Wilder's generalization

Vaughn 2022-06-19 18:39:39

Adapted from a French musical, the story idea is very good, and in the hands of Billy Wilder, it is also handled as a comedy and farce with a unique style. The film seems to be well-received abroad, but I think on the whole, it can only be regarded as a third-rate work by Billy Wilder. The opening part of the film is very exciting. The voiceover introduces the streets and food of Paris, and then introduces the "food" of another street through food - the prostitutes, and the Emma girl among them (the seemingly unrelated food and prostitutes, Wilder makes interesting connections, like the scene with the Indian man at the beginning of The Seven Year Itch). Several scenes in the film are very lively: the scene where the policeman Pato catches the prostitute and the scene where he beats the pimp is also wonderful. But when Emma misunderstood Pato, the storyline was gradually weakened and became loose, and a lot of nonsensical gags followed, such as Pato escaped prison along a rope tied with silk scarves, while the police were downstairs Study the bartender's broken car; the police went to Emma's room to search for Pato, and Pato put on the original police uniform to escape... The performance to this point directly reversed the original smooth first half. The second half is quite Lubitsch's comedy style, and in some parts it can be seen that Wilder is paying homage to the Lubitsch he admires.

But it is undeniable that the two male and female protagonists have cooperated more tacitly after "Apartment Spring", but "Apartment Spring" is a realistic drama, while "Flower Street Goddess" is a comedy and farce, so the characters' faces are somewhat comical, especially after The half is more pronounced. Jake Lemmon plays Pato and the old English gentleman are wonderful, especially the old gentleman in disguise is very convincing; Shirley MacLean's performance is also wonderful, the film won her an Oscar performance nomination. It is worth mentioning that this is James Caine's debut, in which he played a little sailor with about 20 seconds.

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Extended Reading

Irma la Douce quotes

  • Irma La Douce: This is not just a job, it's a profession.

  • Nestor Patou: Now I'm mad. Now I'm really mad. And when I'm mad, I'm like a tiger!