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Billy Wilder

Director
Forfans of classic hollywood, film noir, sharp comedy, and screenwriting-driven cinema
18 Reviews 2 Definitions 48 Charts
Comedy Drama Brilliant

The Profile

Billy Wilder (1906–2002) was an Austrian-born, naturalized American filmmaker known for combining sharp cynicism with precise, high-craft storytelling across noir, drama, and comedy.

Publicly known as a major 20th-century Hollywood director, screenwriter, and producer; born in Austria-Hungary (in present-day Poland), later became a U.S. citizen; widely associated with classics including Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and The Lost Weekend.

Across 18 reviews, Billy Wilder comes off as a razor-scripted master who slides effortlessly between noir, drama, and comedy without losing his cynical edge. Reviewers praise his pacing, “bulletproof” writing, and classic Old Hollywood control, while repeatedly noting his ruthless look at American morality, power, and hypocrisy. Standouts include noir landmarks, Hollywood self-portraits, courtroom mechanics, and comedies that feel sweet on the surface and caustic underneath.

Notable Quotes

❝ “Nobody's perfect.”
❝ “I killed him for money and for a woman. And I didn't get the money. And I didn't get the woman. Great deal.”
❝ “I am still big, it's the pictures that got small!”
❝ “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.
❝ “Still wonderful, isn’t it?”
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