Fortune Cookie DVD

Rewatching this excellent 1966 Billy Wilder 'comedy’ for the first time for 20 or so years, my favourable recollection was rubber-stamped, if not improved upon, even. Thus, I was rather surprised to read that Billy Wilder himself did not regard the film very favourably, although admittedly his comments in the Conversations With Wilder book by Cameron Crowe are brief and non-specific and in the same book he praises Walther Matthau’s Oscar-winning turn here as the unscrupulous lawyer, William H 'Whiplash Willie’ Gingrich. The Fortune Cookie, in which Gingrich and brother-in-law, Jack Lemmon’s injured sports cameraman, Harry Hinkle, attempt to pull an insurance scam, has many Wilder hallmarks – the bittersweet tone, many brilliantly funny lines (Wilder co-wrote with regular collaborator, Izzy Diamond) and a specific parodic focus on 'big corporate’ insurance à la Double Indemnity and The Apartment – to name but three, but the film is particularly notable for being one of Wilder’s darker forays, hence the 'comedy’ moniker should really only be used with the prefix 'black’ ('jet black’, maybe). I also find curious the fact that the film’s acting award (Oscar) went to Matthau. Of course, Matthau is outstanding here, from his brilliant introduction, accompanied by André Previn’s Pink Panther-like theme (suggesting sleazy connotations), and play-on-words hospital scene, but Lemmon is equally good (I’ll come clean here and admit that the actor is probably my all-time favourite Hollywood thespian) and in a role that, I would argue, requires a good deal more versatility and nuance.Given the seeming absence of a moral centre in Gingrich, Wilder (and Diamond) thus set up Lemmon’s Hinkle as the focus of an increasingly pressing moral dilemma. On the one hand, Harry’s natural (human) inclination is to feel sympathy for Ron Rich’s guilt-ridden football player, Luther 'Boom Boom’ Jackson, who was the cause of Harry’s accident and thus expose Willie’s ruse, but, on the other hand, Hinkle is tempted to maintain the fraud to gain sympathy (and maybe love?) from his ex-wife, Judi West’s gold-digging Sandi, now showing interest in Harry again. As you might imagine some of the interplay (of deception) between this central quartet of characters is cleverly, and often hilariously, done. At the same time, however, in order to skew audience sympathies, Wilder sets the (undoubted) ‘baddie’, Gingrich, against 'capitalist exploiter extraordinaire’ in the form of the insurance company 'men in suits’ and their surveillance man and private detective, the excellent Cliff Osmond’s, Oliver Hardy-esque, Chester Purkey. In many ways, the dilemma faced by Lemmon’s Hinkle (another ‘dumb schmuck’) here is similar to that faced by the same actor’s CC Baxter in Wilder’s superior The Apartment, and even though I would rate the earlier film more highly overall, the payoff here is certainly at least as emotive as The Apartment’s and, I would say, a good deal harder-hitting.A few final words about the film’s production values. The film is full of great set-pieces, memorably depicted by cinematographer Joseph LaShelle’s Oscar-nominated black-and-white images – a little gem of a shot that immediately springs to mind is that of Willie sitting waiting for the phone to ring as the insurance bigwigs are about to fall prey to his latest scheming. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the way Wilder tops and tails his film (and nails his ‘US credentials’) with the sequences in the football stadium, the concluding one between Harry and Boom Boom providing a fittingly poignant conclusion to another top film from this film-maker.

Excellent film, happily first viewed by myself courtesy of the good old BBC in the 70's, way back when they still showed decent films at Christmas (The Apartment etc) and every bit as enjoyable when watched again this weekend, & heaven knows on how many other occasions over the years!!.I originally purchased this on the sadly dying Laserdisc format, but migrated when released on DVD for the convenience of not having to wrestle with 2 old disks and four sides. Think MGM have used the very same print for this issue as the minor imperfections in an otherwise superb image appear identical. Just go and buy it and immerse yourself in the fun, not sure why anyone would find the characters annoying, or feel that the film does not really go anywhere. The story finally returns full circle after closure of the failed scam to reveal both of the unwitting participants acting out the introduction, on the same playing field, this time with a small audience of somewhat bemused janitors and not thousands excited sports fans! GREAT STUFF!

They certainly don't make films like this anymore which is a sad realisation about how film has changed since 1967. Contemporary comedy writers and film directors should take a leaf out of Billy Wilder's director's manual and be inspired by a masterful film maker. The Fortune Cookie is a heart-warming, cleverly written, meaningful, funny and artistically brilliant classic, where the pairing of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon is directional acting of sheer class.A few years earlier in 1960, Billy Wilder produced The Apartment with Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine. It is a little darker in mood but the Wilder magic shines through to produce another touching and amusing masterpiece. CH

it was OK, I wasn't really overly excited about this film sir.

Very funny. Wilder, Nathau and Lemmon, what a chemistry! I don't think anybody will ever repeat. Lawyers had of course to be witty, but this one (Nathau) exceeds them all. I recommend.

Funny romp

very good

Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon are in great form here, as is everybody else. A true classic about seeing an opportunity when you fall over it, conning the cons and outsmarting the wickedly clever.