Student Film Premiere — Dear Willy — Documentary on Filmmaker William Wyler

From 1942 to 1945, William Wyler—who had already directed Dead End, Wuthering Heights, The Little Foxes, Jezebel, and Mrs. Miniver—left his Hollywood life and young family behind to join the Army Air Force. As he put his own life in danger to film the war from the front lines, he and his wife—thousands of miles away—kept in touch via letters and telegrams that showcase their love, commitment, and courage. For the first time ever this story can be told.

Taylor Alexander F’24, with the assistance of Associate Vice Provost Jay Rozgonyi, has put together a moving film about Wyler’s life in the European theater of war and the relationship he and Talli maintained through their never-before-shared correspondence. Thanks to the generosity of the Wyler Family, the film is built around the hundreds of letters the couple shared, and this screening is accompanied by an exhibit of a selected set of this correspondence and other memorabilia from the Wylers’ private collection.