We
all love Gene Wilder, right? His wide-eyed innocence and ability to reach a comic,
near-hysterical emotional state (“My name is FRANKENSTEEN!!!”) were
trademarks for this gentle, brilliant actor who graced a few classic pictures
of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Remembering
Gene Wilder,
a documentary directed by Ron Frank, written by Glenn Kirschbaum, and
co-executive produced by Julie Nimoy (Leonard’s daughter, since Wilder and
Nimoy were great friends), is now a Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber, but it’s
also available on Netflix. The 92-minute picture is a touching, warm, and
affectionate look at Wilder’s career, and it hits all the right buttons for a
“Gene Wilder-101” crash course in who he is and what he did.
And
that’s about it.
The
late actor is indeed all over documentary. He appears in many clips from
television interviews, his films, and home movies, and his voice-over narrates
a lot of it… and there are several talking heads who sing the man’s praises—Mel
Brooks (especially), Alan Alda, Carol Kane, Mike Medavoy (Wilder’s manager), Wilder’s
fourth wife, Karen Wilder (nee Webb), and several others.
The
film takes us from Wilder’s beginnings, where he grew up as Jerome Silberman in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and decided to become an actor/comedian when his mother
developed heart issues. Her doctor advised young Jerry to always attempt to
make his mom laugh. He was bitten by the stage bug at an early age and pursued
that career from the get-go. After some stage appearances, including a
supporting role on Broadway in Mother Courage—which starred Anne
Bancroft—he got his big break. Bancroft was married to Mel Brooks. Brooks was
looking for an “innocent” and special actor to play Leo Bloom in a picture from
an original screenplay Brooks had written entitled Springtime for Hitler.
The title was eventually changed to The Producers. The movie got made
and was released in 1967 to critical acclaim. Brooks got an Oscar for his
script and Wilder was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Just prior to the
release of The Producers, Wilder had done a small but very memorable
part as a hilarious “hostage” in Bonnie and Clyde (also 1967).
Then
came the likes of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), which,
although not a box office hit at the time, did a lot to raise Wilder’s stock in
the industry (his signature song from the movie, “Pure Imagination,” is quite
apt in describing the actor). It was working with Brooks again in 1974 on Blazing
Saddles and Young Frankenstein (which Wilder co-wrote), that
solidified the actor as a comic genius. To the end of his life, Wilder would
cite Young Frankenstein as his favorite picture.
Wilder
went on to write and sometimes direct movies—some successes and some not. His
collaborations with Richard Pryor in the mid-70s was a high point (Silver
Streak, 1976, for example). Wilder quietly gave up acting in the 1990s
except for an occasional television or stage appearance, and in the 2000s
concentrated on painting and writing stories, novels, and a memoir.
Wilder’s
much publicized marriage to comedienne/actress Gilda Radner is highlighted, as
well as its subsequent tragic ending. But the actor’s later romance and
marriage to Karen Webb, a clinician for the New York League of the Hard of
Hearing, provides the story with a somewhat happy ending until Wilder’s own battle
with Alzheimer’s.
Yes,
Remembering Gene Wilder is lovingly made, is sweet and funny and
something his fans will certainly enjoy… but it feels as if there is a lot
missing. There is no mention of Wilder’s first two wives, for example, and
there is no critical analysis of the several movies Wilder made toward the end
of his career that, well, bombed.
Nevertheless,
the personality of Gene Wilder does indeed shine through in this journeyman
documentary. Those eyes… those wonderful blue eyes that were so expressive
dominate the movie in ways that will haunt the viewer long after seeing the
picture.
Kino
Lorber’s Blu-ray presents the film with optional English subtitles and 5.1
surround and 2.0 stereo sound options. Bonus features include extended
interviews with Brooks, Kane, Karen Wilder, Harry Connick Jr., Burton Gilliam,
Ben Mankiewicz, Peter Ostrum, and Alan Zweibel, plus the theatrical trailer.
For
fans of Gene Wilder, of course, but also for Mel Brooks aficionados.
