Writer-director (and cinema legend) Bily Wilder's penultimate film (made in 1978) is a delightfully biting satire on the machinations of Hollywood - a kind of Sunset Boulevard updated by a quarter of a century (if you like). Here, instead of Gloria Swanson's ageing film star, Norma Desmond, suffering the delusion that she can resurrect her (predominantly silent screen) career as if the intervening years never happened, Wilder injects (no pun intended) some 'modern day realism' in his tale of Hildegard Knef's insecure titular Hollywood star's realisation that 'preservation of youth' is a must have at the 1970s box office. As for the great 1950 film, we again get William Holden (here as film producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler) atmospherically narrating (primarily in flashback, at times multi- flashback) his and Fedora's tale, with (again) the Holden character unearthing the mystery in a 'secluded mansion' (this time on the Greek island of Corfu), where Fedora is (supposedly) holed up with the equally mysterious Countess Sobryanski. What follows is an 'old fashioned melodrama' (a little fanciful at times, maybe), mixing tragedy with Wilder's (and co-writer I A L Diamond's) characteristic quips, beautifully shot using production designs by the legendary Alexandre Trauner and with a sweeping score by Miklós Rózsa.
Undoubtedly, the most memorable of Trauner's designs relates to the opening (Fedora) funeral sequence, from which Dutch angrily narrates, picking up on espying the Countess and 'that weird entourage of hers' (a description that could have been lifted from Sunset Boulevard, with Desmond, Buster Keaton, etc.). Throughout, Wilder paints Hollywood as a 'busted flush' dropping topical references like confetti, as Dutch namedrops faded stars from the 'golden age' (Gable, Tracy, Crawford) and notes the selling off (cheaply) of the MGM lot. The 'mystery' of Fedora and the Countess is genuinely enthralling and, at times, distinctly eerie, as Dutch discovers notebooks with 'I am Fedora' repeated throughout (anticipating a Jack Nicholson-The Shining moment) alongside a hidden wall photomontage. Such moments of suspense are, though, interspersed with some delicious Wilder one-liners ('What's a cheeseburger?', Don't let this earring fool you', 'No not there, that's the cat's chair', 'Acting, that's for the Old Vic', etc.).
Acting-wise, the 'lived-in' Holden is, as ever, excellent, as is José Ferrer as Fedora's surgeon, the creepily defiant, Dr. Vando. The pairing of Knef and Marthe Keller is rather a mixed bag - likely not helped by Wilder being forced (for understandability reasons) to dub both actresses' voices with the voice of Inga Bunsch. Keller, in particular, does rather overdo the OTT melodrama, at times. I found the film's biggest weaknesses to be the 'Dutch concussion' interlude and (after the film's 'reveal') the rather lengthy 'story explanation' (which came across as anticlimactic).
Despite being a long-time Wilder fan, I had not seen Fedora until just recently and, whilst I would not rate it in (quite) the same league as the man's absolute best (in which Fedora's closest comparator, Sunset Boulevard, would feature heavily) it is a fine late effort and a worthy testament to one of cinema's greatest artists.
Undoubtedly, the most memorable of Trauner's designs relates to the opening (Fedora) funeral sequence, from which Dutch angrily narrates, picking up on espying the Countess and 'that weird entourage of hers' (a description that could have been lifted from Sunset Boulevard, with Desmond, Buster Keaton, etc.). Throughout, Wilder paints Hollywood as a 'busted flush' dropping topical references like confetti, as Dutch namedrops faded stars from the 'golden age' (Gable, Tracy, Crawford) and notes the selling off (cheaply) of the MGM lot. The 'mystery' of Fedora and the Countess is genuinely enthralling and, at times, distinctly eerie, as Dutch discovers notebooks with 'I am Fedora' repeated throughout (anticipating a Jack Nicholson-The Shining moment) alongside a hidden wall photomontage. Such moments of suspense are, though, interspersed with some delicious Wilder one-liners ('What's a cheeseburger?', Don't let this earring fool you', 'No not there, that's the cat's chair', 'Acting, that's for the Old Vic', etc.).
Acting-wise, the 'lived-in' Holden is, as ever, excellent, as is José Ferrer as Fedora's surgeon, the creepily defiant, Dr. Vando. The pairing of Knef and Marthe Keller is rather a mixed bag - likely not helped by Wilder being forced (for understandability reasons) to dub both actresses' voices with the voice of Inga Bunsch. Keller, in particular, does rather overdo the OTT melodrama, at times. I found the film's biggest weaknesses to be the 'Dutch concussion' interlude and (after the film's 'reveal') the rather lengthy 'story explanation' (which came across as anticlimactic).
Despite being a long-time Wilder fan, I had not seen Fedora until just recently and, whilst I would not rate it in (quite) the same league as the man's absolute best (in which Fedora's closest comparator, Sunset Boulevard, would feature heavily) it is a fine late effort and a worthy testament to one of cinema's greatest artists.