Billy Wilder Speaks (TV) [2006]

Billy Wilder Speaks (2006) (TV)



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0823715/




Billy Wilder Speaks serves as the title of a documentary given its U.S. television premiere by TCM in 2006 on what would have been the centennial of Wilder's birth. The documentary, directed by acclaimed German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff and Gisella Grischow, has been edited by Bret Wood to feature length from a three-part interview conducted with Wilder for German TV in 1988.



Wilder (1906-2002), in expansive form and alternating between English and German, speaks with great candor and wit about his life and career. Born in Vienna, he moved to Berlin as a young man and began his film career there as a screenwriter. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the Jewish Wilder fled to the U.S. via France and Mexico. His mother and other family members left behind perished in concentration camps. After a period of struggle in Hollywood, Wilder teamed with fellow writer Charles Brackett to create a long line of distinguished scripts.



Wilder began his U.S. directing career in 1942, putting his cynical yet sparkling style to memorable use in a series of classic films.



Original version directed by Volker Schlondorff

International version produced by Bret Wood

BW & C-71 m. Closed Captioning.