AllMovie

The globally acclaimed writer-director and Golden Palm recipient Volker Schlondorff (The Tin Drum, Swann in Love) - helms the 71-minute documentary Billy Wilder Speaks, on the life and career of one of Hollywood's most brilliant cinematic craftsmen - the man responsible for Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Some Like it Hot, and numerous other legendary motion pictures. In a series of protracted one-on-one interviews conducted by Schlondorff, shot just prior to Wilder's death and never before seen until now, Wilder recalls the highs and lows of his extraordinary six-decade career in the industry, with many vastly entertaining anecdotes along the way - telling his story from the inside, and sharing the insights he gained into the filmmaking process and his personal take on Hollywood politics and ethos. Schlondorff illustrates the discussion with a once-in-a-lifetime assemblage of rare archival footage, artwork, movie clips and photographic stills.