08/20/2002 Entry:
"The Lost Weekend - Billy Wilder (1945)
One, Two, Three - Billy Wilder (1961)"

Two classic old Billy Wilders I hadn't seen before. Actually I don't think I've really seen much of any Bill Wilders before. Double Indemnity and Some Like It Hot are about it prior to last weekend.

The Lost Weekend is that rare beast, a drunk movie I didn't mind too much. The subject matter did get fairly despairing after a while, but somehow I never lost my fascinatiion for it. Throughout the whole thing you never quite lose your sense of hope in Birnam.

One thing the film does really well is it sets up payoffs later without being incredibly obvious about it. The typewriter is the perfect example of this. It disappears, and I remember around that point wondering what happened to it, but not really thinking about it. Then later when it shows up again, its totally great. There is a subtlety at work here which is missing from recent Hollywood films. Wilder doesn't hit you over the head with things but leaves them to figure out for yourself. There are some pretty great shots too. The bottle projected on the ceiling from the lamp, Nat's arm shooting in from off frame to hand off a glass of water, nice compositions everywhere.

One, Two, Three was another animal entirely. I had wanted to see this for quite a while, and I was really happy when I saw it on The Music Box's schedule. Man, I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. I am so glad i saw this on the big screen with a crowd of people. The communal feeling in a non-stop slapstick comedy like this really enhances the experience. Not only is it funny, it's a seriously great piece of filmmaking. It's shot in beuatiful widescreen black and white, and every composition is perfect. The screenplay is so tight, there's not a single piece of dialog wasted. And while the pacing is frenetic, the editing is often pretty laid back, relying on the screenplay and the actors to move it along. The scene where Cagney is barking out orders and snapping his fingers is all one shot I think, although it feels like its all over the place. Most modern directors would be cutting all over the place. I'm sure many people would describe this movie as in-your-face, but there is still so much subtlety going on here, especially in the screenplay. Again, like Lost Weekend, Wilder doesn't hit you over the head with things, and thus your mind stays in the movie. There is so much balance and give and take, I really need to see it again just to examine the filmmaking, because the first time through was just spent cracking up. I had so much fun at this, which I'm ready to declare one of the great comedies of all time. Alas, only available on pan and scan VHS, which I can't even imagine seeing. There was a widescreen laserdisc released at one time, maybe I'll try and find that on ebay or something.