Criterion Channel Wrap Up: Five By Billy Wilder

By Christopher James

Having a Criterion Channel subscription often feels like opening Christmas presents each month. Their monthly programming always provides subscribers with curated series from some of the greatest classic artists both domestically and in world cinema. This month, the Criterion Channel decided to honor the legendary director Billy Wilder with a sampling of five of his movies. The legendary Austrian director won six competitive Oscars over his decades-long career, plus an additional Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1988. 

Although—or perhaps because—he was born in Austria, writer, director, and Hollywood legend Billy Wilder saw America more clearly than most, probing its absurdities and hypocrisies with a witty yet lacerating eye. This sampler of five of his finest—including the Tinseltown tragedy Sunset Blvd., scathing media satire Ace in the Hole, and gripping POW drama Stalag 17—showcases the pitch-perfect blend of human understanding and barbed cynicism that defines Wilder worldview.

For this piece, I revisited two of my all-time favorites, re-experienced one I didn't remember well, and discovered two new (to me) gems. Let’s take a look at the films the Criterion Channel chose to highlight...

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All hail the glorious Glenn Close!

by Cláudio Alves

It's been over a week since the Oscars. Despite losing the prize, it's fair to say that Glenn Close came out of it all as a winner. Dancing to "Da Butt" and insinuating Daniel Kaluuya was too young to know Donna Summer's Oscar-winning tune, the most nominated actress never to have won the Academy Award brought needed playfulness to a mostly somber ceremony. The internet was riveted, and Close may have earned another legion of fans if her sterling filmography and acting acumen hadn't done that already. All this, and she's still making news…

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March 29th is the biggest Oscar night, sort of...

Today in Oscar History. Five Oscar ceremonies were held on this date, the most of any night on the calendar (albeit tied with March 25th) so if today is your birthday, congratulations. You're practically a naked gold man!

Gloria Swanson, seated next to Judy Holliday, waits to hear the results of Best Actress

1951 The 23rd annual Academy Awards are held to honor the films of 1950. Fred Astaire hosts the ceremony which is a triumphant night for All About Eve (14 nominations, 6 wins). Though it seems insane given its hallowed place in film history Sunset Boulevard only won two Oscars that night in the categories of Art Direction and Story & Screenplay...

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Happy 91st to Nancy Olson, the last surviving cast member of "Sunset Blvd."

by Nathaniel R

It seems like we've been losing lots of Classic Hollywood people in the past year so we wanted to wish Nancy Olson of Sunset Blvd a very happy and healthy 91st birthday today. She's the last surviving member of that stone cold classic which netted her an Oscar nomination when she was just 22. Olson was such a success in Sunset Blvd that she went on to be paired with co-star William Holden in a few more pictures. Olson has long since retired, her last significant acting gig being in the shortlived primetime soap opera "Paper Dolls" in the 1980s. 

Olson's birthday, paired with Olivia de Havilland's incredible 103rd birthday earlier this month (wow) got us thinking about who is still with us from all time classics pre-1960s because there aren't a lot of them *sniffle*.  So after the jump, a quick perusal of some gigantic classics and the (credited) cast members who are still around to be endlessly grilled about them...

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Blueprints: "Sunset Boulevard"

Happy almost New Year, everyone! In these times of personal transformation, Jorge dives into one of the greatest screenplays ever written.

The all time classic Sunset Boulevard contains a multitude of scenes, and moments, and quotables to pick from and analyze in the page. But since we're close to a new year, let’s take a look at precisely that time in the film, when Joe Gillis decides to finally let go of his old baggage and step fresh into new things. Even if that old baggage is a possessive fading movie starlet...

 

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