Billy Wilder Film Collection - Boxset

Yes, you can definitely make a list of the four top Billy Wilder movies and it would not match what is in this set. But that list would include the two Wilder masterpieces ("Some Like It Hot" and "The Apartment") and "The Fortune Cookie" is very very underrated. So to have those three in one set is nothing to quibble over. And the fourth film, "Kiss Me Stupid", is still both entertaining and an interesting step on Wilder's progression towards "Avanti!". So if you own now Wilder you should start with this boxed set.

My only issue with this set is that the version of "Some Like It Hot" is not subtitled. But given the excellence of the movies themselves this did not detract from my rating or my enjoyment.

I picked up the BILLY WILDER FILM COLLECTION DVD SET because it was on sale here at Amazon. I basically wanted the DVD of "Some Like It Hot" and noticed that it was part of this collection, and with the sale price, this set was only a few dollars more than buying just the one DVD.

And I was curious about the picture "The Fortune Cookie" which Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon first team up, but I like Odd Couple - The Centennial Collection (2pc) better.

Anyway, this set collects the four Wilder movies "Some Like It Hot," "The Apartment," "Kiss Me, Stupid," and "The Fortune Cookie" and offers them on four DVDs housed in slim plastic cases. The films are in black and white and range in date from 1959-1966

Even though I enjoyed watching the other films, "Some Like It Hot" was the stand out in this collection. And unless it goes on sale again, I would wait on buying this set unless you are a huge fan of director Billy Wilder or Jack Lemmon.

The extras on these DVDs:

SOME LIKE IT HOT
Documentary--"Nostalgic Look Back"--31:11-minutes
Film critic/historian Leonard Maltin interviews Tony Curtis about the film.

Featurette--"Memories From The Sweet Sues"--12:03-minutes
Interviews with the actresses who played in the all-girl band in the movie. Marian Collier "Olga," Laurie Mitchell "Mary Lou," Sandra Warner "Emily" (who was actually the body in all of the publicity photos for Monroe which they show in this featurette) and Joan Nicholas "Betty," all talk about the making of the film and working with Lemmon, Curtis and Marilyn Monroe. Photos from behind the scenes etc.

"Virtual Hall Of Memories"
These show clips of each of the actors from the film within a picture frame. You choose each by pressing "next" on your remote control. Shows clips from the film and behind the scenes photos of the actors getting in drag etc. There's a picture frame for Monroe, Curtis, Lemmon, and Wilder plus a "behind-the-scenes" one.

Still Photos--
PressBook Gallery showing poster etc.

Trailers for SLIH and other Wilder films.

THE APARTMENT
Documentary--"Inside The Apartment"--29:29-minutes
Interview with Shirley Maclaine and Chris Lemmon (Jack Lemmon's son) about the movie and shows clips and still photos etc.

Featurette--"Magic Time: The Art Of Jack Lemmon"-12:45-minutes
Chris Lemmon talks about his father's career.

Audio Commentary--From film historian Bruce Block.

KISS ME STUPID
Alternate scene--5:22-minutes

Trailer and Teaser Trailer

THE FORTUNE COOKIE
Trailer

My advice is to buy this set when it's on sale. But if you're looking for Billy Wilder movies and this set isn't on sale Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard - The Centennial Collection are great and much stronger films, imo.

If you're looking for Jack Lemmon films get Odd Couple - The Centennial Collection (2pc) and The Out-of-Towners which are two of my favorites.

This is a great collection of funny movies! Some Like It Hot is a classic! The collection was a bargain for all four films.