SPRING 2025 FILM CLASS: THE FILMS OF WILLIAM WYLER

 

William Wyler

My most recent non-credit film class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Illinois here in Champaign-Urbana was yet another enjoyable deep dive into classic cinema. Our instructor, film scholar and critic Chuck Koplinski, offered us eight films directed by the legendary William Wyler. Mr. Wyler is reasonably familiar to me, and I've already seen, and indeed own copies of, five of the movies Chuck selected. But that didn't take away the sheer pleasure of watching the movies again with a classroom filled with like-minded folks and engaging in discussions. As usual, our instructor provided us with fascinating information about each film during his introductions and in his remarks following the screenings. Here are the films we watched.

DODSWORTH (1936)  This is one of the films I hadn't seen. It stars Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor and David Niven. It's a drama about the dissolution of a marriage. Samuel Dodsworth (Huston) retires from a successful business and finds that he and his wife (Chatterton) no longer want the same things in life. While he is content to enjoy a down-to-earth retirement, his wife wants more excitement and a more sophisticated social life. She is also unwilling to act her age. The conflicts in their personalities become evident while they're on a trip to Europe and eventually they divorce and go in opposite directions. This is an engaging drama with a brilliant cast of actors. I'd only seen Miss Chatterton in one other film, and I was very impressed by her screen presence. Mary Astor is equally impressive as the woman Samuel finds himself falling for as his marriage deteriorates. 

WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)  Another film from what many consider to be THE greatest year for the movies. Starring Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Flora Robson and Donald Crisp. Based on the novel by Emily Bronte. I'd seen this movie before, the most recent time being late in 2024. It's never been a favorite of mine, although I can appreciate the acting talents of everyone in the cast. It always baffled me that so many people consider this to be a great romantic story. To me, it's a dark story about obsession and revenge. I've never read the novel, but from what I learned in the class discussion, the film only covers about half of the book. I liked the film more with this viewing and will definitely rewatch it at some point.

THE WESTERNER (1940)  Starring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport, Fred Stone and Paul Hurst. Smaller roles are filled by Forrest Tucker, Chill Wills and Dana Andrews. This is a film I hadn't seen before, and it was an enjoyable watch. Cooper plays drifter Cole Harden who is falsely accused of stealing a horse and is brought before dishonest Judge Roy Bean (Brennan). Most of the film's dynamics involve the complicated relationship between Cole and the judge, and Cooper and Brennan are both perfect for their roles. Cooper underplays his character, as he generally does, and Brennan won his third Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

THE LITTLE FOXES (1941)  Chuck, our instructor, confessed that he's not much of a Bette Davis fan, but he likes her in this movie. I, on the other hand, am a confirmed Bette Davis FREAK, but have always found this particular movie difficult to like. That's probably because Miss Davis plays what can only be described as the most totally despicable role of her career. Based on a play written by Lillian Hellman, the story takes place in the Old South. Davis plays Regina Hubbard Giddens, an ambitious, ruthless woman who is joining forces with her brothers, Ben (Charles Dingle) and Oscar (Carl Benton Reid) to invest in bringing a cotton mill to their town. By taking advantage of cheap labor, they expect to become wealthy. They need money from Regina's husband, Horace (Herbert Marshall), but he is reluctant to go along with the plan, which makes his unhappy marriage to Regina even worse than before. As the three siblings focus on getting rich above every other human consideration, they even plot against each other, causing misery for the whole family. This is not a pleasant film to sit through, although the entire cast is brilliant. Also featuring Teresa Wright, Patricia Collinge, Richard Carlson, Jesse Grayson and Dan Duryea. Regina had been played successfully on Broadway by Talullah Bankhead. Bette Davis and William Wyler disagreed on how the character should be played and there was a lot of tension between them. This was their third and final film together.

THE HEIRESS (1949)  Starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins, this film was based on a play adapted from the 1880 novel Washington Square by Henry James. Miss de Havilland plays the title character, Catherine Sloper, an unsophisticated, socially awkward woman who is dominated by her unloving father, played by Richardson. Her Aunt (Hopkins) tries to encourage Catherine to be more outgoing and try to find a suitable husband. Catherine finds herself being pursued by the handsome young Morris Townsend (Clift) and falls deeply in love with him. But her father doesn't believe Townsend loves Catherine for herself, but for her money. Tragedy ensues. This is another heavy drama that is somewhat difficult to watch, even though the acting is incredible. Miss de Havilland won her second Oscar for Best Actress.

DETECTIVE STORY (1951)  An intense drama with a stellar cast: Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, George Macready, Lee Grant, Joseph Wiseman, Gladys George, Horace McMahon, Frank Faylen and Gerald Mohr. The story focuses on one day in a New York City police precinct. Kirk Douglas plays Detective Jim McLeod, an angry, violent, complicated man. In the course of this single day, as he is attempting to bring a criminal to justice, he is forced to confront a terrible secret about his wife's past which connects her to the criminal. Douglas gives a raw, unflinching performance, perfectly matched by Eleanor Parker as his wife. This is one of Wyler's greatest achievements. 

CARRIE (1952)  If THE HEIRESS and THE LITTLE FOXES hadn't been enough to put the entire class into a state of depression, then CARRIE pushed us all over the edge. This is another movie I'd never seen. Based on the novel Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, the film stars Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins and Eddie Albert. Jones plays Carrie Meeber, a girl from a poor family who goes to Chicago to work in a sweatshop while living with her sister. From these humble beginnings, and through a series of bad choices, Carrie somehow survives a doomed relationship with a married man and goes on to become a famous stage actress. The plot may sound somewhat romantic, but, in truth, it's about a man (Olivier) whose life is destroyed by his obsession with Carrie. The ending is quite downbeat, and the film was not a hit with audiences. Wyler wasn't pleased with the casting of Jennifer Jones and the making of the film was not a positive experience for anyone involved. But I always liked Jones, and I like her performance here. Olivier is brilliant and so is Miriam Hopkins as his cold, hateful wife. 

THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (1961)  This incredible, groundbreaking film came about because Wyler wanted to do a remake, of sorts, of his earlier film THESE THREE (1936). It had been based on Lillian Hellman's notorious play THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, which involved allegations concerning a Lesbian relationship between two schoolteachers. The production code standards of the time wouldn't allow any discussion or depiction of homosexuality, so the story was changed to involve two women who were involved with the same man. The women were played by Merle Oberon and Miriam Hopkins, and the man was played by Joel McCrea. Young Bonita Granville gave a standout performance as a vicious student whose lies about the three adults set the drama in motion. With the relaxation of censorship that was developing in the modern era, Wyler decided to adapt Hellman's play as it was written. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine were cast as the schoolteachers and James Garner as Hepburn's fiancé. Karen (Hepburn) and Martha (MacLaine), close friends since college, have achieved their dream of opening a private girl's school in a picturesque rural location. When a troubled, lying student, Mary Tilford (Karen Balkin), accuses the two women of being lovers, the school closes and their reputations are ruined. As the two women try to figure out where their lives are going to take them, Martha confesses that she does have romantic feelings for Karen. The story ends in tragedy as Martha takes her own life. The depiction of the gay character may seem regressive to present day audiences, but it was quite progressive for the time. Martha is indeed a tragic character, but also completely sympathetic. And there is no rejection of her coming from Karen, even though the romantic feelings are not returned. In an interesting casting choice, Miriam Hopkins returns, this time as Martha's aunt, a pretentious actress who also teaches at the school. Veteran actress Fay Bainter, in her final film, is a standout as the grandmother of the vicious Mary. The only negative aspect in the movie is the poor performance by Karen Balkin, who almost seems to be playing the role as a parody. This is a real shame, as the character is central to the dramatic development of the story. But here's a good word for another child actress in the film, the marvelous Veronica Cartwright, who brings a lot of intensity in a supporting role.

Another film class completed. And what have I learned? Probably not nearly enough, but I plan to keep at it. Chuck announced that his Fall class will be The Films of Barbara Stanwyck. If the fates allow, I'll be there in my usual spot. Stay tuned...