The Filmmaker Who Did Everything Right

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A video essay about the greatest writer cinema ever had the privilege of having: Billy Wilder. With his strong characters, witty dialogue, clever plot structure and emphasis on action, he shows you how to make a screenplay that's precious and cinematic. With his long takes, wide angles, pristine timing and sophistication he was also one of the greatest directors of all time.
Here we'll compare Billy's perfect romantic comedy "Sabrina" (1954) - which he wrote alongside Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman (he always wrote with collaborators) - to Sydney Pollack's 1995 remake. You'll see how everything special about the original film was cold-heartedly eliminated, creating a sobby average love story instead of a well-made masterpiece. Why anyone would try to rewrite Billy Wilder's dialogue is completely beyond me.
Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn / Julia Ormond) is the daughter of the millionaire Larrabee family's chauffeur. She's in love with their youngest son, playboy David (William Holden / Greg Kinnear), but he barely knows she exists. After she returns from Paris transformed into a new woman (Audrey Hepburn without a hairtail?) David is finally smitten. The eldest son, Linus (Humphrey Bogart / Harrison Ford), won't let David throw away his upcoming union to a more lucrative prospect though, so he gets in the way.
00:00 Sabrina
02:44 Comparing Scenes
07:57 Demigods vs. Mortals
11:58 Props & Motifs
15:24 Dialogue
#videoessay #screenwriting #billywilder #filmmaking #dialogue #cinema
Call to Adventure - Comedy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300022
Artist: incompetech.com/
Bushwick Tarantella by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300002
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@LittlePhizDorrit]

I thought I was the only other person in the world that watched these two films. The "it's more realistic" excuse needs to go away already. I'm with you, the older directors/writers knew what they were doing. You easily have my favorite channel on YT these days, can't wait for your next one.

[@abyzz4419]

What are your other favourite Analysis channels?

[@TS-qr3rk]

but Lion King....lol

[@MA-go7ee]

I hope you know you're probably the best film channel on YT. Knowledgeable, concise and great narration.

[@dingdingdingdiiiiing]

Oh yeah, hands down.

[@painkiller346]

Really up there with CinemaStix

[@rosezingleman5007]

Brilliant brilliant!

[@anuksilva5643]

Undoubtedly

[@marcdraco2189]

“Probably”? This IS the best. I’ve watched them all.

[@Chiller11]

Billy Wilder’s range was so amazing, from dark noir to brilliant comedy. Like so many he was he was a Jewish immigrant having fled the Nazis in the 30’s. His return to Berlin to help rebuild the German film industry and to erase the cultural scourge of fascism was particularly poignant in that much of his family were Holocaust victims. Thanks for giving me an even deeper appreciation of this film genius.

[@bimblebee]

I, for one, am shocked that the guy from Stuck on You could not keep up with the guy from Sunset Boulevard

[@jimnightshadethatsme]

Can't do it without a script and direction (and sometimes Pollack is a great director - just not here. See 1975s Three Days of the Condor) @@GregJamesMusic

[@mrunseen3797]

​@@GregJamesMusicmight be, that the director made him limit his "acting tools"

[@nihaalsandim9986]

Moviewise , i would like to thank you very much , that you have introduced me to a different world of cinema . I had thought that watching films before the 70s would be useless, but thanks to you after just trying some movies from this Era , i have fallen in love. I love these classic type films , they have great pacing and aren't a sensory overload. Its a treat to watch longer shots , great blocking and staging and a sort of class that comes with dialogue dilevery . Thanks

[@GhettoFabulousLorch]

Your commentary about losers, realism, likability, etc made me feel less lonely in this world. I am delighted that someone else sees this in media today.

[@Vor567tez]

I love this comparison. I always wondered why some remakes are bad. This makes things clear. It's nice to finally see a channel that actually gives critisim and not just passing his opinion as critisim.

[@Renecide]

Ever since Every Frame a Painting stopped making videos it was hard to find a quality, yet fun KZbin channel that analyses film excellently. I don’t often comment but thank you for your content, I always learn something new whilst being entertained :))

[@multipass113]

visual storytelling Visual Storytelling VISUAL STORYTELLING Great analysis. Another similar example for me is Cukor’s BORN YESTERDAY which was so perfect imo that it ruined all other versions, including its original stage play.

[@stellaVista]

I´m not even a big fan of the original version (despite being a Wilder movie and having these amazing actors) and I only managed to sit through half of the remake...but boy, is the original a masterpiece in comparison! Thanks again for an utterly entertaining and informative feature!

[@richardcahill1234]

Lubitsch's The Shop Around the Corner vs You've Got Mail would make another good comparison.

[@Moviewise]

David Bordwell wrote an interesting (as ever) blog entry contrasting the visual style of both films: Intensified continuity revisited www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2007/05/27/intensified-continuity-revisited/

[@roshansurwade4617]

I am in a film school but I leaned more from your videos in one month than I have learned in a whole Year. Thank you and keep making Videos 👍🏻

[@genin69]

Yup

[@benjaminlacey]

I just graduated from film school (which was great), but Moviewies has taught me SO much!

[@EyeLean5280]

Great commentary! When I get to the 1990s in my American Cinema class, I'll share this with my students!

[@AxelQC]

My favorite director of all time!

[@blakob]

I have been waiting for a Billy wilder video for ages thank you moviewise 🙏 my favourite director

[@rayortiz313]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I found a cinema channel on youtube with someone WHO ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT!!!! Slow.....clap....so happy to have found you!

[@steffengerlach8395]

I appreciate this way of scene-by-scene comparison between the original and remake very much. Hilarious. Thank you! Hope to see more of these now and then. Made me immedately wanting to rewatch Billy Wilder's "Sabrina"! Audrey Hepburn 🥰 and Bogy! 🤗

[@pavan_sunkara_pictures]

hi i am from india an aspiring filmmaker... your videos are helpful for me in my persuit keep them coming, you are doing great job.

[@therealnotanerd]

1) Audrey Hepburn is probably the most beautiful actress who has ever lived. Maybe the most beautiful women who has ever lived. 2) The scene of them dancing with his mother getting closer is simply wonderful. 3) Bogart. I try to understand how did they dare to even try to make a remake.

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

As for your no.1 topic, you clearly never heard of Veronika Lake, Barbara Bouchet, and Greta Garbo 😋

[@hank0365]

@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 Hearing of them has nothing to do with how you see them, clearly.

[@Rhubba]

This goes to one of my big peeves of modern cinema...especially comedies. Everyone is inarticulate and getting lost for words is seen as a substitute for humour. Paul Feig films are the worst at this but you see it here in the remake of Sabrina. "I'm just going to do that thing...with the thing....yeah...you know....I'm...I'm....yeah....I'm just going to go........and do.........the thing........". Wilder's characters, whether in a comedy or a drama, are never inarticulate.

[@sheets75]

One of the appeals of dialogue in fiction is that the charcters get to immediately and effortlessly say the witty or intelligent thing we might think of in the shower two days later. So much modern writing takes that away because they want to seem relatable.

[@petermoore7796]

you have a really knack for finding beauty in film and unpacking it. there is no shortage of “movie reviews” on youtube but you stand alone

[@MallenBaker]

Such an excellent video. Made me go off and watch the original Sabrina, and I haven't enjoyed a film so much for a long time as seeing this one having watched your analysis first. Every scene is new, but at the same time like an old friend. Great job.

[@curtdilger6235]

I don't think film criticism gets any sharper, smarter, or funnier than this. Brilliant stuff. I also like how it works in a critique of our diminishing culture. Congratulations. Regards

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Classic films are better than modern ones Damn straight.

[@Skanda1111]

I'm a big fan of Mr. Wilders films and his direction. My favourite of his films will always be one, two, three. Man is a legend. He is a film school.

[@westernnoir4808]

That's the movie that made Jimmy Cagney retire...until that other film, many years later. I forgot what it was, probably not memorable except it got Cagney back.

[@Skanda1111]

@@westernnoir4808 - His performance is the best in the film! I love him! Why did he retire? It didn't run well?

[@sri2616]

@@Skanda1111 No , he got so tired with the pacing of the film that he felt completely exhausted. The pacing did it to him and he came out for one final film which is of course directed by Milos Forman

[@Malkasphia]

Amazing critique of the two movies...very thorough! I had never heard of Sabrina before but now I have to go watch the billy wilder one

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

The Thanks button should be renamed the Kudos button in your honour, Wiseman.

[@PopularMechanix]

your take on films is mesmerizing

[@Pete-hm5gw]

I bet Pollack was aware of how lame his version was-- he's too good of a filmmaker and student of film. I choose to believe that it was merely a director-for-hire kind of job and he was just getting a paycheck. Thanks for the video! As always, another gem and I learn about a dozen things :)

[@62pianoguy]

You're quite right, and Pollack explicitly references his Sabrina experience in this documentary about the making of Some Like it Hot: "My advice to anybody that wants to remake a Billy Wilder film is: don't." kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXSraKaOlr2Ya6M (at 2:33)

[@garethswalker]

You are the best cinematic channel on KZbin. These videos are as artistic as the amazing films they explore

[@jmgonzalez4]

This might be my favorite video of the year. Who's the Billy Wilder of our generation? No one I can think of even comes close.

[@TS-qr3rk]

This is a FANTASTIC video. Thoroughly enjoyable on so many levels: great topic, great insight, great movies and hilarious to boot. Criminally undersubbed!

[@timthompson9246]

Billy is the GOAT! Thank you for such a great video! I’m Going to rewatch Sabrina right now!

[@luiz_ed76]

This is the one of the best channels I've discovered this year. A real gem. Do more videos about Wilder, he's my fave director and writer.

[@marcrob5]

Your videos are true lessons from the masters of classic cinema Finally someone doing justice to the real father of many filmmakers who think they learned something at university.

[@queldar27]

Perhaps a comparison between the original and new versions of A Miracle on 34th Street for Christmas? Sorry, perhaps too sappy for this channel, but I do love the format!

[@Ithenos]

This puts into words what I've felt for so long. Wonderful video!

[@theHungryWizard]

Thanks for showing people what they're missing in the classics. Love your vids

[@kalenplays]

another increduble video, you quickly became my favorite channel related to cinema. keep up the great work

[@user-pi8qw9jj7h]

Strange that Sydney Pollack made one of the true comedy greats of the '80s, 'Tootsie' but completely missed the mark here. A case of a great script, perhaps.

[@A_few_words]

Excellent video. Witty and educational at the same time. Could you share some of your views on the importance of plot in films, please? What tools can directors use to enhance their storytelling? Do you think one could make up a list of conditions that must be met for a film to be called "good"? I am greatly impressed by your work. Thank you and keep it up.

[@user-pi8qw9jj7h]

You might want to read a book on Alexander MacKenderick's rules for film-making, it's at the IA online library lending or Anna's archive. He was a teacher in America after leaving films and was a master film-maker; 'Whiskey Galore', 'The Man in the White Suit', 'The Ladykillers', 'The Sweet Smell of Success', etc.

[@A_few_words]

@@user-pi8qw9jj7h will do. Thank you

[@A_few_words]

@@user-pi8qw9jj7h just started reading. It's awesome. Great recommendation. Thank you.

[@hpoonis2010]

I like all the Wilder's I have watched. "You're blocking my view. I can't see my yacht.:"

[@meditationmountainbyrishab919]

Billy Wilder was a great script writer, we have been gradually losing that art, I think its got to do with we losing out on our human emotions, it reflects in our work.

Hi algorithm!

[@LukeRanieri]

Wow! It’s unbelievable how they ruined the remake. I have such appreciation for the classic movies now thanks to you, Moviewise. Thanks also for “sprezzatura”!

[@auldthymer]

My favorite: "Learn to speak, damn you!"

[@artirony410]

you've probably read it, but the Billy Wilder biography Dancing On The Edge is so good if you haven't

[@Jeredos]

I'm happy this channel is growing, in this moment is my favourite on KZbin.

[@captaingoodness9812]

Your analysis is absolutely delightful.

[@AzureSymbiote]

Thanks for the video. This truly makes you think.

[@theroguecritic4138]

One of your best videos! Excellent analysis

[@WMCheerman]

Great work!

[@ronaldbell7429]

Excellent analysis

[@david_t_nethery_animator]

Spot on. Just found your channel. This essay made me Subscribe. Looking forward to catching up on your other videos.

[@Lux_Lethal]

Another fantastic video! I keep waiting for your channel to blow up, and I must confess I'm a little jealous of those who'll get to binge your library for the first time. Thanks again, Moviewise! 🤩

[@mercurious6699]

Really enjoyed this, thank you - and great choice... love Wilder

[@roberto987]

Joly cow this man is really the best cinema youtuber out there.

[@adeladam2325]

Paused this video at the start to watch the of sabrina. will probably never see the remake. What a great video that highlights the magic of old Hollywood as well as the futility of remakes.

[@beatingdeadhorsesbacktolif981]

Ok mr. Moviewise goddammit you convinced me with this one channel of yours

[@JB-ti7bl]

Moviewise, this is a most savage and well-argued takedown. How about a comparison of Cape Fears?

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

Thanks

[@Moviewise]

Thank you as ever, N. Loco! Or should I say kudos

[@uchil3916]

wow... this analysis is... uh .. good!

[@arttoegemann]

Good comparison. Video editing made it possible. I've seen the first Sabrina.

[@chestermazurowski5167]

Very good. Billy Wilder was an exceptional artist.

[@undyingtome]

NAILED IT. God, I could listen to you shit talk all day.

[@MelIssa-rb9mq]

Preach Preach!!!👑👑👑👑

[@jeff__w]

I haven’t seen the original or the remake but the remake looks absolutely excruciating.

[@hemanthkarri107]

Saw this video a mile away when you’ve posted about sabrina in twitter

[@DuesenbergJ]

I had only seen the remake and hardly remembered it. So I never felt the need to watch the original one. But after watching this I finally did and I’m glad I did. It is pretty great and way better than the remake. Thanks

[@ThomasJamesScott]

fab analyst

[@Segadrome]

As a zoomer, I am probably the only one in my age demographic who watched Sunset Boulevard on VHS and was absolutely blown away by it. (Also Discord server when? We need a place to talk about real cinema. Plz. Pretty plz?)

[@jono8181]

Thanks!

[@Moviewise]

Thank you!

[@scolveldynasty]

You are one of my favorite film channels on YT. I'm wondering if you've ever seen the movie Sophie's Choice? It has great blocking and cinematography.

[@zetectic7968]

When there are so many bad movies to remake they chose good or great ones instead as they have "recognition", eg Robocop & Total Recall.

[@emadSciFi]

Would love to see your comparison of Waterloo and Napoleon as well!!

[@ingridsommer2232]

The worst clichee the remake falls in is having Sabrina wear glasses initially. Then ta-da, after Paris she has perfect eyesight, suddenly they consider her beautifull!🤦‍♀️

[@ashzinho]

Ok, i need to see all Billy Wilder's films

[@bpetrushev]

Hi! Recent fan here :) Can you do one for the Coen bros pls? Love to hear your opinion on them (more than a mention here and there)

[@quitequiet1]

This is such a good analysis! I never liked the remake and now I know why!

[@noahjackson346]

I’m gonna look through your Channel and see, I’m new to you! I love ya Vids. I’m curious if you have a There will be Blood video, or a DEER HUNTER vid. I think you’d really knock thoses out the park!

[@foe9034]

Love these "Lover Letters"

[@mattmaddox9367]

Firstly, love all your videos! Just a small note, but this looks like a 4x3 TV safe transfer of Wilder's '54 version. The extra headroom at the top is meant to be cropped for theatrical exhibition.

[@iammraat3059]

Never crop

[@mattmaddox9367]

iamright@@iammraat3059

[@rudrajabasu4995]

I recently watched "Oppenheimer" , learned a lot from it and found it interesting... Can you make a video on the thing it gets right or wrong like a review.. It will really help.

[@robheppellvideooffice]

I'd really recommend checking out his film Ace in the Hole if you've never seen it, it's a bit overlooked. A powerfully acidic satire about a journalist controlling a tragedy to boost his career, which feels more and more prescient in recentyears. There's a crazy bit where a circus run by "S & M entertainment" shows up, it was made in 1951!

[@stathisath]

yes, yes, yes!

[@jencart207]

Agree with every single thing you said. Harrison Ford was outside his limited range

[@jackstraton1]

You demolished the remake bit by bit by comparing it with the original.

[@user-kl9qo8oi8e]

Hello. I've given a lot of thought to the difference between the original operetta and the remake movie, and I believe the key difference is the medium. The original film's use of operetta creates a sense of distance for both the character and the viewer because we expect this kind of sentimentality from theatre. After all, we closely associate it with strong feelings and emotionally-driven characters. That way, the movie makes two subtle indications: 1) 'Yes, the operetta story is sentimental; it's fiction after all, but this is real life'; 2) 'Yes, this film is a romantic comedy; it's fictional too, so yes, most likely it's going to have the same outcome. What a smart viewer you are for figuring it out'. The remake uses the same form of media, whilst adhering to 'realism', ends up shooting itself in the leg because the implications are the same, but it makes the viewer question the purpose of telling them it's fictional if you want to present a serious world, thus pulling them out of the film. Hope that made any sort of sense. Thank you for your amazing channel; it's a real treat to watch, and re-watch.

[@harryom3497]

man you should make a movie.

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

You do have a point with the remake. it was very shallow in these outtakes alone.

[@NachtmahrNebenan]

The remake's most used sentence is: "I don't know". Says a lot.

[@EyeLean5280]

Hey, just thought I'd drop by again to say that I just saw "Red, White, and Royal Blue," a romcom in the tradition of classic Hollywood. I watched it only because it's based on a YA novel one of my students is reading and fully expected it to be both formulaic and substandard. And yes, it is indeed formulaic (for example, you just know from the instant you see it that you're looking at Chekhov's Wedding Cake), but it also aspires to all the criteria you lay out here. It's well written and the lovebirds are, if not quite god-like, certainly not 90s-era losers. They're confident, witty heroes whom you root for throughout the extraordinarily unrealistic plot. And there are some really nice moments in terms of directing/editing (the NewYear's Eve party and polo match are pretty deft). It's a lot of fun.

[@EyeLean5280]

FAIR WARNING: it's made for a liberal audience so despite its strengths, those who are afraid of "wokism" aren't going to like it much.

[@arctos49]

I am also a huge fan of Billy Wilder for both his screenwriting and his direction. He was a very good friend to Jack Lemon and Mr. Lemon once repeated a wonderful thing that Wilder told him -- "You are as good as the best thing you have ever done."

[@Nicksonian]

Starting with casting: William Holden and Audrey Hepburn are all-time film icons. Greg Kinnear and Julie Ormand are lucky they haven’t spent their careers in daytime soap operas. Kinnear is one of the worst things about this film, besides the writing and cinematography. Harrison Ford and Humphrey Bogart are certainly both icons, but this comparison highlights that Bogart was a great actor with a memorable personality while Ford is merely a pretty good actor with an outsized screen personality…which Ford left at home while making Sabrina. Bogart is clearly too old for Hepburn, yet Bogie pulls it off handsomely while heartthrob Ford is unconvincing and unappealing.

[@Tigerfire75]

Trying to make Audrey look plain was Wilder's biggest challenge with all his talent and abilities

[@masoudkhani2928]

moviewise , i can't understand the difference between cinematography and directing . can you explain ? thanks for the videos you're the best .

[@ghostlightning]

Damn, that was rough! I saw both films when I was a lot younger (I was still in my teens when the remake came out) so I didn't have the framework nor the vocabulary to explain why the older film was better. Now I can see that not only it was so much better, it is clear that the remake was terrible.

[@larskaaber9869]

made with wit worthy of Wilder. I laughed a lot.

[@RiccardoCampaci]

Very interesting video and I agree with 100% of what is highlighted in the video. My problem with classic cinema is that as far as I'm concerned it almost always gives me the impression of being totally fake. The characters are fake, when I watch the actors on the screen I always have the impression that they are playing a role, that there is nothing realistic or spontaneous about them. It's true, the dialogues in Wilder's version are more intelligent, smart and shrewd than the dialogues in the remake, but for this very reason they seem fake, affected and artificial, and the final impression is that the actors are always reciting lines written by a screenwriter, because in reality no one would really talk like that. As a result, the scenes seem forced to me and I can't empathize with what's happening on the screen.

[@Madelyn24]

You make me want to be a better writer.😳

[@justaguywholikesmovies90]

Bro do a filmmaking review of succession. Please!