Extreme Creativity

Some might consider him a genius, for others he is just a manipulator of emotions, for those, that is, that think to be more original than his class.

Elia Kazan was an informer and a traitor, Leni von Riefenstahl a Nazi convinced of the superiority of the Aryan race, Cecil B. De Mille a fascist, not to mention Roman Polanski and his well-known scandals, including the sex abuse of a minor. But they are all extraordinary directors, who have written some of the most brilliant pages in the history of cinema. So, why does everyone attacks Lars von Trier for being a perfect fool, and a genius?

Billy Wilder: immortal genius

When The Artist won the Academy Award for best movie, Michel Hazanavicius, the director, wanted to thank three people for this success: Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder. He had mentioned him before as well, when he was giving his ritual speech for winning as best director. This guy must really like Billy Wilder, mustn’t he?  The fact is that I don’t see who cannot like this absolute master, writer and director, of comedy in all its forms and declinations. Billy Wilder is definitely my favorite artist of the old Hollywood, and I must say that I struggle to find a heir. Active from the 30s to the 80s, with the peak of his career from the late 40s to the 60s, Wilder considered himself a writer more than a director and, in fact, he was more prolific with the screenplays. My favorites are the ones where he was both writer and director, but in his long career he delivered tons of masterpieces, working with the best of the best, always a guarantee of success for his producers and distributors.