By Dean Brierly
Joe Jordan, the writer and
film historian who applied his prodigious research and keen analysis to acclaimed
books on the movies of Robert Wise and William Castle, has now focused his
critical acumen on one of Hollywood’s most legendary directors in “Magic Time:
The Films and Scripts of Billy Wilder.” (BearManor Media, 2023)
Born in 1906, Wilder worked
as a journalist before turning to film. He initially made his mark writing film
scripts in Germany before emigrating to America and pairing up with screenwriter
Charles Brackett on such classic pictures as “Midnight” (1939), “Ninotchka”
(1939) and “Ball of Fire” (1941). The two continued working together as Wilder
graduated to the director’s chair on “Double Indemnity” (1944), “The Lost
Weekend” (1945) and “Sunset Boulevard” (1950), before terminating their
partnership upon completion of the latter. Wilder then teamed with screenwriter
I.A.L. Diamond on another run of classics, inclusive of “Ace in the Hole”
(1951), “Some Like it Hot” (1959 and “The Apartment” (1960).
From the beginning to end of
his directing career, Wilder was an authentic auteur, one whose films were
easily identifiable by their visual elegance, sardonic wit and often-dark take
on human nature. Few were his equal at blending cynicism and romanticism. Wilder
maintained this distinctiveness over an extraordinary range of material—film
noir, screwball comedy, wartime thriller, courtroom drama, Cold War satire.
“Magic Time” is another
standout addition to the body of critical literature devoted to the great
filmmaker. Following the recipe of his book “Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures”
(2020), Jordan treats each film to its own chapter. Chapters 1 through 10 cover
the films Wilder worked on as screenwriter only; chapters 11 through 35 on
those he made as a director/writer. Jordan briefly describes the historical and
social context at the start of each new production—including Wilder’s personal
and professional circumstances, his state of mind, his thoughts about the
actors and crew—before launching into a lengthy comprehensive synopsis, leaving
out no detail or plot point. The effect is almost like watching the film unfold
in one’s mind, so if it’s been awhile since you’ve seen, say, “A Foreign
Affair” (1948), Jordan brings you up to speed as he touches on narrative, theme,
tone, performance—the total fabric of the film, liberally interspersed with
classic quotes courtesy of Wilder–Bracket or Wilder–Diamond.
Despite including an amazing
amount of exposition, detail, observation and analysis about each film, the
chapters are relatively brief, with Jordan’s insights and information delivered
in clear, user-friendly language. Thanks to its structure, one can read the book
straight through from start to finish, or simply open to a random chapter to get
a fun, fresh slant on a favorite Wilder film.
Even if you’ve seen a
particular film many times, Jordan can still surprise and enrich you with his
critical acumen. I thought I was on familiar terms with every narrative aspect
of “Sunset Boulevard,” which is in essence the story of three aspiring writers,
but I never gave much thought as to the myriad ways in which those three
narratives contrast and compete with one another, or the degree to which they
inform and direct the film’s overall narrative.
There are many such examples
embedded within this book. One cannot come away from reading it without having
gained new insight and appreciation for the classic Wilder films that we almost
know by heart. But if Jordan helps us see familiar favorites through new eyes,
he also makes a strong case for getting to know lesser-regarded Wilder films
such as “The Emperor Waltz” (1948) and “Fedora” (1978).
Jordan amusingly ends “Magic
Time” with an extended addendum titled “101 Motifs, Catchphrases and More (From
A to Z)” that rounds the book off in an offbeat manner, listing numerous recurring
narrative, object and dialog tropes—including Bolsheviks, catchphrases, card
games, cities in Ohio, close calls, monocles, sharing of cigarettes and more—that
can only be termed Wilderian.
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