INFLUENCERS & INSPIRATION
Whereby the influence on set or in the theatre watching someone else’s film, inspires another…
Double Indemnity (1944) was written by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, based on the book by James M. Cain. It’s a wonderful screenplay. A true film noir classic, full of rapid-fire dialogue and black humor. But, it was to be the first and last collaboration for these two men. To say their personalities clashed would be an understatement. Studio records reveal the depth of Chandler’s animosity in particular for the situation. And though he could never – ever! – find anything positive to say about Wilder, Wilder always respected Chandler’s talent as a writer. For this reason it mystified Wilder as to why Chandler, a recovering alcoholic, had returned to the bottle as they worked on Double Indemnity.
Why would someone risk everything for just one drink?
This question haunted Wilder and in an effort to understand, inspired him to take on his next project, The Lost Weekend (1945). The Lost Weekend is the story of a writer who sinks further and further into alcoholism despite being surrounded by those who love him and are trying to help. It’s based on the book by Charles R. Jackson and stars Ray Milland as the fictional writer with a drinking problem, Don Birnam. The film was praised for its unflinching and, for its time, realistic portrayal of addiction. It was an important film to Wilder professionally, as it won him the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay. And personally, too, as while filming The Lost Weekend he met a pretty extra, Audrey Young. Wilder and Young were married in 1949 and remained devoted to one another until Wilder’s death in 2002.
Apparently antagonistic to the end, there exists no record of congratulations from Chandler to Wilder on winning his two Academy Awards; no ‘thank you’ from Wilder to Chandler for leading him to the love of his life.
