One of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Austrian-born American director, writer, and producer Billy Wilder is known for films that humorously treat subjects of controversy and offer biting indictments of hypocrisy in American life. His work often focused on subjects that had previously been considered unacceptable screen material, including alcoholism (The Lost Weekend, 1945), prisoner-of-war camps (Stalag 17, 1953), and prostitution (Irma La Douce, 1963). A number of his films, such as Sunset Boulevard (1950) and The Apartment (1960), weighed the emptiness of modern life. This class will look at the scope of his career and influence through clips of his greatest films as well as interviews with Wilder himself and other directors whose he has influenced.