Conversations with Wilder (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Conversations with Wilder, an invaluable, photo-intensive volume, is a kind of remake of Truffaut's must-read interview book Hitchcock, with Cameron Crowe in the inquisitive Truffaut role and wily 93-year-old Billy Wilder as the crafty master director. Drawing on his experience interviewing the monsters of rock and his deep, shot-by-shot knowledge of Wilder's work, Crowe gently and cunningly coaxes answers from Wilder--arguably today's most influential living director--on what made his hits tick and his flops suck, along with glimpses of what might have been. Did you know Mae West and Mary Pickford spurned Sunset Boulevard and Wilder spurned Marilyn Monroe for Irma la Douce? That The Apartment was inspired by Brief Encounter and the look of Double Indemnity was based on M? The gossipy insights are great too. Bogart spat when he talked, so Wilder couldn't back-light him in Sabrina, and Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe woman had to towel her off after each take--discreetly! Wilder loathed Raymond Chandler (partly because Chandler disdained James M. Cain when adapting Double Indemnity) but gives him his due as a screenwriter: Chandler could do dialogue and descriptions, but he couldn't construct a scene. "He was a mess, but he could write a beautiful sentence," says Wilder. Agatha Christie was the opposite: "She had structure, but she lacked poetry."

Some critics scoff at Crowe (who cried while directing emotional scenes in Jerry Maguire) for taking on the cynic Wilder. But they're brothers under the skin. Both leaped from popular music journalism to directing. Both incorporate actual events in their films. Wilder keenly regrets not filming this scene in The Spirit of St. Louis, which he claims really happened: the night before his historic flight, Lindbergh's handlers talked a pretty waitress into having sex with him. They claimed he was a virgin, and likely to die on his voyage. In the hero's parade upon his return, she waves at him through the ticker-tape, but he doesn't see her. "Would have been a good scene," mourns Wilder. Without this book, we'd never have known about it. --Tim Appelo

Review

"A world-class director interviews the Master, and every line is fascinating. As with Zen and the Art of Archery and other texts about mastery, the shock of pleasure in reading this enlightened and affectionate conversation is the utter simplicity that comes with true mastery. There is laughter too, as with anything first-rate in this form. Wilder and Crowe don't waste time on theory or generalities, and the result -- as in their film work -- is truth, pure and simple." -- Mike Nichols

"It's always best to hear straight from the director about his own work. This book of interviews is just that: rich in information and autobiographical detail, filled with wonderful anecdotes and observations, often irreverent and hilarious, and sometimes surprisingly moving. Cameron Crowe's book is like Wilder's best films: sharply observed, absolutely succinct and precise, funny but always with a very strong, serious foundation. Billy Wilder is one of the few genuine masters we have left, from a period in film history that is now gone. Which makes Conversations with Wilder all the more precious and valuable." -- Martin Scorsese -- Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (November 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375406603
• ISBN-13: 978-0375406607
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #392,724 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful and engaging read from start to finish, December 10, 1999

By A Customer

"Conversations with Wilder" is an insightful and engaging book about the elusive and curmudgeonly Billy Wilder, one of the great filmmakers of the last century. Not being from his generation (nor Crowe's, for that matter) I knew very little about Billy Wilder other than The Apartment and Some Like It Hot. Crowe's book is extremely entertaining and filled with amazing photos from Wilder's life, both cinematic and personal.

More than that, "Conversations" mines deep into the bowels of Wilder's mind and pulls out gem after gem, great stories of an era in Hollywood that has long since passed. Just to hear (read) Wilder speak of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, etc... and to get intimate details of Wilder's relationship with these luminaries, his thoughts and anecdotes about working with them, makes "Conversations With Wilder" well worth the trip. Crowe also manages to humanize Wilder, bringing out the charm, intelligence and of course the great Wilder wit, still very much alive at age 93.

As much as I enjoyed the interview portions (a great majority of the book) I equally enjoyed Crowe's interludes, describing Wilder with great insight, and weaving many humorous anecdotes himself about the great Wilder and Crowe's journey in writing the book.

This book is a must read not only for Wilder junkies, film fans, and anyone who has an interest in a time that has come and gone in American cinema, but is an entertaining read for the neophyte as well (like me). Highly recommended!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Reading for Any Film Buff, November 23, 1999

By	Steven K. Marshall "Steve Marshall" (Little Rock, AR, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just burned through this book in record time. Seeing Billy Wilder's thoughts and reflections upon his work is a true joy. His memory and acuity are amazing for anyone, but in particular for the 91-year-old man he was during this series of taped interviews with writer/director Cameron Crowe. Wilder's body of work almost comprises a compact history of the film medium. In assessing his own accomplishments, the maestro is both brash and humble. If you have anything more than a passing interest in film as an art form, this book is not to be missed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super, Moving, Funny History of Movies in US, January 17, 2000

By	MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Cameron Crowe, the author of this terrific book, knows not only what questions to ask but WHY he is asking those questions. Crowe has done his homework and knows almost as much about Billy Wilder as Wilder does, himself. Crowe reminds him and prods and teases and the result is one of the most interesting books I've ever read about Hollywood movies and the "system" that used to control them. The reader becomes so "friendly" with Wilder and Crowe throughout the book, that the ending becomes very moving. I recommend this book to any student of film of any age & anyone who just loves movies.