Video Interview: Billy Wilder (with I.A.L. Diamond)
Okay, this is priceless. A French documentary dude somehow managed to cajole Billy Wilder into agreeing to an interview. Not just one sitting. In this 2+ minute excerpt, we see Wilder at his Malibu retreat, Wilder at his office with I.A.L. “Izzy” Diamond doing a little schtick for the camera, even get to see the great writer-director flying a kite. Just for the record, here is a complete list of movies that Wilder and Diamond collaborated on:
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
One, Two, Three (1961)
Irma la Douce (1963)
Kiss Me Stupid (1964)
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
Avanti! (1972)
The Front Page (1974)
Fedora (1978)
Buddy, Buddy (1981)
That’s 12 movies, 7 in a 10-year span, including two absolutely great movies — Some Like It Hot and The Apartment. Incredible. And with this video, you get to catch a rare glimpse of the duo together.
[Originally posted 8/10/08]
UPDATE: In a nice bit of synergy, turns out Kid in the Front Row has been doing a blog series this week on The Apartment. Both of us agree, it’s a perfect movie. You should check out his posts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Part 2 focuses on the screenplay.