Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe 

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

BBC Radio 4 FM

Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe: Episode 8

Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe

Episode 8

BBC Radio 4 - Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe, Episode 8

The screenplay, describing how Wilder came to film the Nazi death camps, continues.

The screenplay, describing how Wilder came to film the Nazi death camps, continues - as he seeks to destroy any thoughts that the holocaust was exaggerated.

In 1945, Billy Wilder made a film called "Death Mills" about the Holocaust. In it he showed “an entire field, a whole landscape of corpses”. He went on to make "Sunset Boulevard", "Some Like It Hot" and "The Apartment". "Mr Wilder & Me" is ostensibly a fiction about a young woman discovering her love of film, music and young men but it is also about the way that a generation of film-makers responded to the great cataclysm of the second world war and the seriousness with which they viewed entertainment, particularly comedy, as an escape from nightmarish reality.

The protagonist, Calista is a film score composer and she tells the story of how she came to work for the legendary film director, Billy Wilder whilst he was preparing to work on one of his last films, "Fedora".

Written by Jonathan Coe
Abridged by Florence Bedell

The readers were
Jasmine Hyde (narrator and all female parts)
Paul Kemp (old and young Wilder)
Jos Vantyler - all other voices.

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill Production for BBC Radio 4.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Audiobooks

Podcasts

Drama

Calista, a film score composer, tells the story of how she came to work for Billy Wilder.

Calista, a film score composer, tells the story of how she came to work for legendary film director Billy Wilder while he was preparing to work on his 1978 film, Fedora.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe

Episode 8

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4