Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak at the Hollywood premiere of William Wyler's The Desperate Hours (1955)

Tonight's movie was The Desperate Hours

This movie is an incredibly underrated home invasion thriller directed by William Wyler. The compositions and performances are to die for-- the movie also has great character depth and subtext about the idealized postwar middle class family unit. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it!

Humphrey Bogart with daughter Leslie on the set of The Desperate Hours (1955).

Lauren Bacall at the premiere of William Wyler's film The Desperate Hours in which Humphrey Bogart starred, 1955

The Desperate Hours, 1955.

Dir. William Wyler | Writ. Joseph Hayes & Jay Dratler | DOP Lee Garmes

The Desperate Hours(1955)  

Happy Birthday in the afterlife to Humphrey Bogart!

“ Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall attending the movie premiere of ‘The Desperate Hours’ 1955 “

Source: @SallySunflower5

WATCHLIST 2022: The Desperate Hours (1955)

William Wyler: A Master Filmmaker Revisited

By Jay Rozgonyi

Associate Vice Provost for Pedagogical Innovation & Effectiveness

Director, Center for Academic Excellence

Instructor of both Educational Technology and Film Studies

How about this for a great Final Jeopardy question under the category The Oscars: “He’s the Hollywood director with the most Best Director nominations (12), the most Best Picture nominations (13), and the most acting nominations in his films (36).” Pretty good, I’d say. But chances are that the question will never be used—not because I’m not a staff writer for the show, but also because the answer would likely be considered too hard for most contestants, even serious film fans.

That they wouldn’t be able to name William Wyler is unfortunate, as he was one of the truly great filmmakers of the 20th century. A lot of his movies are well known: Wuthering Heights, Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, Funny Girl… I could go on and on. But unlike Alfred Hitchcock and suspense, or John Ford and Westerns, Wyler didn’t focus on a particular genre; instead—as the list of films I just mentioned demonstrates—he moved from comedy to drama to romance to historical epic. Because of that, he was brushed aside by the critics of the 1960s and 1970s, who considered him a gifted Hollywood studio director but thought that he lacked a coherent artistic vision. In fact, Wyler’s highly diverse output was the result of a quest for innovation and a desire to challenge himself by always trying something new throughout a career that lasted nearly 50 years.

If you Google William Wyler filmmaking style, you’ll learn about the way he carefully composed his shots, staggered his actors from deep in the frame to extremely close up, and staged dialogue scenes with few cuts so all the characters are visible at the same time—all directorial techniques that demonstrate his meticulous craftsmanship. I see another element to his films, however, which hasn’t received much attention at all: a steadfast attention to social justice and basic human morality. Once you look for these themes, it’s as easy to spot as his striking camera setups and his precise use of light and shadow. Wyler’s firm sense of conscience comes out in the nuances of his stories and the characters who inhabit them, and in the subtle ways they speak to the issues of their respective days. We see it in 1937’s Dead End, where the Depression has left families broken and juveniles with little sense of hope for their future. We see it in 1946’s The Best Years of Our Lives, where GIs returning from World War II confront a home front that seems to have moved beyond them and their sacrifices, and toward a future focused on making money and assailing anyone who might be a “Commie.” And we see it in 1970’s The Liberation of L.B. Jones, Wyler’s last film and in many ways his most courageous—a brutally honest look at racism in America and the dehumanization it brings upon us all. 

Over the course of 2024, Fairfield University is celebrating the career of William Wyler with an undergraduate course devoted to his work, a series of film screenings at the Fairfield Bookstore on the Post Road, and an exhibition of materials from his private collection titled William Wyler: Master Filmmaker, Man of Conscience, which will be on display at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library from September through December. We’re just a few years away from the 125th anniversary of Wyler’s birth in 1902, so this seems like a good time for a lot more people to get acquainted with the man and his films. Then, perhaps, by 2027, the Final Jeopardyanswer might even be too easy for contestants to ponder. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Fairfield University’s celebration of the life and work of William Wyler would not be possible without the generous support of his daughters, Catherine and Melanie Wyler. We thank them for all that they’ve done to enable us to share their father’s work with our community.

The following movie screenings will be open to the public at 6:30 p.m. on these dates at the Fairfield University Downtown Bookstore, located at 1499 Post Road, Fairfield, Conn.:

April 9: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom).

October 1: The Desperate Hours (1955); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom); other Wyler family members may attend via Zoom.

November 19: The Liberation of L.B. Jones(1970); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom); other Wyler family members may attend via Zoom.

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Digital Noise Episode 331: ...Featuring Pazuzu DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 331: …FEATURING PAZUZU Chris and Wright tremble in fear beneath their huge stack of films to review this week, which makes sense since we’ve got a lot of horror and thrillers in the mix. From a 2009 remake of a questionable horror classic, to a new 4k of the central reference point film for most folk horror. From dirty-mouthed talking dogs, to the movie with the biggest gut-punch sad ending of any horror movie ever. We got a lot. Even a guest star, Pazuzu. Join us. All titles were sent to Digital Noise by the distribution companies… Read More »Digital Noise Episode 331: …Featuring Pazuzu read more on One of Us

The Desperate Hours

"The Desperate Man", Gustave Courbet, 1843–45

mattfoggy is otp for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR LIFE