Billy Wilder DVD Poll (1 Viewer)

[Greg Mariotti]

Cameron Crowe has expressed interest in putting together one or more Billy Wilder special edition dvd's in the future. Either films that have yet to be released, or re-releases of existing dvd's (The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, etc.). These may also contain audio commentaries since Cameron can edit something together from his hundreds of hours of interview footage (when making Conversations with Wilder). Here's where you come in:
I want your Top 5 Wilder Dream DVD's (new or re-releases), please be specific on any extra features for each DVD..
Thanks
Greg Mariotti
The Uncool: Cameron Crowe Online
www.theuncool.com

 

[Patrick McCart]

The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie, Double Indemmity, Stalag 17, and The Lost Weekend are my picks.

 

[MichaelGH]

the above five all sound good but what I'm dying for is some release (even barebones) of 1-2-3 ...one of my favorite comedies although a bit dated in subject matter

Michael

 

[Rain]

The Apartment is desperately in need of a better transfer.

 

[Henry V]

I'd like to see the Billy Wilder films that haven't been released on DVD in a proper version first before any Special Editions or Extra Special Editions are released to milk the market for a re-release of the very same print.
So I vote for...
1."Double Indemnity"
2."Five Graves To Cairo"
3."Ace In The Hole"
4."The Spirit of St. Louis"
5."Midnight" (which he co-wrote)

 

[Larry Sutliff]

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, THE APARTMENT and SOME LIKE IT HOT are three that I would go with, largely because they could all use a better transfer. Extra features similiar to those on the superlative SUNSET BOULEVARD DVD would be nice.

 

[Dick]

I second Henry's choices. ACE IN THE HOLE is way-y-y- underseen; DOUBLE INDEMNITY is one of his best, and the DVD previously released (now OOP) doesn't count as it was so godawful. FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO has never been released except on VHS, which also barely counts. SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS is one of his few widescreen films and has an underated James Stewart performance. Can't claim to have seen MIDNIGHT, but based upon Henry's other four choices, I'd recommend it as well.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

#1 want - PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - restored as much as possible to its original vision.

ACE IN THE HOLE
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
ONE TWO THREE

 

[Chucky P]

Stalag 17
The Apartment
One, Two, Three
The Lost Weekend
Ace In The Hole

 

[Larry Sutliff]

#1 want - PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - restored as much as possible to its original vision.

How could I have forgotten that one? That goes to the top of my list as well.

 

[MaxR]

ooh! can't he do it for all of them?
okay.. my five would be:
~ the apartment
~ stalag 17
~ one two three
~ double indemnity
~ some like it hot
i would love to have a billy wilder comments for these, especially the apartment.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

1. ONE TWO THREE (I don't care about special features, I just want this one on DVD)
2. THE BIG CARNIVAL/ACE IN THE HOLE (ditto)
3. THE APARTMENT (better transfer, audio commentary, maybe some of Alexander Trauner's sketches for set designs)
4. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (with whatever extra footage survives)
5. KISS ME, STUPID (maybe an extra on the controversy that surrounded it)

 

[BarryM]

My suggestions:

1. A FOREIGN AFFAIR
- The film Wilder made right before "Sunset Boulevard" is a first rate comedy starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Lund. Everything's right about this movie.
2. ONE, TWO, THREE
- perhaps one of the 5 funniest movies of all time with a rapid-fire performance by James Cagney.
3. MIDNIGHT
- Directed by Mitchell Leisen, this is one of the best screenplays written by Wilder and Charles Brackett. Starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, Mary Astor, Francis Lederer and John Barrymore (in one of his best movie performances).
4. THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR
- Wilder's first directed film, starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland....another all-time comedy classics.

Thanx a lot, in advance, Mr. Crowe

 

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here are my top 5 choices:

THE APARTMENT (improved transfer)
ONE, TWO, THREE
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (original cut if possible)
LOST WEEKEND

The only extras I would ask for these are:
-the original theatrical trailer
-commentary edited from Wilder interviews

 

[oscar_merkx]

my 5 choices would be

1) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

2) Stalag 17

3) One, Two, Three

4) Ace in the Hole

5) The Apartment

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Double Indemnity
It's just wrong that this great movie is no longer available on dvd!

 

[Jae E]

My choices:

1. Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
2. Double Indemnity
3. Witness for the Prosecution
4. Sabrina

Difficult to say on the extras, since I have no idea what's available, but obviously, some commentary from archived interviews with Wilder and the trailers would be welcome.

 

[Roderick Gauci]

Here are my Top 5 Most Wanted Billy Wilder DVDs - with the relevant extras, as requested:

1.ACE IN THE HOLE (1951; aka: THE BIG CARNIVAL) – Audio Commentary by Wilder biographer/film historian; Reconstructed Audio Commentary with Billy Wilder/Cameron Crowe; Interview with Kirk Douglas; Alternate Title Sequence (THE BIG CARNIVAL); Original Theatrical Trailer; Cast & Crew Biographies/Filmographies; Production Notes; Photo/Poster Gallery; a featurette on the treatment of journalism in film history.

2.FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO (1943) - Audio Commentary by Wilder biographer/film historian; Reconstructed Audio Commentary with Billy Wilder/Cameron Crowe; Original Theatrical Trailer; Cast & Crew Biographies/Filmographies Production Notes; Photo/Poster Gallery; featurette on the various screen portrayals of General Erwin "Desert Fox" Rommel; any newsreel footage of the real General Rommel.

3.THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1970) - Audio Commentary by Wilder biographer/film historian; Reconstructed Audio Commentary with Billy Wilder/Cameron Crowe; Deleted Scenes/Reconstructions; Original Theatrical Trailer; an interview with Christopher Lee; Cast & Crew Biographies/Filmographies; Production Notes; Photo/Poster Gallery; the four original Arthur Conan Doyle stories initially tackled in the film read aloud or reprinted as text pages on the DVD itself.

4.DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) - Audio Commentary by Wilder biographer/film historian; Reconstructed Audio Commentary with Billy Wilder/Cameron Crowe; Original Theatrical Trailer; Cast & Crew Biographies/Filmographies Production Notes; Photo/Poster Gallery; the James M. Cain novella read aloud or reprinted as text pages on the DVD itself (if it isn’t too long!); a featurette on the cinematic world of film noir.

5.THE LOST WEEKEND (1945) - Audio Commentary by Wilder biographer/film historian; Reconstructed Audio Commentary with Billy Wilder/Cameron Crowe; Original Theatrical Trailer; Cast & Crew Biographies/Filmographies Production Notes; Photo/Poster Gallery; a featurette on the treatment of alcoholism in film history.

I wouldn’t know whether any of this is even available or can ever become at least remotely possible, but it sure would make these classics get the red carpet treatment they truly deserve on the DVD format.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE LOST WEEKEND, of course, have already been released on disc, but I’d rather stick to my battered prints on VHS until a better re-release comes along. Likewise, given their bare-bones DVD edition, I did not see any reason why I had to pick up STALAG 17 (1953), WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957), THE APARTMENT (1960) and THE FRONT PAGE (1974), since I already had them on VHS. It goes without saying that I would change my mind instantly were they to be re-issued as quality discs like SUNSET BOULEVEARD (1950) – although I still have to pick up the latter DVD myself (shameful, I know). I do have the R2 SE of SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959), though, but I still haven’t gotten around to watching it!

On the other hand, there are some more wonderful Billy Wilder films which have never even been released on DVD: THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR (1942); A FOREIGN AFFAIR (1948); ONE, TWO, THREE (1961); AVANTI! (1972) and one which I have never watched myself, FEDORA (1978).

By the way, we also need such early Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett-scripted gems like BLUEBEARD'S EIGHT WIFE (1938), MIDNIGHT (1939), NINOTCHKA (1939), ARISE, MY LOVE (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941) and (a reissue of) BALL OF FIRE (1941) on DVD. MIDNIGHT, in particular, is utterly deserving of a superb SE like the one Criterion gave to Gregory LaCava's MY MAN GODFREY (1936) - and will no doubt be giving again to Ernst Lubitsch's TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932) a couple of weeks from now!

 

[Eric Peterson]

This is a tough list to trim down, but here goes.
1.Ace in the Hole - This is #1 most wanted movie on DVD.

1. Commentary with Kirk Douglas (Probably a dream, but what the heck)
2. Commentary with Cameron Crowe or other Wilder Scholar
3. Orignal opening title & alternate titles as extra
4. Information on Floyd Collins mining incident.
5. Information on the release & renaming
6. Script to Screen Comparison[/list=1]
   2.One Two Three - One of my Top 5 comedies ever
   1. Commentary with any actors
   2. Commentary with Cameron Crowe or other Wilder Scholar
   3. Featurette on the building of the Wall
   4. Script to Screen Comparison[/list=1]
      Edited 1/6/02
      3.Kiss Me Stupid - Great comedy w/ a cult following
      1. Restored original scene w/ cleansed version as extra
      2. Any footage w/ Peter Sellers
      3. Information on the controversy around this film
      4. Commentary with Kim Novak & Felicia Farr
      5. Commentary with Cameron Crowe or other Wilder Scholar
      6. Script to Screen Comparison[/list=1]
         4.Double Indemnity
         1. Re-mastered video & audio
         2. Commentary with Cameron Crowe or other Wilder Scholar
         3. Original deleted ending with Gas Chamber
         4. Script comparison to original James Cain Novel
         5. Script to Screen Comparison
         6. Making of Documentary
         7. Information on getting this past the censors[/list=1]
            5.The Apartment
            1. Re-mastered video & audio
            2. Commentary with Shirley MacClaine (Probably a dream)
            3. Commentary with Cameron Crowe or other Wilder Scholar
            4. Script to Screen Comparison
            5. Making of Documentary[/list=1]
               I would have listed Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, but from my understanding this movie has been assembled as good as possible on the LD that I have. I would love to see this ported over to DVD, but it's not a priority of mine.
               A secondary list would be.
               1. A Foreign Affair
               2. Avanti!
               3. Stalag 17 (SE)
               4. The Front Page - This movie needs to be seen Widescreen
               5. Spirit of St. Louis
               6. The Major & The Minor
               7. Five Graves to Cairo
               I think I'll stop now.

 

[Adam_S]

the top five wilder movies I want on DVD are
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
I desparately want this film, it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen, thank god for my taped off TCM OAR (2.35:1) vhs.

1. One, Two, Three
2. The Apartment Special Edition
3. Double Indemnity Special Edition
4. Ace in the Hole
5. Private Life of Sherlock Holmes[/list=1]
   Billy Wilder is one of the all time writer and/or director gods, all his films should get the royale treatment and be available on dvd
   Adam