Gene Wilder - His Best Performance?

Wonka and Young Frankenstein, although STIR CRAZY has many great moments.

 

I just read Gene Wilder's autobiography "Kiss Me Like A Stranger" two weekends ago which I would highly recommend if you like his films. It was a very insightful and honest book. They also just repeated a show on Turner Classics Movies where Alec Baldwin interviewed Wilder that was very good as well (seemingly shot sometime shortly after Gene had written his book).

Don't forget Gene Wilder in Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex...But Were Afraid To Ask" where he played a man who fell in love with a sheep. And Wilder had a small but funny role as the rube and his girlfriend taken for a ride with the outlaws in "Bonnie & Clyde". I enjoyed Gene's movies with Richard Pryor (the Hitchcockian "Silver Streak" film especially) but I think that "The Producers" is still probably his best film. He was able to convey so much with just his facial expressions during "The Producers" in reaction to the absurdity that was happening all around him during the film. His work in Willy Wonka was great too, of course. It was Wilder who insisted that the first scene with Wonka at the gates of the chocolate factory should have him hobbling out with a crutch to greet the people. Wonka would accidentally fall forward but then he recovers with a graceful forward roll into a normal standing position before tossing his cane away. It turns out that he didn't really need the cane after all. Wilder thought that this would indicate to people that they wouldn't be able to trust anything that Wonka said or did from that point on.

Not only did Wilder star in "Young Frankenstein" but he also came up with the idea for the film on his own and he wrote the first several pages before asking Mel Brooks to direct it (and Brooks later contributed to the screenplay too but it was Wilder who submitted the initial script and idea to Mel).

 

This is a great Wilder role too (although the film is probably largely forgotten nowadays). He and Donald Sutherland are very funny in this movie.

 

+1

A lot of times, I'll watch a movie and say to myself, "You know what would have been better? If actor X did/said this instead of that." Gene Wilder's performance as Wonka is note for note perfect and could not be improved upon in any way. It is Academy Award worthy, IMHO.

 

I vote as well for Young F.

 

Frisco Kid

jerol

 

Young Frankenstein
Silver Streak
Stir Crazy
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother

-wonderful stuff

 

"we don't take no s**t, well maybe just a little..."

The first time I saw this scene I was ill with laughter, marvellous.

 

My three favorite films with Gene Wilder are also my three favorite Mel Brooks films. I think "The Producers" includes my favorite Wilder performance although I can't decide on which film is my favorite. Over the last 30 years, I have liked "Blazing Saddles" better at times and "Young Frankenstein" better at times. If I recall correctly, I have seen each one 3 times and I rarely watch a film more than twice and just thinking about the films makes me want to watch each again. I haven't ever seen "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and need to watch that one since I purchased it and the Depp remake on HD DVD when both were available for very low prices. I watched the Depp remake first because I like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp even better than I like Gene Wilder. I do believe that Gene Wilder had very limited appeal as a film actor and I think he was wise to choose only a few roles, mostly well suited for his talents. IMDb gives him 35 credits including TV roles in an almost 40 year career, not exactly prolific, but the list includes some very good performances.

Chris

 

top 3

Silver Streak
Stir Crazy
See No Evil, Hear No Evil

 

I know it's not vintage, but I love Wilder in Haunted Honeymoon!

"Whoops! There goes my imagination again! How do you like that?"

 

P.S. Wilder's book "Kiss My Like A Stranger" is really good - highly recommended!

 

slokes: This is a great article. Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm so glad he's happy. I learned a lot of things from this article, such as that he was the main creative force behind Young F. Impressive.

I'm sure you know this already, but he was in the fairly good 1999 tv movie version of Alice in Wonderland where he played the mock turtle. It was the most moving part of the whole film...

 

yes, he's great in The Frisco Kid.

 

I think it's becoming clear that there are several crucial roles that are all quite memorable.....producers, willy wonka, blazing saddles, young frankenstein, silver streak, frisco kid, etc., etc.

Here's a pic from 2007...

 

The Producers, Young Frankenstein and also his first role as a undertaker in " Bonnie and Clyde "

 

Nice thread, Gene Wilder's one of my absolute favorite actors.
All the movies mentioned are hard to beat, so i'll just nominate a rarely seen part of the fox in the movie "The Little Prince"...."It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye".

 

Willy Wonka was a brilliant take. I can't even watch the Johnny Depp version. That's my choice.

Runner ups: Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy.

 

Young Frankenstein, Bonnie and Clyde and The Producers have my favorite Gene Wilder moments.

 

He is Willy Wonka.
I wonder why he isn't in any new movies, too. He's good.

 

I would go with his laid-back Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles as my favorite, but the completely over-the-top performance in Young Frankenstein is second. The buddy movies with Pryor haven't aged nearly as well as the Brooks spoofs.

 

Young Frankenstein
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Producers
and...Blazing Saddles all terrific performances.

 

Willy Wonka all the way. His scene near the end where he accuses Charlie of stealing Fizzie Lifting Drinks is acting at it's finest. You feel as though he's yelling at you and you absolutely hate him because of it. Then he turns it around. Amazing actor.

Also great in The Producers, overshadowed by Zero Mostel & Dick Shawn (both brilliant)

 

Bonnie and Clyde