Conversations with Wilder

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Summary: Great reading for all Wilder fans and film buffs.
Review: Cameron Crowe's Conversations With Wilder pairs over six hundred black and white photos of film stills and camera work with a literary presentation of Cameron Crowe, one of the best writer-directors of modern times. This will appeal to a wide audience; from those involved in the arts to others who want an in-depth survey of the man's achievements.

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Summary: A must read for anyone interested in a genius film maker
Review: Cameron Crowe's insightful interviews reveal the good, the bad, the ugly and the brilliance of one of Hollywood's greatest talents.

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Summary: Excellent!
Review: Cameron Crowe's interviews with the legendary Billy Wilder are wonderful with a direct, personal approach; Wilder reveals just how seemingly easy his masterpieces were made. Recommended for anyone who loves film.

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Summary: Crowe gets to the heart of Wilder
Review: Cameron Crowe, a filmmaker in his own right (Jerry McGwire, Say Anything), interviews the legendary Billy Wilder. It's obvious pretty early on that Crowe is a student of Wilder's work. He knows about the most obscure movies and remembers the anecdotes he's read from the many Wilder biographies. Wilder answers everything with humor and grace. His memory is exceptional as he recalls details such as Bogart spitting when he talked in SABRINA, Joe DiMaggio's reaction to the SEVEN YEAR ITCH, and the disasterous 1st preview of SUNSET BOULEVARD (The audience laughed at the original beginning). Besides the interview Crowe also recounts his efforts to convince Wilder to take a small but important role in JERRY MCGWIRE. Wilder feigned interest, but ultimately declined the offer. I also liked that Crowe got Wilder's take on Marylin Monroe's "suicide." Later though, you wonder if that opinion had more to do with his love of John F. Kennedy than his own independent analysis. Either way, you leave the book wishing that Wilder had been making pictures these past 20 years.

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Summary: Super, Moving, Funny History of Movies in US
Review: Cameron Crowe, the author of this terrific book, knows not only what questions to ask but WHY he is asking those questions. Crowe has done his homework and knows almost as much about Billy Wilder as Wilder does, himself. Crowe reminds him and prods and teases and the result is one of the most interesting books I've ever read about Hollywood movies and the "system" that used to control them. The reader becomes so "friendly" with Wilder and Crowe throughout the book, that the ending becomes very moving. I recommend this book to any student of film of any age & anyone who just loves movies.

Rating:
Summary: Rather disappointing
Review: I admire both Crowe and Wilder as filmmakers, but I was not impressed with what I read of this book. Crowe seems to me a lightweight interviewer -- he adopts the same sycophantic tone used by Truffaut in his famous interviews with Hitchcock. Perhaps one could have done no better; Wilder is, after all, in his 90s, and is probably not inclined to give answers in much detail. He is easily distracted, and Crowe is kept busy just keeping the conversation on topic. The book is fun to read, but I don't think it gives much insight into Wilder's art.

Rating:
Summary: Rather disappointing
Review: I admire both Crowe and Wilder as filmmakers, but I was not impressed with what I read of this book. Crowe seems to me a lightweight interviewer -- he adopts the same sycophantic tone used by Truffaut in his famous interviews with Hitchcock. Perhaps one could have done no better; Wilder is, after all, in his 90s, and is probably not inclined to give answers in much detail. He is easily distracted, and Crowe is kept busy just keeping the conversation on topic. The book is fun to read, but I don't think it gives much insight into Wilder's art.

Rating:
Summary: Must Reading for Any Film Buff
Review: I just burned through this book in record time. Seeing Billy Wilder's thoughts and reflections upon his work is a true joy. His memory and acuity are amazing for anyone, but in particular for the 91-year-old man he was during this series of taped interviews with writer/director Cameron Crowe. Wilder's body of work almost comprises a compact history of the film medium. In assessing his own accomplishments, the maestro is both brash and humble. If you have anything more than a passing interest in film as an art form, this book is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: For the hardcore Wilder fan...perhaps obscure for others
Review: I picked this up since I was familiar with Cameron Crowe's work both as a writer and filmmaker. While I was somewhat aware of Wilder's work (I've only seen "The Lost Weekend" and "Sunset Boulevard"), I'd recommend this book only to hardcore Wilder fans; much of the book Crowe spends time asking Wilder about why/how he got a certain shot, or how certain actors did or did not fit a certain role of a certain film (Wilder reiterates on several occasions that he always wanted Cary Grant in his pictures but couldn't get him) - this is all minutiae that the casual reader will not care much about. Still, Crowe makes ample use of his journalism expertise to get Wilder to open up (alas, we don't learn much about his life save for how he met his second wife and a bit about his time as a writer in Berlin before he immigrated to the U.S.) and it was nice to see how the Fan and Master became friends over the course of these interviews. Also, very nice graphic design, layout and photographs that complement the subject matter throughout the book. I plan to revisit "Converstaions with Wilder" once I've rented some more of Wilder's films, and I'm sure it will be a better read next time around.

Rating:
Summary: For the hardcore Wilder fan...perhaps obscure for others
Review: I picked this up since I was familiar with Cameron Crowe's work both as a writer and filmmaker. While I was somewhat aware of Wilder's work (I've only seen "The Lost Weekend" and "Sunset Boulevard"), I'd recommend this book only to hardcore Wilder fans; much of the book Crowe spends time asking Wilder about why/how he got a certain shot, or how certain actors did or did not fit a certain role of a certain film (Wilder reiterates on several occasions that he always wanted Cary Grant in his pictures but couldn't get him) - this is all minutiae that the casual reader will not care much about. Still, Crowe makes ample use of his journalism expertise to get Wilder to open up (alas, we don't learn much about his life save for how he met his second wife and a bit about his time as a writer in Berlin before he immigrated to the U.S.) and it was nice to see how the Fan and Master became friends over the course of these interviews. Also, very nice graphic design, layout and photographs that complement the subject matter throughout the book. I plan to revisit "Converstaions with Wilder" once I've rented some more of Wilder's films, and I'm sure it will be a better read next time around.