APUSH/Mr. O’Connor Name ________________________________ Per ___ Date ______ “Some Like It Hot” (1959) Directed by Billy Wilder Written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond Marilyn Monroe …… Sugar Kane Kowalczyk Tony Curtis …… Joe Jack Lemmon …… Jerry George Raft …… Spats Colombo Pat O'Brien …… Det. Mulligan Joe E. Brown …… Osgood Fielding III Nehemiah Persoff …… Little Bonaparte Joan Shawlee …… Sweet Sue The following questions will serve as the basis for classroom discussion. You should take notes so that you can participate in the discussion. 1. Color technology existed for over 20 years prior to the making of “Some Like It Hot”. Why, then, might a director choose to use black-and-white instead? 2. “Some Like It Hot” follows an ancient story-telling device: having characters pretend that they’re someone they’re not. The ancient Greeks used it, and Shakespeare often used fake identities and mistaken identities in many of his plays, too. How does the use of false or mistaken identities add to the film’s comedic element? Why might this be so appealing to audiences? 3. “Some Like It Hot” uses sexuality and plays with the conventions of gender roles. Indeed, some analysts argue that the film is ultimately all about sexuality and gender. How do the filmmakers use sex and gender stereotypes to provide laughs? How do the filmmakers use comedy to get their audience to reevaluate sex and gender stereotypes? 4. What can this film, made in 1959, tell us about America in the 1920s? What does it tell us about America in the late 1950s? 5. Besides gender and sexuality, what are some other cinematic or narrative devices that Wilder and Diamond use to advance their story, heighten tension, or provide comedy? .