Thursday, April 25, 2024

Remembering Gene Wilder --- 4 Stars ---March 15, 2024 --- NETFLIX

Remembering Gene Wilder grabs your attention from the opening moments, as we hear Gene Wilder narrate the story of his life.  I understand the audio comes from his recordings of his 2005 memoir.  Hearing and seeing Wilder again reminds viewers of the extent of his talent, so apparent in the original version of The Producers (1968.) Scenes from Wilder's greatest hits really are great to see again --- Willy Wonka, Blazing Saddles, and especially the delight Wilder imagined and wrote Young Frankenstein, as well as his comedies with Richard Pryor. Fans know of Wilder's marriage to Gilda Radner, ending in her death from cancer, and his successful marriage to speech and hearing therapist Karen Boyer.  Remembering Gene Wilder doesn't hold back revealing the comic's final years with Alzheimer's.  It's hard to hear his widow report he couldn't remember anything about Young Frankenstein, or much of his career.  My wife and I followed with silence, and a plan to download the original Producers the next night.  We laughed and marveled as we remembered Gene Wilder.