Review of Wings of Fame

I came across this film on YouTube last night, and although I had never heard of it, I had nothing better to do so I gave it a try. From the first few minutes, which set up the plot, I couldn't stop watching it. I was reminded of the saying that no one is really dead until the last person who remembers them has died, and this film takes that theory as the plot structure. Peter O'Toole is brilliant as a conceited, self-absorbed famous actor, oblivious to all but his fame, who has passed off the work of an unknown writer as his own autobiography. After one snub too many, the enraged writer shoots dead the posturing actor, and is himself killed by a large spotlight falling from the theater roof. That happens in the first few minutes to set the scene. Next, they are both in a boat crossing a river (The Styx?) to land at a flight of stairs resembling the Odessa Steps, leading them to a comfortable purgatory where they will stay until they are forgotten. What follows is a witty comedy as the residents try to understand where they are and why they are there, what it all means, and the longevity of fame and infamy. Some once great are forgotten within years, such as the artist who was greatly in demand, but a few years later his works fetch nothing and his name has passed into obscurity. Others,through acts involving a famous person, usually murder, go down in history and are never forgotten.