🎬 #87 The Opposite Sides of Wyler.
There are some directors who have a really specific set of themes they’re interested in and even in apparently very different films those same themes occur again and again in different shapes.
But then there are some filmmakers whose films aren’t obviously theirs, either in terms of style or choice of theme. William Wyler is one of those filmmakers for me. The ability to have executed a body of work so varied and vast is incredible. So this week it’s two from him that couldn't be more different.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: THE COLLECTOR
1965 Dir William Wyler
This is based on John Fowles’ novel of the same name and follows a man named Freddie who abducts a girl and keeps her captive in the cellar of a farmhouse he’s bought with winnings from the football pools. The true reason for his actions become more clear as the story progresses while Terence Stamp plays Freddy with a creepy intensity. But he also offsets this with a naivety that makes us feel for him in an odd way - he’s continuously reasoned that what he’s doing is justifiable in his own mind.
Samantha Eggar plays Miranda who he’s captured. She’s the opposite of Freddy, a free-spirited, social, art student. Freddie on the other hand struggles with social situations. Instead, he takes solace in his pastime as an amateur entomologist - capturing butterflies and cataloguing their perfect dead bodies.
This hobby has on edge as to what his intentions with Miranda are, with Freddy flicking from childlike innocence to deep, soulless intensity in a heartbeat. It’s clear to us that he’ll do anything to maintain secrecy and keep Miranda as long as he deems fit.
What makes the film so unsettling is that Wyler continues to make us question what exactly Freddy wants, and how far he’s willing to go. Like Miranda, we’re constantly on edge, questioning what his intentions truly are even when he divulges his plans.
TL;DR Wyler’s abduction drama keeps us guessing with the help of Stamp’s performance which has the cruel innocence of a child who wants to keep a pet they have no right to.
*Available for a small rental fee on Amazon, Apple, Google and YouTube in the US and the UK.
Fact: This was Wyler’s final nomination for Best Director at the Oscars - capping off a record setting 12 nominations.
FILM TWO: FUNNY GIRL
1968 Dir William Wyler
Just three years after The Collector, Wyler shifts gears to the comedy, drama musical that is Funny Girl. Largely charting the true life story of Fanny Brice, played by Barbara Streisand, as she ascends to fame while falling in love with Nicky Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif. This is a big and fun musical extravaganza that’s also a deeper look into the often tough workings of a love story.
All the cast are amazing, while Wyler deploys his epically charged camera work last seen in Ben Hur to great effect, making the entire city of New York Fanny’s stage. The poppy Technicolour friendly costume design makes every big moment feel vivid and happy, making the more tragic elements of the story stand out in stark contrast.
Sharif and Streisand give the central relationship flare and nuance in equal measure. Making it feel larger than life and yet also very much part of the normality of a relationship, what it takes to make it all work.
TL;DR Wyler’s big musical comedy drama is a good antidote to the unsettling, The Collector, where everyone shines on the stage of New York City.
*Available for a small rental fee on Amazon, Apple, Google and YouTube in the US and the UK.
Fact: Wyler passed on the Sound of Music to direct The Collector, so in some way he made up for it with this musical.