploration of Wilder as a filmmaker is based more in storytelling than in the brilliant images that Hitchcock created. It offers a perfect complement for those who wish to see all sides of the filmmaking process, or at least what it used to be when these geniuses were in their prime.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Billy Wilder has given us some of the greatest films ever made, and there has been remarkably little attempt (or success) in achieving an insight into what drives him, how he works, what he loves and what he regrets. Give thanks, then, that Cameron Crowe has stood up for all us Wilder fans and given us this book which only a fan could write and which everyone can learn from.

To be clear, this book is not like the Hitchcock/Truffaut book of interviews it is oft compared to. In that book, Truffaut went through each and every film with Hitch. That book is as much about how the movies were made as about the man who made them. "Conversations With Wilder" is just that. It's transcribed interviews and conversations, where the topic can run from the last line of "The Apartment" to how Wilder escaped from Nazi-era Germany.

Fans of classic movies should not be without this book. Even if you've never seen a Wilder film in your life (and if you haven't, then you're missing out on the movies which shaped modern filmmaking), this book is filled with on-set pictures, stories about stars ranging the gamut from William Holden to Claudette Colbert, and, best of all, interplay between the old guard and the new guard. Crowe handles the conversations deftly, and keeps them from dropping down to the level of a sycophantic fan.

Simply, this is one of the best portraits of a director ever put to paper. And if you've never seen classics like 'The Apartment' or 'Some Like It Hot' or 'Ace in the Hole,' after reading this you won't be able to stop yourself from clearing the shelves of Billy Wilder films. Celebrate genius, buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful biography.
Review: Billy Wilder is a man who loved making pictures (his term), and a man who takes responsibility for what he put on the screen. In this book-long interview by fellow filmmaker/writer Cameron Crowe, Billy Wilder's humanity shows through - most definitely in his association with Marilyn Monroe, with whom he made The Seven-Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. Here was an actress who gave him plenty of headaches on the set, but reading between the lines one can see his appreciation for what she brought to the screen. He is frank when discussing his regrets, the greatest of which was never making a picture with Cary Grant, and shows a great ability to recognize his failures as well as his successes. Crowe, an obvious Wilder fan, deserves much credit for drawing so many insightful observations from this man who devoted his life to the motion picture industry - first, in his mind, as a writer and then as a director - and, while asking nothing in return, he shows great delight that his best work is appreciated. This book is better than Truffaut's interviews with Hitchcock and is a must-read for any true fan of the movies. After reading it, one will surely appreciate Wilder and his contibutions to the movie industry.

Rating:
Summary: Not quite as thorough as Hitchcock/Truffaut
Review: Cameron Crowe does a great job of getting Billy Wilder to "open up," for certain. There was many interesting anecdotes and facts I previously did not know, so this book is the page-turner everyone proclaims it to be. Crowe does a good job at kibbitzing an answer out of the somewhat stubborn Wilder. However -- since Crowe consciously based the format of this book on the Hitchcock/Truffaut interviews of 1966 -- it is lacking in certain areas.

Firstly, many of the photographs are horribly transferred stills from the movies, which were taken from video, not film. The pixelization is sometimes so horrible as to wipe out almost half of the information. As there are many more photos done by this makeshift method (most of the others are publicity stills or of Wilder, Hollywood movie stars, etc, not from the actual movies), it would seem to me that the publisher (not some dinky independent, but Alfred A. Knopf, major player over here) could have gone the extra mile and made some high-quality stills from the studios' answer prints. Since they didn't, however, this volume appears "rushed to market."

Second, Crowe's organization is horrible: Unlike Hitch/Truffaut, it sort of meanders from movie to movie and then back again. It's organized chronologically (by interview session, not movie), and often goes back over movies already discussed, because Crowe forgot some question or another. Also, Crowe doesn't go much into the bit players and character actors at all. I mean, HOW COULD HE GO AN ENTIRE VOLUME ON BILLY WILDER WITHOUT EVER MENTIONING SIG RUMAN (who was to Wilder as Leo G. Carroll was to Hitch) or Cliff Osmond?

Perhaps, it's because Crowe spends more time dropping the name "Jerry Maguire" every other page or so (as long as he was shamelessly self-plugging, why not "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," a much better movie?). Tom Cruise -- who's never been in a Wilder movie -- is listed in 10 different pages in the index. Also (unlike Truffaut) Crowe goes to great lengths in order to insert himself into the text, including going over a house call by Wilder's doctor, a lunch with Wilder and his wife, phone calls Wilder is taking , etc. (in Hollywood, these are called "gratuitous scenes").

Lastly, the end notes list (with big backdrops of those horrible pictures from VHS) the credits, but they are very incomplete, and don't list most of the technicians or supporting cast.

All-in-all this book is very good, but heavy editing is needed to give it a semblance of chronology, and Crowe's gratuitous and voluminous self-referencing really could do with a ruthless editor's red pen. That, and some quality stills, would have made a good read a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Rather disappointing
Review: I admire both Crowe and Wilder as filmmakers, but I was not impressed with what I read of this book. Crowe seems to me a lightweight interviewer -- he adopts the same sycophantic tone used by Truffaut in his famous interviews with Hitchcock. Perhaps one could have done no better; Wilder is, after all, in his 90s, and is probably not inclined to give answers in much detail. He is easily distracted, and Crowe is kept busy just keeping the conversation on topic. The book is fun to read, but I don't think it gives much insight into Wilder's art.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: I've become incredibly obsessed with Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire and his new Untitled film and I admit to buying this book because I was more looking for insight about Cameron Crowe, not Billy Wilder. However, I must say that I was curious as to why Crowe chose a director I hadn't been exposed to yet (I'm a young filmmaker without much depth). I got what I wanted -- learned a great deal about Crowe and learned without seeing any of Wilder's films why he is who he is. I've now run out and watched many of Billy Wilder's films, largely because of my curiousity stemming from reading the wonderful interviews. Wilder is what I personally hoped some famous directors would be like -- quick witted, hillarious, and sweet.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: If you wish to know more about how movies are made and the importance of various specialist's input to a successful film, read this book. Billy Wilder downplays his position but aptly describes the various functions of moviemaking.

As I am of his era, it is most interesting to me to hear about the many stars of the 30's and 40's and their talents. I read this book based on others who have reviewed this book and their 4 and 5 star awards. I was not disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Part of the bible
Review: In the tradition of Hitchcock/Truffaut, a young master of the craft interviews an old one. One difference from the earlier book, Wilder's productive career was over, so covered entirely if not exhaustively by this book. After a slow start, a little too much of how Crow got to do this, the book jumps into an anecdotal, charming and literate discussion of Wilder's movies, Wilder's career and Hollywood movie-making. If you have any interest at all in these areas, this is a must read book.

If you are interested in screenwriting this isn't a must read book, this is part of the bible.

Rating:
Summary: Billy Wilder interviews are engaging film history
Review: Young writer-director Cameron Crowe begged legendary writer-director Billy Wilder to do a cameo in his film "Jerry McGuire." Wilder refused the role, but agreed to a series of interviews. The result, "Conversations With Billy Wilder," is a lively account of Wilder's amazing life and influential career. It also stands as an insightful lesson on filmmaking and film history. Wilder made classic films, including "Some Like It Hot," "The Apartment," "Double Indemnity" and "Sunset Blvd." Now in his 90s, Wilder hasn't made a movie for years. But he's consistently cited as an influence by such modern filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Crowe. Wilder is not given to biography or bragging, but Crowe (a former rock journalist) gets the old man talking about his films, his stars (Marilyn Monroe drove him crazy), his opinion of today's films (loved "Gump," hated "Titanic") and his early days in Berlin and Vienna. Wilder's wit and memory are sharp, which makes listening to him via these interviews a total joy. "Conservations" makes it clear that Wilder views himself as a writer who also directs. Wilder's careful attention to character and plot development is the reason his films remain vital, and why so many modern filmmakers emulate him. The book contains several side treats. One is the chance to see the friendship between Wilder, the old master, and Crowe, the young talent, develop and deepen. To use a movie comparison, it's a little like Luke and Yoda. It will be interesting to see how the friendship impacts Crowe's next film. Another treat is seeing the elderly, somewhat frail Wilder take great pleasure in having lunch, sipping a martini or betting on football. The book also contains numerous photos from Wilder's life and brief descriptions of all of his movies. Particularly given his reluctance for self-promotion, "Conversations with Billy Wilder" is a gift for anyone who loves movies.