Retrospective honors filmaker’s ‘perfection’

Wednesday, May 8, 1996

Tribute to director Wyler brings talents into the spotlightBy
Dina Gachman

Daily Bruin Staff

Bette Davis was known as his actress. Audrey Hepburn was rumored
to be his discovery.

So why have most people not heard of William Wyler?

Wyler, one of the most respected and least known directors of
the ’30s and ’40s, has often been overshadowed by his films, which
include the Academy Award-winning war drama "The Best Years of Our
Lives," Hepburn’s breakthrough movie "Roman Holiday," and the epic
"Ben Hur." Wyler’s films attained more stardom than the filmmaker
himself, but this will hopefully be changed by the UCLA Film and
Television Archive’s new program "The Perfection of William Wyler,"
opening tonight and running until May 19.

One of the goals in compiling the retrospective was to highlight
Wyler’s range and diversity as a director.

"Some of his really famous films we didn’t include, like ‘Ben
Hur’" says David Pendleton, the Archive’s Programming Coordinator.
"We want to introduce people to Wyler, and to show new ways in
which he could be thought of."

Andrea Alsberg, the Archive’s Director of Programming, agrees
with Pendleton and hopes that audiences come to appreciate Wyler’s
career.

"Most people can’t tell you what he’s directed," says Alsberg.
"When you start to talk about his list of films, you’re amazed at
the amount of films he did that are as famous as they are."

Wyler’s body of work has allured critics for years. The
German-born director came to America as a young man, taking menial
jobs in the movie industry until making his directorial debut with
"Crook Busters" at the age of 23. Wyler’s earliest films were
short, silent westerns such as "Hell’s Heroes," screening at
Melnitz on May 14. He abandoned this genre, however, and moved on
to the more dramatic works that would come to define him, and to
earn him and his actors a slew of Academy Awards.

Despite this success, film critics found it impossible to pin
down Wyler’s style. He was one of the first American filmmakers to
be influenced by Italian neo-realism, and some of his innovative
techniques (like deep focus photography) were credited to other
directors such as Orson Welles. After years of being
underestimated, Wyler is finally receiving the attention he
deserves.

"He was seen as a director without a style," says Pendleton.
"That’s why he never became an icon for the critics in this country
the way Ford or Hitchcock did. Part of the reason that Wyler’s
being rediscovered now is because that criticism is being
revisited. And because Hollywood history is being revisited."

Much of this history was controlled by the Hollywood studio
system of the ’30s and ’40s. Alsberg explains that this system held
directors like Wyler under contracts, handing them assignments and
then distributing the products. This assembly line movie-making
left little creative freedom for directors like Wyler, and Alsberg
says that "a lot of filmmakers just rolled out film after film that
just didn’t mean anything."

In many ways, Wyler escaped the unimaginative, generic trap of
the studio system. His films convey larger meanings and experiences
­ the hardships of returning home after war ("The Best Years
of Our Lives"), the experiences of a Jewish American man in the
1930s ("Counselor at Law") ­ as well as some comic,
lighthearted pieces such as 1935’s "The Good Fairy."

Alsberg and Pendleton decided to honor Wyler when the director’s
daughter called them from the Berlin Film Festival in February. She
needed prints of some of her father’s films for the Festival’s
program, and she suggested that UCLA also show a retrospective of
his work. Alsberg and Pendleton were intrigued, and they began the
long process of creating "The Perfection of William Wyler."

Pendleton believes that this process involved both research and
direction.

"We just try to get a sense of the person and the career," he
explains, "and choose films that will reflect whatever it is you’re
trying to say about that career. We wanted to honor what
everybody’s image of Wyler is, but also throw in a few angles."

These angles highlight the director’s range, and Alsberg hopes
they will also capture the public’s attention.

"We are constantly re-educating ourselves in terms of films and
in terms of society," says Alsberg, but she and Pendleton feel that
many students are missing out on this part of education. Even
though few students know of Wyler or his films, his place in
cinematic history could be changed by their attention to his
work.

This program uncovers Wyler from the old facade of the studio
system, and presents his films to modern audiences so that Wyler,
rather than his movies, can be honored. Alsberg just hopes that
students will take advantage of the opportunity.

"It’s a constant battle for us," she says, "to encourage
students to broaden their horizons and not just go see the latest
film in Westwood, and to come here and see films that they may not
ever see again."

Alsberg thinks that "The Perfection of William Wyler" presents
the perfect opportunity to do this.

"He is a director who’s been behind the scenes," says Alsberg.
"I think it’s just an apt time to take a look at him as a
director."

FILM: "The Perfection of William Wyler" opens tonight at the
Director’s Guild of America. Screenings at Melnitz Theater May
11-May 19. Admission is $6, $4 for students.

UCLA Film and Television Archive’s newest program "The
Perfection of William Wyler," opens tonight and runs until May
19.