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As a restless young man early in World War I, William A. Wellmanjoined the French Foreign Legion, and then became an ace American pilot with the famed Lafayette Escadrille. After being shot down and suffering grave injuries, the war hero returned to civilian life in Hollywood in the 1920s, soon becoming known as Wild Bill for his maverick perspective and two-fisted approach to directing. As the excellent documentary Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick details, Wellman's insistence on realistic filmmaking resulted in the still-breathtaking aerial choreography in his breakthrough film, 1927's Wings, the very first Best Picture Oscar winner. His other films, especially war pictures such as The Story of G.I. Joe, Beau Geste, and Battleground, display equal parts authenticity, grit, and humanity. Wellman also broke out of war-picture confines to have huge success with films such as A Star Is Born (for which he won his only Oscar, for cowriting the script), the screwball comedy Nothing Sacred, and the meditative antilynching drama The Ox-Bow Incident. Wild Bill traces Wellman's extraordinary career, highlighted by interviews with such varied Wellman stars as Robert Mitchum, Buddy Rogers, Burgess Meredith, Clint Eastwood, and Nancy Davis Reagan. Fans of Hollywood history and film in general won't want to miss this fascinating portrait of a true iconoclast. --Anne Hurley ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I WISH I HAD 5 FRIENDS JUST LIKE WILD BILL
This amazing film director was before my time but I wished I would have discovered him much sooner than I did. I rented a movie called "The Next Voice You Hear" from the classic section of the video store. It was a great film with a different style than most films I had seen. It was about the source of the greatest peace of mind on earth. It impacted me long after I had finished watching it. So following up on that, I bought this documentary about his life, only to find out what a great man he was along with being one of the most acclaimed directors of all time.

During high school, his rough style at playing ice hockey, caught the eye of actor Douglas Fairbanks. On that day, Wellman made a resounding impact on Fairbanks, and that changed the course of Wellman's life. Wellman got the nickname "Wild Bill" in France, during World War I. The French gave him that name for extremely aggressive actions as a bomber pilot.

After the war, he contacted Douglas Fairbanks, asking about employment in films. After being given a role in a film, he became disgusted with himself on screen. He then asked if he could become a movie director. While working as an assistant director for director Bernard Durning on a film, he shot some footage for 2 weeks. Wellman filled in for Durning, who went on a drinking binge and could not go on with his job. The studio was more impressed with the footage Wellman shot than Durning's footage. Durning told the studio, you should make Wellman a director.

Films about the war were popular at the time. A film called "Wings" came along, and because of Wellman's experience as a war pilot, he was given the job of director. The film had a cameo appearance by Gary Cooper, which boosted his career for the future. The movie, Wings (1927), won the first ever Academy Award for best picture.

Wellman was a director for 35 years. He directed more than 70 movies. His films include Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born (1937), Beau Geste (1939), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), The Story Of G.I. Joe (1945), Yellow Sky (1948), Battleground (1949) and The High and the Mighty (1954). His work received 32 Academy Award nominations, 4 were for best picture and 3 for best director. His only Oscar would be for "A Star Is Born". The Directors Guild gave him their award of the highest honor, the D.W. Griffith Award For Lifetime Achievement. Right before he died, he told his son not to feel sorry for him because he had lived the life of a 100 men. I was deeply touched by this great documentary of a man who lived his life to the fullest, with incredible style. James Garner said about Wellman, he gave better than he got, he was a very strong personality. ... Read more