THE BEST OF BILLY
Four Classic Films by Billy Wilder

Writer-director Billy Wilder (1906­–2002) made social satire and scalding comedy look easy. A product of the old Hollywood studio system—the assembly line that was allegedly contemptuous of anything artful or unconventional—Wilder brilliantly and consistently established himself as an unforgiving observer of his adopted country. His caustic and brutal observations manifested themselves in charming and sometimes-outrageous comedies, as well as forceful dramas. Join us throughout October as we screen four of Wilder’s best films. And be sure to stick around after each screening for a Q&A with Jordan Brower, assistant professor of English at the University of Kentucky and author of Classical Hollywood, American Modernism: A Literary History of the Studio System (Cambridge University Press, January 2024).

DOUBLE INDEMNITY + Q&A with Jordan Brower

TUE, OCT 8 @ 7:15PM | TICKETS

"Everything about this picture is superb." —Chicago Tribune

"This shrewd, smoothly tawdry thriller…is one of the high points of nineteen-forties films." —New Yorker

"Continues to set the standard for the best in Hollywood film noir." —Rotten Tomatoes

In this classic film noir, insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), who is intent on killing her husband (Tom Powers) and living off the fraudulent accidental death claim. Prompted by the late Mr. Dietrichson's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), insurance investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) looks into the case, and gradually begins to uncover the sinister truth.

ACE IN THE HOLE + Q&A with Jordan Brower

TUE, OCT 15 @ 7:15PM | TICKETS

"Spearheaded by an excellent Kirk Douglas, Ace in the Hole is an incisive and sardonic satire that, much like its opportunistic hero, never lets moral compunction get in the way of a good story." —Rotten Tomatoes

"A lurid pulp indictment of exploitation, opportunism, doctored intelligence, torture for profit, insatiable greed, and shady journalism." —Village Voice

With flaws that outweigh his talent, reporter Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has bounced across the country from job to job. Winding up in New Mexico, Tatum gets work from the local newspaper, but finds that there's not much in the way of pressing news. However, when Tatum catches wind of a treasure hunter (Richard Benedict) trapped in a mineshaft, he turns the story into a media sensation. Soon Tatum is using unscrupulous tactics to draw out the situation, an approach that comes back to haunt him. 

SOME LIKE IT HOT + Q&A with Jordan Brower

TUE, OCT 22 @ 7:15PM | TICKETS

"The film is an outrageous, hilarious, and amazingly unpretentious trip through a funhouse of sexual identities." —Chicago Tribune

"In many ways, the ultimate Billy Wilder film — replete with breathless pacing, transvestite humor, and unflinching cynicism." —Chicago Reader

After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), improvise a quick plan to escape from Chicago with their lives. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female jazz band and hop a train bound for sunny Florida. While Joe pretends to be a millionaire to win the band's sexy singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), Jerry finds himself pursued by a real millionaire (Joe E. Brown) as things heat up and the mobsters close in.

SUNSET BOULEVARD + Q&A with Jordan Brower

TUE, OCT 29 @ 7:15PM | TICKETS

"Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece Sunset Boulevard is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study."  —Rotten Tomatoes

"Dead fame, the grim phantom that often uniquely besets careers in Hollywood, becomes the theme for one of the most remarkable pictures ever produced."  —Los Angeles Times

An aging silent film queen (Gloria Swanson) refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young hack screenwriter (William Holden) to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriters ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness, and death.