When talking about greatest film directors of all time the names John Ford, David Lean, Billy Wilder, Martin Scorcese, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, Stephen Spielberg and Akira Kurosawa are all likely to be mentioned among others. One name that probably slips through the net more often than not is William Wyler. In fact he probably isn't as assosciated with his own films as much as his peers are with theirs. The films of Ben-Hur, Wuthering Heights, Funny Girl, Roman Holiday and The Best Years of Our Lives are all synonymous with American 20th century cinema and remain popular today. The average movie goer however may be unaware that they are all the output of one man.Born in the Franco-Germanic region of Alsace in 1901, Wyler was always destined for a career in movies. His mother's cousin was the founder of Universal Pictures, and it was through this connection Wyler went to try his hand at forging a film career in Hollywood. First though he arrived in New York to serve as a messenger for Universal Pictures, not to mention also working for New York's Home Guard. He did this for but a few years, before moving on to Hollywood to work as a stage hand and runner for Universal Pictures. He didn't impress early on, with legendary producer Ivan Thalberg nicknaming him "Worthless Willy" due to his lack of work ethic. He got a break and moved into editing, before becoming a third assistant director and eventually by 1925 beginning to direct his own shorts, and thus becoming the studios youngest director. In his early career he was mainly specialising in non too impressive Westerns.
In 1928 he became a naturalised US citizen and began to direct his first non-Western pieces as well as new pictures utilising the advent of sound known as talkies. By now he was beginning to master his craft with popular films that were bringing in strong box office takings for Universal. One of which was called Hell's Heroes, Wyler's first full sound film and a great success upon release.
It was also at this time that his infamous reputation for multiple takes began to take shape. Though this technique would seem to garner impressive and adulating performances from his actors. The Good Fairy starring Margaret Sullavan (who he married in 1934) was his last film for Universal, and probably his best received up until that point. In 1935 he struck up a collaboration with another legendary producer, Samuel Goldwyn. It would prove one of the most prolific film creating partnerships in cinematic history.
Their first film Dodsworth was quite revolutionary in the time of Hayes code in dealing frankly with the subject of a failed marriage. It naturalistic and believable acting is testament to Wyler's ability with his cast, and the film won wide critical as well as box office acclaim, earning Wyler his first Best Director nomination. He followed this up with a less controversial version of the lesbian themed "The Children's Hour" called These Three, he would later remake this in it's original form with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine in the lead roles. His next film Dead End, proved another hit, featuring Joel McCrea and Humphrey Bogart in his pre-leading man gangster role. It was again received well commercially and critically, this would again continue with his film Jezebel featuring Bette Davies and Henry Fonda. Jezebel is still well regarded to this day, namely for Bette Davies' Oscar winning performance in the lead role, that helped cement her as one of Hollywood's most strong willed leading ladies. It would also mark the start of a very successful three film collaboration with Davies, that culminated in 1941's The Little Foxes.
1939 saw the production of one of Wyler's most famous films and the most celebrated screen adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. For the lead role of Heathcliffe, Wyler cast one of the most lauded acting professional's from the West End stage. Laurence Olivier had been to Hollywood in the early 30's, but was unable to make his mark on the film industry, and so returned to London. In 1939, his new girlfriend Vivien Leigh was cast in one of cinema's most sought after roles as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. This marked Olivier's return to Hollywood, and Wyler provided him with his first role opposite Merle Oberon. The film was another success for Wyler as both he and Olivier earned Oscar nominations. Olivier credited Wyler, for helping to believe in the art of film acting, as Olivier had previously struggled with the concept. His performance in Wuthering Heights is widely regarded as one of his best. He would go on to be remembered as one of the acting greats, and even worked with Wyler once more in the largely underrated Carrie in 1952.
Such was Wyler's brilliance that despite this influx of success and fortune, he didn't let up and continued to make films of a high quality. In 1940, not only did he direct The Letter but also achieved success directing Gary Cooper in The Westerner. After 1941's The Little Foxes he made Mrs. Miniver, which earned both himself, Theresa Wright and his lead Greer Garson an Oscar each. The film was not only a critical success, it was highly influential in galvanizing support for the British in the backdrop of their war against Nazi Germany. Though President Roosevelt was very keen to aid Britain, and indeed sent aid packages across the Atlantic. General consensus amongst Americans at that time was they didn't want to get involved in someone else's War again. British Ambassador Joseph Kennedy went even further when he wrote a letter to Roosevelt informing him to give up on Britain. This in itself also had the reverse effect on the American's who felt it was ungentlemanly and cowardly of Kennedy to abandon his British post. Nonetheless, Wyler's film served it's own part in shifting public opinion on the war in Europe before Pearl Harbour.
As Wyler's reputation grew, so did his legend, especially his "90 takes Wyler" label. During the shoot of Jezebel, Henry Fonda got through 40 takes, before asking for what was wrong, Wyler simply responded by saying "It stinks.". His perfectionist style though garnered the best out of his performers and his performers would eventually come round to his criticisms and methods after seeing the finished article (and winning awards). His style has been adopted by other great directors such as Stanley Kubrick, and to similar effect.
The war proved an interesting period for Wyler as he served as a Major in the United States army. He produced two documentaries on the war in this period, at great personal risk to his safety. Whilst making a documentary on The Memphis Belle as he filmed devastation over enemy territory and even one time passed out from a lack of oxygen in his cabin. One of his cinematographer's was shot down and perished during filming too. Wyler would also lose hearing in one of his ear's due to the loud sound produced from his plane's engines.
The war had a profound effect on Wyler and inspired him to create another masterpiece with The Best Years of Our Lives. It centred around the lives of three homecoming veterans and their struggle back into civilian life. An emotionally charged film, it perfectly captured the mood of not only post-war America, but also the whole world after the effects of the war. The film also featured real life veteran and amputee Harold Russell as one of the three veterans; and despite no formal acting training, Russell would win two Academy awards for his performance. The Academy considered him an outside chance for the Best Supporting Oscar that they gave him an honorary award on behalf of the Allied veterans, but he went on to win the other Oscar regardless. Wyler himself also won his second Best Director Oscar, and his ability to create acting performances was given further credence as Frederich March scooped the Best Actor Oscar. It was a hugely personal film for Wyler, and is still today recognised as one of the great war films, for it's ability to humanise the aftermath of the war so well.
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In 1949, Wyler returned to the more traditional plots of film-making with The Heiress. It featured Montgomery Clift as a swindler who tries to manipulate the naive and mousy Olivia De Havilland for her money, her father played by Ralph Richardson suspects from the outset and forbids his daughter from seeing him. Olivia De Havilland produces the performance of her career as the woman emotionally abused by the two men in her life. Her performance was possibly helped by the real life snide remarks she received from her co-stars, as well as Wyler's own demanding regime. The film was quite different for it's time and a little subversive, it again showed Wyler's ability to create well made and popular films.
Wyler's next two films though very good and moderately successful, are largely forgotten today. 1951's The Detective Story was a crime thriller starring Kirk Douglas which centres around a police precint and the already mentioned Carrie with Olivier and Jennifer Jones. Though both these films had moderate moderate success at the box office.
In 1955 Wyler cast Humphrey Bogart in one of his final film roles, opposite Frederich March in The Desperate Hours; as well as making Friendly Persuasion which earned the director his first Palme D'Or at Cannes.
1958 saw Wyler return to the Western genre after a near 30 year absence, in broadly scoped The Big Country. Wyler cast Peck again as a retired ship captain who has relocated to the American west to marry his fiance (Carroll Baker) and meet the approval of her father (Charles Bickford, who Wyler had worked with 30 years earlier). Possibly one of the most underrated Westerns ever, it is also one of the few pacifist Westerns. The film also featured another key moment that would influence Wyler's next film when he cast Charlton Heston as young ranch hand Steve Leach. Folk singer Burl Ives also received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, laying further claim to Wyler's uncanny ability to produce great performances from his cast.Having broadened the cinematic scope of his films with The Big Country, Wyler's next project was even more ambitious. Having originally wanting to cast Peck again in the lead role, but reverted to Heston after Peck dropped out. It was an inspired choice for both parties. Heston had initially been reluctant to even do The Big Country due to the role not being big enough. It is somewhat ironic that it would eventually lead to the biggest role of his career and the one most people still remember him for in the remake of Ben-Hur. Wyler had worked as an assistant to Fred Niblo in the equally impressive silent version. Other interesting notes in project's development was that the screenplay had been partially written by the great playwright Christopher Fry, as well as the great novelist Gore Vidal.
The film was a monumental success for Wyler, and earned a record 11 Academy Awards, including another one for best director; as well as two more acting awards, including Best Actor for Heston. The film has lost none of it's power since it's release and is often a stalwart during the holiday season on the television schedules.
As Wyler grew into his 60's his output began to lower slightly, but his quality ceased to diminish. In 1961 he remade his own film These Three, to include the more subversive tones of the original play The Children's Hour. It was the second film he made with Hepburn, who played one of the accused, along with Shirley MacLaine, of being a lesbian by one of their students. Though not as successful award wise as Ben-Hur, it again achieved mass critical acclaim and was a notable entry in Wyler's career at his ability to mould his movies to feel the vibe of his film contemporaries.
His next film was the even more subversive and morbid The Collector, which again has been somewhat overlooked, but earned Wyler yet another Best Director nomination. A very intimate film, it told the story of a man (Terence Stamp) obsessed with beauty in a dark and sinister fashion. The film has served as a point of origin for many disturbing thrillers since, most notably The Silence of the Lambs.
In 1966, Wyler teamed up with Hepburn for a third and final time, this time opposite the great Peter O'Toole. Here she plays the daughter of an art forger who teams up with O'Toole in order to steal a museum statue and conceal her father's fraud. A light hearted caper, it serves as yet another example of Wyler's unique ability to tackle any project with a remarkable sense of knowing. Though not as much a critical success, it has managed to survive the years and is still fondly remembered for it's sense of fun and the solid performances of screen idols Hepburn and O'Toole.
Two years later, Wyler was assigned to direct his first musical of his long and illustrious career. It was to serve as a vehicle for it's star, who had already conquered Broadway in the same role, Barbara Streisand. Wyler has initial reservations about the film, due to his loss of hearing, but decided to take it as he enjoyed the challenge. He espescially commented on Streisand's untraditional lead lady looks. Here she played comedienne and stage star Fanny Brice and centres on her turbulent relationship with Nick Arnstein (played by the always immaculate Omar Shariff). Despite the "challenges", the film was yet another bonafide success for Wyler and it's stars. It propelled Streisand into a global megastar as she won the Oscar for Best Actress. An incredible feat for a movie debutant, that is as much to do with Wyler as it was Streisand.
Wyler retired from Hollywood and largely remained quiet in his final year. Having received the Thalberg Oscar for outstanding Lifetime Achievement by the Academy in 1965, he was then awarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement award in 1976. In 1981 he gave a retrospective interview for PBS called Directed by William Wyler, with his daughter Catherine. He died from a heart attack three days after film, at the age of 79.
The man's legacy though is without question. Having earned 12 Academy Award nominations and 3 wins for Best Director, as well as a Lifetime Achievement award, he is one of the most decorated directors of all time. The most supportive claim to his legacy of greatness is the fact that he has directed more actors to Oscar nominated performances with 36; 14 of whom went on to win their Awards, than any other director in history. He was married twice, briefly in the mid-30's to actress Margaret Sullavan, before marrying Margaret Tallichet in 1938 and spending the rest of his life with her.
It seems incredible that this man with such humble European beginnings would go on to truly conquer Hollywood. The greatest compliment that can be paid to him as a director, is that some of his films aren't instantly recognisable as a Wyler flick. Such was the man's range and skill; it really is hard to believe that the man could achieve such great results in such a wide variety of genres and types of films. In an age where film critics and historians tend to concentrate of the auteurs of the industry (Kubrick, Tarantino and Renoir) as being the benchmarks of greatness in the field of direction; Wyler is the exception to this. His ability to work with studios and conform to certain styles and methods, whilst at the time exerting his own influence, is something that is confounding to some. Surely a sign of true greatness?
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