Isn't it a little Shakespearean (Elizabethan?) with the cross dressing and the playfulness and comedy and matters of identity and so on and so forth? Its a joy. And the Apartment too. What a great director Wilder was.
I've seen the movie, and I've seen the musical live on tour. It puts a modern spin on the ending that makes it quite sweet! Such a fun show either way.
More modern audiences need to know about Billy Wilder. The man is a fabulous director, and Some Like It Hot is just one fabulous film, right down to its iconic final punchline: "Nobody's perfect".
I also love the shot in the opening scene where bullets plug the casket in the car, only to reveal alcohol leaking from it. Without a word, Wilder tells us instantly that we're in the Prohibition era. Now that's masterful directing!
I think of Billy Wilder as one of the directors I admire most, and yet I've never seen this film! But Double Indemnity, in particular, along with Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, and The Apartment, are among my favorites, and I know I'm neglecting some of his other films. As you say, "fabulous director," and his range in terms of genre is fantastic.
Christopher, I'm actually envious because you get to experience the magic of this film for the first time. Sometimes, I wish I could use the Men In Black neuralyzer to wipe my memory so I could watch my fave films as if for the first time. I do need to check out Ace in the Hole, but that's the thing- he's made so many films that it takes a while to scratch the surface. As you said, his range is fantastic.
I saw this movie with my mother and two sisters when I was a teenager. We loved it and chuckled over it for a long time, quoting lines to each other with bursts of hilarity. I still think of it as one of the most enjoyable, best movies I've seen.
All so true! But there are so many hidden pleasures to this movie: as well as the Cary Grant imitation ("Nobody talks like that") there's also George Raft satirizing his part in Scarface ("Where did you pick up that cheap trick?"). People often forget Raft in this movie, but I think that he is an important part of making it what it is, precisely because he plays it so straight, as if he weren't in a comedy at all.
The film has a French grandparent, which makes the ease you describe stranger still. Some Like It Hot is a remake of Fanfaren der Liebe of 1951, itself a remake of Fanfare d'amour, a French picture of 1935, so the plot crossed two languages and a war before Wilder reached it. What he added is precisely the thing you name, the heat under it, because the earlier versions treat the disguise as a problem of finding work rather than as a life force. It is the best argument for remakes I know, which is not a sentence I write often.
Isn't it a little Shakespearean (Elizabethan?) with the cross dressing and the playfulness and comedy and matters of identity and so on and so forth? Its a joy. And the Apartment too. What a great director Wilder was.
Yeah it is!
I've seen the movie, and I've seen the musical live on tour. It puts a modern spin on the ending that makes it quite sweet! Such a fun show either way.
At the end of a showing here about 10 years ago the entire cinema audience stood up and applauded.
We only had a dozen people last night :(
More modern audiences need to know about Billy Wilder. The man is a fabulous director, and Some Like It Hot is just one fabulous film, right down to its iconic final punchline: "Nobody's perfect".
I also love the shot in the opening scene where bullets plug the casket in the car, only to reveal alcohol leaking from it. Without a word, Wilder tells us instantly that we're in the Prohibition era. Now that's masterful directing!
I think of Billy Wilder as one of the directors I admire most, and yet I've never seen this film! But Double Indemnity, in particular, along with Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, and The Apartment, are among my favorites, and I know I'm neglecting some of his other films. As you say, "fabulous director," and his range in terms of genre is fantastic.
Christopher, I'm actually envious because you get to experience the magic of this film for the first time. Sometimes, I wish I could use the Men In Black neuralyzer to wipe my memory so I could watch my fave films as if for the first time. I do need to check out Ace in the Hole, but that's the thing- he's made so many films that it takes a while to scratch the surface. As you said, his range is fantastic.
Live the rhythm of your essay, just like the movie!
Thanks :)
I saw this movie with my mother and two sisters when I was a teenager. We loved it and chuckled over it for a long time, quoting lines to each other with bursts of hilarity. I still think of it as one of the most enjoyable, best movies I've seen.
So many good lines! “We wouldn’t be caught dead in Chicago.”
Yes! An absolutely wonderful film. Also love the ending/last line, but really every single moment is a joy. A good reminder to watch it again!
All so true! But there are so many hidden pleasures to this movie: as well as the Cary Grant imitation ("Nobody talks like that") there's also George Raft satirizing his part in Scarface ("Where did you pick up that cheap trick?"). People often forget Raft in this movie, but I think that he is an important part of making it what it is, precisely because he plays it so straight, as if he weren't in a comedy at all.
Yes that’s true he’s marvellous
The film has a French grandparent, which makes the ease you describe stranger still. Some Like It Hot is a remake of Fanfaren der Liebe of 1951, itself a remake of Fanfare d'amour, a French picture of 1935, so the plot crossed two languages and a war before Wilder reached it. What he added is precisely the thing you name, the heat under it, because the earlier versions treat the disguise as a problem of finding work rather than as a life force. It is the best argument for remakes I know, which is not a sentence I write often.
I’ll check it out thanks
Brilliant film. Marilyn's always beautiful.
She was.
Only one equally or more beautiful was Tony Curtis.
I couldn't agree more. In fact, Osgood's "well, nobody's perfect" is my motto to navigate this loopy life :)
Brilliant, hear hear.
It is a beautiful film! Would love to hear your thoughts on Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino
Paradiso I LOVE have not seen Postino
One of Our all Time Favorite Movies !
My wife & i ........
Goose it Up a Little !
Some of your writing at its finest! Thank you. Will see it!
Yay!!
Where did you see it?
Some cinema in VA
Sheer pleasure. My number one desert island movie.
Such fun!