Grand

A rare short film by Max Ophuls, one of two music pieces he made at this time. Chopin’s VALSE BRILLANTE, treated by the Diving Max as an opportunity for rhythmic cutting, architectural wipes, elegant camera moves and playful angles. Pure form!

Bashful Film Directors With Their Shirts Off

Otto Preminger preserves some mystery.

Funny Guy

Since regular Shadowplayer Mark Medin reminded me of Billy Wilder’s swan song BUDDY BUDDY — a pitiably grating and unfunny farce about a suicidal TV censor and a hitman — I thought I’d share the one funny thing that came out of it. It doesn’t quite make up for the film’s disappointing status, a black mark on Wilder’s otherwise exemplary career, but what can you do? As Wilder’s near namesake William Wyler (“It’s like in painting: Monet, Manet, who cares?”) William Wyler told John Huston after an unsuccessful screening of BEAT THE DEVIL, “It’s the kind of picture that, when you make one, you want to make another picture right away.” Alas, Wilder was denied that opportunity.

Anyhow, Wilder’s filming with Lemmon and Matthau (that team! It ought to be good!) and Matthau has to slide down a laundry chute. A simple stunt, and there’s a crash mat at the bottom to catch him. But the mat is incorrectly positioned, and the poor man clips the base of his spine on a hard metal edge (are you laughing yet?). An ambulance is called, and Lemmon, an emotional man, is sobbing as he cradles his injured friend’s head.

“Can I get you anything?” he sobs. “Are you comfortable?”

And Matthau looks up at him with those big canine eyes –

“I make a reasonable living.”