Major and Little by Billy Wilder Director The girl returns from unconquered New York to Iowa. There is no money for the ticket and she has to pretend to be a 12-year-old girl in front of a short-sighted major. The major helps her, not realizing that the girl has already fallen in love with him.
Billy Wilder in this work, as in many of his other films, showed an amazing sense of style. He is one of the few directors who can create a romantic atmosphere against the background of a real story. If the first half of the film was very reminiscent of the film subsequently shot by Wilder “Some like hotter”, the second part of the film, in which more attention is paid to the love of a girl – very similar to “Sabrina”.
As in “Some Love the Hottest”, Billy Wilder in this film raises the topic of dressing up – a person deliberately impersonates another (gender, age). And I must say that “Major and the baby” is not weaker than the recognized masterpiece.
Ginger Rogers, whose height was 1.64 m quite confidently copes with his role. But the fact that Ginger is not at all like a 12-year-old girl, in my opinion, is due to the demands of critics, producers or the director’s concept. I think that if you want, the visual match could be quite refined - this is not a problem for Billy Wilder.
Ray Milland, an actor with a very sophisticated charisma, is simply unmatched in the role of Major. Perhaps today only Jeff Bridges with such accuracy and equanimity could convey the director’s irony. However, Bridges, unlike Milland, does not follow his physical form.
In the end: a very worthy romantic comedy. Despite his U.S. debut, Wilder’s unquestionable staging talent is beyond doubt. Participation in the film Milland and Rogers is a significant bonus.
7 out of 10