WILD BILL: A HOLLYWOOD MAVERICK (1995)
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Okay, here's a quiz for you, but you have to get all of the questions right in order to pass. Let's start with an easy one. When you think of Alfred Hitchcock, what sort of films come to mind? A little harder, but still easy -- how about Brian DePalma? Martin Scorsese? Robert Wise? Now for the graduate level question. Categorize the films of well known and prolific director William A. Wellman.
You say you need help? Well, to get you started, let me remind you that he directed the movie that won the first Academy Award for best picture, WINGS (1927). He was also nominated for best director for the original version of A STAR IS BORN (1937).
And your answer is?
You say you are stumped? Well, I confess it was a trick question. The feature length documentary WILD BILL: A HOLLYWOOD MAVERICK argues correctly that he was associated with no particular genre and that his body of work lacks any common theme. His brilliance was in the execution. He was a contract director to the studios for much of his life, so he would take whatever films they gave him and then throw himself body and soul into them. He would frequently trade off doing a picture he disliked so that the studio would let him try a project he did like. The classic examples of this were his last two films where he agreed to do DARBY'S RANGERS (1958) only if the studio would let him make LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE (1958). When the studio forced a reshoot and a happy ending glued onto the latter, it broke him -- not financially, but mentally and physically.
William Wellman was a World War I flying ace and a temperamental director. He was not above threatening people physically. Director Todd Robinson's documentary is quite funny when relating the incidents of Wellman's life. My favorite is when the studios gave Wellman a script so bad that he refused it. Most people would return it with perhaps a nasty note -- not Wellman. One night he filled a pickup truck with horse manure. He then brought it up a shovel-load at a time and put it on the studio head's desk. Once the desk was buried in manure, Wellman put the script on top with a note that said, "Here's what I think of your script." Needless to say, actions like this did not endear him to the Hollywood establishment. He was not even invited to the premier of WINGS or to the ceremony where it won the Oscar.
The documentary has clips of Wellman's life and his movies. Several of the sequences focus on his appearance on the TV show "This is Your Life." James Cagney appeared on it to thank Wellman for giving him his big break in THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931).
Wellman had a love-hate relationship with the studios and producers. He had it in his contract for A STAR IS BORN that producer David O. Selznick could come on the set no more than twelve times.
Even with all his irascibility, his home life was different. After three wives, his fourth one worked out, and they had five kids. The eldest, William Wellman Jr., was the executive producer of the documentary, which I saw at San Jose's Cinequest film festival.
William Wellman Jr. was at the festival to answer questions. He said he had tried for years to get the film made as a tribute to his father whom he loved dearly. I asked him if there were any of his father's films that did not seem to fit. He said that his father would make five or six standard films and then would make a quirky one for himself. The best known and most critically acclaimed of these is THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943). It is the favorite of the people who made the documentary.
The weakness of the documentary stems from the lack of focus. I asked writer and director Robinson if there was a script for the documentary and he said, "No, I wrote it in the editing room." Still the lack of a central theme is due more to the variety of Wellman's films than to any lack of organization by Robinson. In the conclusion narrator Alec Baldwin says of Wellman, "He just made pictures."
This fascinating film has been submitted for Oscar consideration for best documentary. You will be able to see it soon on the TNT cable network as they recently purchased a three year license.
WILD BILL: A HOLLYWOOD MAVERICK runs 1:35. It is not rated but would be PG for some of the themes. The film would be fine for any kid old enough to be interested. I recommend it to you and give it ***.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: February 5, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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