Film retrospective to honor alum Mirisch
 Mirisch
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For a guy with four Oscars in his office and 100-plus films under his belt, Walter Mirisch seems light years from the fast-talking, cold-hearted stereotype of the Hollywood producer.
During an interview, Mirisch’s answers usually began with a self-conscious chuckle. He’s embarrassed about being photographed with all of his Academy Award hardware, which he calls “my monuments to a squandered youth.”
He’s approachable in an almost grandfatherly way.
The 1942 university history graduate – and the undisputed king of UW film-industry alumni – has a book dedicated to him by his friend, novelist Elmore Leonard. “To Walter Mirisch, one of the good guys,” reads the opening page. Funny that the book in question is “Get Shorty,” a scathing film-industry satire about a mobster who’s trying to “go legit” in the movie business.
Lately, Mirisch has been directing some of that good-guy reputation back to UW–Madison. Ever since he received an honorary degree from the university in 1989, he’s played a prominent role in promoting the campus here in Los Angeles.
This month, Mirisch will be coming back to campus for a film retrospective in his honor at the Wisconsin Film Festival organized by the UW–Madison Arts Institute.
“I’m looking forward to the Madison program, because it’s rather nice to come home again,” he says. “I hope it will enhance the university’s film program, and I really hope to see that program grow.”
Mirisch is off the hook for choosing his own films for the festival, and he’s probably relieved. His filmography is sprawling, including Academy Award-winning pictures such as “West Side Story,” “The Apartment” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
Other notables include “The Magnificent Seven,” the five-film “Pink Panther” series, “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Seven Angry Men” and “Some Like it Hot.”
Mirisch is currently preparing a new film based on the Elmore Leonard novel “La Brava.” It’s a story set in South Beach, Florida about a sting operation “with a lot of heart and action and offers some excellent roles for actors.”
After making his first film in 1947 – a feature called “Fall Guy,” which played as the second feature in a double bill – Mirisch still finds making movies vital and fulfilling.
“There is great excitement in simply starting with an idea … molding it into a screenplay, casting it and seeing it come to life on a screen. Seeing it realized as a complete slice of life that, beyond our own lives, has immortality.”
Wisconsin Film Festival
What: Film screenings, visiting filmmakers, speaker programs, workshops, performances and special events.
Where: Thursday, March 30, through Sunday, April 2, at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St.; Madison Art Center, 211 State St.; Fredric March Play Circle at the Memorial Union; and UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall.
Who: Presenting organization, the Arts Institute; major sponsor, Wisconsin Film Office.
How: Tickets and festival passes for programs at the Orpheum Theatre and Madison Art Center are on sale. Festival programs at the Wisconsin Union Directorate and UW Cinematheque will be free; seating limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.
More information: Wisconsin Film Festival