Billy Wilder on Assignment
Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna
Billy Wilder, Noah Isenberg, Shelley Frisch
- English
- ePUB (adapté aux mobiles)
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Billy Wilder on Assignment
Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna
Billy Wilder, Noah Isenberg, Shelley Frisch
Ă propos de ce livre
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, chosen by Tom Stoppard "A revelation."âMarc Weingarten, Washington Post Acclaimed film director Billy Wilder's early writingsâbrilliantly translated into English for the first time Before Billy Wilder became the screenwriter and director of iconic films like Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, he worked as a freelance reporter, first in Vienna and then in Weimar Berlin. Billy Wilder on Assignment brings together more than fifty articles, translated into English for the first time, that Wilder (then known as "Billie") published in magazines and newspapers between September 1925 and November 1930. From a humorous account of Wilder's stint as a hired dancing companion in a posh Berlin hotel and his dispatches from the international film scene, to his astute profiles of writers, performers, and political figures, the collection offers fresh insights into the creative mind of one of Hollywood's most revered writer-directors.Wilder's early writingsâa heady mix of cultural essays, interviews, and reviewsâcontain the same sparkling wit and intelligence as his later Hollywood screenplays, while also casting light into the dark corners of Vienna and Berlin between the wars. Wilder covered everything: big-city sensations, jazz performances, film and theater openings, dance, photography, and all manner of mass entertainment. And he wrote about the most colorful figures of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Prince of Wales, actor Adolphe Menjou, director Erich von Stroheim, and the Tiller Girls dance troupe. Film historian Noah Isenberg's introduction and commentary place Wilder's piecesâbrilliantly translated by Shelley Frischâin historical and biographical context, and rare photos capture Wilder and his circle during these formative years.Filled with rich reportage and personal musings, Billy Wilder on Assignment showcases the burgeoning voice of a young journalist who would go on to become a great auteur.