Billy Wilder's

The Lost Weekend
$14.98
I remember this movie from long ago...it still has a strong impact. I'm using it with my substance abuse clients.
Product was in great condition.

Billy Wilder Speaks
$24.95
The maker of this documentary and director Billy Wilder originally intended what was filmed here to just be a dry run of what would be the later actual interview portion of a documentary on Wilder's career. The two sit down in Wilder's crowded office and Wilder just starts talking about the various aspects of his long career. The one stipulation that Wilder made was that this footage not be released in his lifetime. Wilder and the interviewer go back and forth between German and English - depending upon what language best expresses the points they wish to make - with helpful subtitles for those of us who speak English when either speaks German.

Wilder says some things that don't surprise me - for example that Jack Lemmon was the definition of a professional. Wilder would not have used him so much and Lemmon would not have been such a great performer had that not been the case. However, Wilder's insights into Marilyn Monroe were new to me. He said while making "Some Like it Hot" that sometimes they would spend all day trying to get one take in which Marilyn had just one line, to the point where he wanted to pin the line to the wall so she could just read it. Other days she would come in and have pages of dialogue memorized. He also had some interesting things to say about making films on the Holocaust immediately after the war and the impact they had on German audiences at the time.

At any rate, this dry run turned out to be so good that it became the actual interview. I highly recommend it to people who are interested in Billy Wilder's career, since it is almost entirely Billy Wilder talking about the projects he worked on, his philosophies of filmmaking, and the people with which he worked. It's a fascinating documentary.

On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder
$17.45
Superb. Exhaustive and well-written. This book provides a view into one of the greats. I had seen a number of Billy Wilder movies before reading the book, but now I have much more appreciation of the man and his accomplishments. After finishing this biography, I have resolved to watch as many of his movies as I can.

If you want to learn about how one individual can go from a rural outpost of a decaying empire to a preeminent position in the center of the world's image maker, read this book. A compelling story of a compelling life.

Love in the Afternoon
$19.98
I really love "Love in the Afternoon"! I had a big kick out of it and I don't understand why some people dislike it.

To me, the film is a masterpiece. It succeeds in so many levels like no other romantic comedy. The story is wonderfully acted and told. Intelligent script explores human soul layer after layer- all the silly things we do when we are in love and all the illogical explanations which we make to justify our madness, it is all there. The underlying dramatic theme,that love often breaks our hearts is seasoned with the right dose of humor to provide a pleasant comic relief. The movie is beautifully shot and the music score is to die for. The two leads, Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn have tremendous on-screen chemistry and make a fantastic,fun to watch on-screen couple. The supporting cast and "The Gypsies" are pretty amazing too.

Gary Cooper is Frank Flannagan, a handsome American, very wealthy, mature and confirmed bachelor. He likes women, champagne, everything luxurious and lives live to the full. He never gets serious about a relationship. His philosophy is "Don't get attached. People should always behave as though they were between planes". A fateful meeting with beautiful, young French Ariane changes his attitude. She saves his life and they spend together his last afternoon in Paris. He leaves for America and forgets her. She doesn't forget him, she is deeply in love. A year later they meet again and this time he falls for her, but she plays mysterious and elusive, and drives him crazy. Eventually they come together by the end of the film -a beautiful, romantic and memorable end!

I really enjoyed the movie and laughed out loud at the many funny scenes. There is one particular scene, where Flannagan, totally obsessed with Ariane and jealous of "her past" falls into pieces. He drinks the whole night and listens to Ariane's voice message in which she tells him of her "itemized list of lovers". The Gypsies play his favorite music. There are trolleys loaded with alcohol literally "flying" forward &backward between Flannagan and the band, while his playing Ariane's message zillion times forward and backward, and the music starts and stops in the same manner. Hilarious!

Gary Cooper's ability to maintain delicate balance between the dramatic and the funny side of the situation is unsurpassable! His age did not bother me the slightest. On the contrary, I thought, at 56 he is still a great actor and strikingly handsome man. His body is lean and well toned , he is wonderful to look at and worthy of love. And as a matter of fact the age difference between Flannagan and Ariane is a crucial point in the story.

Gorgeous, classy and talented Audrey Hepburn is delightful to watch. I will never forget her in the final scene. She makes it so moving! Gary Cooper is amazing too. Actually, amazing is understatement. Flannagan is forced to make the toughest decision in his life and he must make it fast, now or never! Cooper has no lines, only a few words for the last five minutes screen time, but his tormented facial expression says it all. I felt his desperation and pain as though, I was on that departing train deciding "to be or not to be". The final could have easily become too syrupy but it isn't. There is no sugar-coated dialog and no excessive weeping, and it works magnificently.

The message I got from the film is that true love has no age and conquers all. If you are among the few lucky ones who have found their match, surrender completely and enjoy your "life sentence"!

I could keep on writing and marvel about the film but my review is long enough as it is. I hope, I gave you some idea what to expect and I am leaving you now to make your mind up. If you decide to go ahead and see "Love in the Afternoon" the chances are you will enjoy two very nice and memorable hours. Seriously, they don't make'em like that anymore!