I just saw the very best Billy Wilder film that Billy Wilder had no part in making — it’s an Austrian film titled Episode, made in 1935.
Episode starts with a bang – literally, as the president of a bank shoots himself after being caught speculating money on the market by embezzling money from his own bank.
His speculations have left many of the bank’s patrons, including art-student Valerie (played by Paula Wessely) with no money and bills to pay. For a delicious ten minutes, the film hovers between genres, and we are uncertain whether we are going to be watching a tragedy, a social message film, or comedy…but finally director Walter Reisch tips his hand and we are given a delightful comedy of manners in which newly impoverished Valerie must decide if she should stay a ‘good girl’ or eat.
Reisch’s direction is sure, and crisp, with great pacing, the script sparkles from beginning to end, but the best of all is the acting: superb on all accounts — best of all is Paula Wessely, who has great comedy chops — she brings so much energy to her role that it feels like you are watching a force of nature on the screen.
Reisch, who went on to produce a long line of screenplay credits for films as diverse as The Titanic (the 1953 version), Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Niagara, said in an interview why he never worked on any of Wilder’s own films. “We were the best of friends,” he explained. “But we thought so much alike on so many things that there would have nothing new either of could have added to each other’s ideas.”
This film is part of an Austrian genre of light romantic comedies called Weiner Film, but is unusual because of the social commentary underlying the humor – it takes place in the economic crisis of 1922, and this provides a perfect backdrop to highlight societal double-standards of its time. Also notable is that this is the only Austrian film with a Jewish producer allowed to screen in Germany during the Nazi era. This film manages the difficult feat of juggling serious social satire with light comedy, I was going to say this was a Wildean feat, but let’s give credit where credit is due – this is a truly a Reischian success.
As with any comedy from this era, Episode is best seen with a big screen and audience – much will be lost on a small TV. But however you can, see it, and get a flavor of the witty and cuttingly-dry humor prevalent in Vienna, a sense of humor which via immigration found its way across the Atlantic to give us some of our best American comedies.