The Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) hosts an exhibition that pays homage to one of the greatest filmmakers in the North American industry, Billy Wilder. The space, which occupies three floors of the São Paulo building, was curated by André Sturm, general director of the Museum. The exhibition will be available from August to October this year.
With interactive rooms full of well-crafted cinematic references, we dive into Billy Wilder’s cinema, understanding how his works impacted industries and generations. Even those who don’t know the director recognize the elements shown, which mix reinterpretations, behind-the-scenes images, and small contextualization and criticisms between the rooms.
“Billy Wilder was one of the greatest directors and screenwriters of all time, a creative, genius, courageous and daring filmmaker. His films were made within the Hollywood system and they could be a box office success, at the same time, they were full of second readings, making the public interested in them to this day. His scripts ironized, subtly and sometimes not so much, habits, taboos and delicate subjects in a time of strong censorship.”, states a declaration by André Sturm at the beginning of the exposition.
The story on screens
When walking through the corridors, we feel like we ares inside Wilder’s films. The spaces are carefully assembled referencing environments from the films. Right in the first rooms, we find the production workshop from Mauvaise Graine (1934), the office from Double Indemnity (1944), the mansion from Sunset Boulevard (1950), and cavern from Ace in the Hole (1951). In the latter, we are transported into a dark cave, in which the visitor, to be able to view the images on display, needs the help of flashlights available in the room.
Between behind-the-scenes photos, we understand more about the work done in selecting the cast and the relationship that some actors had with each other and even with Wilder himself. We continued walking through Stalag 17 (1953) until reaching Some like it hot (1959), one of the director’s best-known productions and starring the timeless Marilyn Monroe, who presents us with an entire show sung as a hologram. This blockbuster is one of the films that occupies the most space in the exhibition.
Confined in a small room, we are simply introduced to The lost weekend (1945), a film by Wilder that deals with alcohol addiction. Considering the censorship of the time, which prohibited making vices and drinks look attractive, the space was carefully thought out and accurately translated the ideals of the film, where bottles are inserted into the environment in such a disguised way that it takes attention to identify them.
Another important point of the exhibition was its care with color schemes and the work with black and white, since Wilder’s films were mostly not in color. Fashion was also not left aside: the clothes and designer sketches attracted a lot of attention due to their extravagant details that expressed the characters’ personalities.
Other titles like Sabrina (1954), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Irma la douce (1963) and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) also have their rooms. With emphasis on The Seven Year Itch (1955), which recreates the iconic scene with the dress lifted by the wind, and The apartment (1960), which has as many rooms and furniture as a real studio apartment.
CREDITS SCROLL UP
The exhibition delivers what it promises by portraying Billy Wilder’s cinema in a visual and interactive way, with critical and subtle touches that highlight the director’s uniqueness. Perhaps due to the limitation of space and time, we are introduced slowly and in detail to the works that, subsequently, begin to appear quickly and succinctly.
It is not the role of the exposition to explain in detail each parallel and criticism made by Wilder in his films, as this is largely within the field of individual interpretation. However, the visitor may fall into anachronisms analyzing the works referenced, for example, when seeing that the director did not include non-white people in his films, when the Hays Code itself did not allow films with miscegenation and allusion to love between whites and blacks (not to mention the racism of the time).
In fact, Billy Wilder’s cinema surprises us, intrigues us and encourages us to learn more about the film industry and its impact on society. MIS also offers free streaming sessions and chats of Wilder’s films.
Address: MIS Jardim Europa (Av. Europa, 158, Jd. Europa) – Exhibition Space 1st floor and Exhibition Space 2nd floor.
Dates: From 08/16 to 10/31/2024.
Entrance: R$ 20 (full); R$ 10 (half). Tuesdays: free entry, pick up only at the MIS physical ticket office at the time of visit. Third Wednesday of the month: free entry, pick up only at the MIS physical ticket office at the time of the visit (B3 partnership).
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The article above was edited and translated to English by Giulia El Houssami.
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