Billy Wilderwas one of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s greatest and most revered filmmakers, though he himself was born in Austria in 1906. After a single film he co-directed in the 1930s, he moved to America and began making movies there, finding success in the 1940s and further acclaim throughout the ’50s and ’60s. His output slowed during the ’70s, his final film came out in 1981, and Wilder himself ended up living to the age of 95, passing away in 2002.
He left behind a remarkable filmography, and one that - unlike some directors active during cinema’s earlier years - survives in totality to this day. He has 27 directorial credits to his name,but one of those filmswasa war documentarythat’s hard to include and rank among his other feature films. As such, what follows is a ranking of the 26 feature films he directed (and often wrote or co-wrote),starting with his lesser - though still decent - films and ending with his masterpieces.
26’The Emperor Waltz' (1948)
Starring: Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver
The Emperor Waltzis an oddity within the filmography of Billy Wilder, and has a shot at being deemed the most obscure film the director ever made (were that to ever be a competition for whatever reason). It’san old-fashioned and somewhat awkward musical, centering on a traveling salesman during the early 1900s trying to persuade an emperor to buy a gramophone.
It’s beensuggested that Billy Wilder didn’t look favorablyon this film, and the consensus from looking at user ratings on sites like IMDb and Letterboxd backs this dissatisfaction up.The Emperor Waltzisnot a total disaster by any means, still being well-presented overalland featuring some decent star power thanks to the likes ofBing CrosbyandJoan Fontainein the lead roles, but it’s far from an essential Billy Wilder film, at the end of the day.
Buy on Amazon
25’Buddy Buddy' (1981)
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Paula Prentiss
Buddy Buddywas the final film Billy Wilder ever directed, and though it wasn’t a total misfire, it does stand as an example of the filmmaker potentially being on autopilot, or close to it. The premise sees two mismatched people brought together due to unusual circumstances: one a contract killer staying in a hotel, and the other a man also in the same hotel who’s distraught over his marital problems.
It was one of many movies starringthe iconic comedy duoof Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, the pair best known for movies likeThe Odd CoupleandGrumpy Old Men. It was also the third time the pair had collaborated together with Wilder as director, and one of many times Wilder worked with Lemmon. Those who like comedic crime movies or the duo of Lemmon and Matthau may find value withinBuddy Buddy, but it’s otherwise probably skippable for most.
Starring: Danielle Darrieux, Pierre Mingand, Raymond Galle
From 1981’sBuddy Buddy, the final Billy Wilder film, to 1934’sBad Seed, which was his first movie, and also the only one he co-directed (withAlexander Esway) andthe only film of his to be shot in a language other than English. In this instance, it’s a French movie made before Wilder went to Hollywood, and follows the exploits of a young man starved for cash, and thereby becomes incentivized to join a gang of car thieves.
There are plenty of great French crime movies, butBad Seedisn’t quite one of them, though admittedly, it’s not too bad considering its age. It might be worth a watch for those who consider themselves rather passionate Wilder fans, given this film has his earliest directorial credit. Also, the fact it only runs for 77 minutes means it won’t waste too much of anyone’s time.
Watch on MUBI
23’Fedora' (1978)
Starring: William Holden, Marthe Keller, Hildegard Knef
Billy Wilder’s penultimate film was 1978’sFedora, and it ended up beingone of his more subdued and dramatic works. It shines a light on the inner workings of the American film industry, and has a plot that involves a man trying to get an actress to come out of retirement after some years spent out of the spotlight.
That premise might sound a little familiar to anyone who’s a fan of one of Wilder’s best-known movies about a certain boulevard released in 1950 (more on that later), butFedoradoesn’t have quite the same bite or depth as that film, nor his other great ones. There’s value here inseeing an aging filmmaker using one of his films to look back on the industry he worked within for decades, but for the most part, the movie really is just decent.
22’The Spirit of St. Louis' (1957)
Starring: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Patricia Smith
Somewhat uncharacteristic of Billy Wilder,The Spirit of St. Louisshowed whatthe filmmaker wascapable of making within the biopic genre. Wilder directed plenty of movies about people who felt real, or may have been inspired by real people, but it was rarer for him to make genuine historical movies explicitly about people who actually lived.
In this instance, at leastThe Spirit of St. Louishas an interesting central subject, being aboutCharles Lindbergh, an ambitious aviator who, in 1927, made a solo trans-Atlantic flight that lasted 33 hours and saw Lindbergh traveling 3600 miles. Wilder captures the man’s life and focuses on this particular achievement of his in a way that’s relatively compelling (James Stewartis also reliably good in the lead role), though the film never truly or spectacularly soars, unfortunately, despite its high-flying narrative.
Rent on Apple TV
21’Kiss Me, Stupid' (1964)
Starring: Dean Martin, Kim Novak, Ray Walston
On paper,Kiss Me, Stupiddoes sound like it should – or could – be something of a Billy Wilder classic, but it ultimately falls a little short of greatness (while still being an alright watch). It sees the filmmaker right in his wheelhouse, given this is a blend of romance and comedy genres that dealt with some fairly risqué things for its time, and much of Wilder’s late ‘50s and early ‘60s works were defined by these sorts of traits.
It’s ultimately a farcical story that involves lounge singers, songwriters, call girls, and disgruntled wives,all thrown into a comedic blender and generating some – but not quite enough – laughs along the way. Wilder at least assembled a good cast for what ended up being a decent movie, withDean MartinandKim Novak(ofAlfred Hitchcock’sVertigofame) doing their best to giveKiss Me, Stupidsome extra energy, and kind of succeeding.
Watch on Hoopla
20’The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes' (1970)
Starring: Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page
There’s no shortage ofSherlock Holmesadaptationswithin the world of film and television, and not even Billy Wilder could resist putting his own spin on the classic detective character.The result was the flawed yet still underratedThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, which feels like a more comedic and even surreal take on the titular character than one might expect.
The humor and surprises found withinThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmesmake it worth digging out, and it’s one of many compellingly written movies that Wilder co-wrote with his frequent collaboratorI. A. L. Diamond. It might not pleaseSherlock Holmespurists, and it’s definitely a little messier than the films that showcase Wilder at his best, but it’s still a good bit of fun and an overall easy-to-appreciate movie.
Watch on Tubi
19’The Front Page' (1974)
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Susan Sarandon
Seven years beforeBuddy Buddy, Billy Wilder directed both Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau inThe Front Page, which ended up being the director’s third-last movie. Considering it came so late in his filmmaking career,it’s honestly not bad, though getting released duringsuch a great year for cinema (1974)has ultimately led to the film being buried, to some extent, by its contemporaries.
The Front Pageis another fast-paced comedy by Billy Wilder, and narratively centers on a journalist who’s feeling exhausted from work (honestly, who can’t relate?) and wants to step away, though this puts him at odds, perhaps predictably, with his boss.The Front Pagehas a relatively simple premise, but this works in its favor, as it’s a straightforward, mostly enjoyable, and very much unpretentious comedy with two legendary funnymen in the starring roles.
Watch on Netflix
18’The Seven Year Itch' (1955)
Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes
Going by pop culture,The Seven Year Itchcould be up there with Billy Wilder’s most influential and well-known movies, considering the scene within it that featuresMarilyn Monroe’sdress being blown up by a passing subway train. Everyone’s likely seen at least a still image of that scene, but it’s one small part of a movie that, overall, works pretty well, even if it’s not entirely a classic.
The Seven Year Itchfollows apretty unlikable protagonist going through a midlife crisis, and he’s not quite as well-written as other flawed yet compelling main characters from Wilder’s better movies. Monroe is good for what she’s given,but her best work with Wilder would be shown in another movie later in the 1950s(it’ll be outlined all in good time).The Seven Year Itchis a good Wilder film, but not quite a great one, and it might not be as well-remembered if it weren’t for that subway/dress scene.
17’Love in the Afternoon' (1957)
Starring: Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier
Billy Wilder had a big year in 1957, considering there were three films of his that came out during those 12 months, and all belonged to different genres. One was the aforementioned biographical adventure filmThe Spirit of St. Louis, another was the courtroom dramaWitness for the Prosecution, and the third was another romantic comedy, this one calledLove in the Afternoon.
Narratively,Love in the Afternoonrevolves around a young woman in her 20s (played byAudrey Hepburn) falling in love with an older playboy (played byGary Cooper),leading to various complications; some comedic, and some played for drama. It’s not an outstanding film, but parts of it hold up well enough for it to be something of a minor classic for its time, and it’s of course hard to resist a movie with two stars as big as both Hepburn and Cooper in the lead roles.
