Here’s the latest from The Magnificent 60s
The word is that you can’t blame director (and producer and co-writer) Billy Wilder for this disaster because it was taken out of his hands by studio United Artists and drastically re-cut. But when you learn that Wilder’s version ran three hours and counting and even in the shortened version looks a preposterously bad bet, you can see why UA felt the need to take charge.
Wilder had been the poster boy for sexual identity after the frolics of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as cross-dressing musicians hankering after Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot (1959). Whether Sherlock Holmes was a closet gay would have been a minor footnote to the author’s massive fanbase, and to put it so upfront looks, especially for a contemporary audience, like a massive misstep…
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The Magnificent 60s is a richly curated deep dive into one of cinema’s most transformative decades, guided by film historian Brian Hannan. The site blends sharp weekly reviews with detailed production histories, box‑office insights, and behind‑the‑scenes stories that illuminate how the 1960s reshaped filmmaking. Its archive is vast and meticulously organised, covering everything from spy thrillers and westerns to biopics, musicals, and contemporary films that echo the era’s sensibilities.