The Classics Shelf is an ongoing retrospective of classic cinema produced monthly by writer Bil Antoniou in collaboration with other writers in the That Shelf stable. This months edition is a celebration of the work of the great Billy Wilder, a director who made more than his share of outright classics. I contributed short reviews for two films: 1953’s Stalag 17 and 1957’s Witness for the Prosecution.
Stalag 17 is a broad, zany comedy featuring the antics of a couple of class clown-type characters and a World War II wartime drama about men in captivity, and how a community can turn against one of its own when its members are tired and afraid. It shouldn’t work, but there is a reason Wilder is regarded as one of the greatest directors, as his film walks a knife edge between its two genres, delivering on both while compromising on neither. It’s quite the feat, and one that could only be accomplished by a master of the art.
There’s a reason why Agatha Christie’s stories have been told and retold and adapted and re-adapted so many times over the years: they’re all classics. Witness for the Prosecution is no exception. This 1957 film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Director for Wilder, and it’s easy to see why: there are several all-time great performances and exactly no wasted frames.
Read the full article here: https://thatshelf.com/the-classics-shelf-billy-wilder/