#396: WILDER, Billy: Ace in the Hole (1951)
WILDER, Billy (United States)
Ace in the Hole [1951]
Spine #396
DVD
DVD
One of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker, Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole is legendary for both its cutting social critique and its status as a hard-to-find cult classic. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead-end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime — and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop. Wilder's follow-up to Sunset Boulevard is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred exposé that anticipated the rise of the American media circus.
111 minutes
Black & White
Black & White
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2007
Director/Writers
Billy Wilder was 45 when he directed Ace in the Hole.
Written by Wilder, Lesser Samuels and Walter Newman.
Other Wilder films in the Collection:
#1126: Double Indemnity (1944)
#950: Some Like it Hot (1959)
The Film
Written by Wilder, Lesser Samuels and Walter Newman.
Other Wilder films in the Collection:
#1126: Double Indemnity (1944)
#950: Some Like it Hot (1959)
The Film
The Extras
The Booklet
Four-page faux-newspaper foldout featuring essays by Molly Haskell and Guy Maddin.
Commentary
By film scholar Neil Sinyard.
Portrait of a “60% Perfect Man”: Billy Wilder
A 1990 documentary featuring in-depth interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment.
Interview
Interview
From 1984 with Douglas.
Excerpts 1
Excerpts 1
From a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute.
Excerpts 2
Excerpts 2
From an audio interview with coscreenwriter Newman.
Video afterword
Video afterword
By filmmaker Spike Lee.
Stills gallery
Stills gallery
Theatrical trailer
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