DramaMystery

Fedora

- Youth had been a habit of hers for so long that she could not part with it.

An ambitious Hollywood hustler becomes involved with a reclusive female star, whom he tries to lure out of retirement.

Release Date : 1978-06-29

Language :FrenchGreekEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : SFPNF Geria II Filmgesellschaft m.b.H.Bavaria Film

Production Country : FranceGermany

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Barry Detweiler

Original Name : William Holden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fedora

Original Name : Marthe Keller

Gender : Female

Character Name : Countess Sobryanski

Original Name : Hildegard Knef

Gender : Female

Character Name : Doctor Vando

Original Name : José Ferrer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Balfour

Original Name : Frances Sternhagen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Corfu Hotel Manager

Original Name : Mario Adorf

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Barry

Original Name : Stephen Collins

Gender : Male

Character Name : President of the Academy

Original Name : Henry Fonda

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Michael York

Gender : Male

Character Name : Count Sobryanski

Original Name : Hans Járay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kritos

Original Name : Gottfried John

Gender : Male

Character Name : Newscaster

Original Name : Arlene Francis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maid

Original Name : Elma Karlowa

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nurse

Original Name : Ellen Schwiers

Gender : Female

Character Name : First Director

Original Name : Ferdy Mayne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second Director

Original Name : Peter Capell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bartender

Original Name : Panos Papadopulos

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-06-04

Perhaps not one of Billy Wilder's most famous of films, but this penultimate effort is certainly one of his more intriguing. The story is told starting from the moment of the death of the actress "Fedora" (Marthe Keller) and so it is basically about the circumstances that led to her being hit by a train (suicide/accident?). William Holden ("Dutch Detweiler") has seen better days as an Hollywood producer, and so determines to try and lure the legendary star from her reclusive existence in her Greek villa; surrounded by a rather acolytic coterie as obsessed with their own interests as with those of the actress; and at points we are not quite sure of the extent to which her housebound existence is entirely voluntary. Hildegard Knef ("The Countess") and José Ferrer ("Dr. Vando") add further to this mystery that seems as much of a swipe at the excesses, and vacuousness (splendidly epitomised by the good looking but shallow Michael York) of Hollywood as it is about the sadly maladjusted woman. Aside from Knef - who is on great form, the acting is a little uninspiring - there are some resemblances to "Sunset Boulevard" but I felt only marginally; this has neither the intense drama, nor the intimacy of that story - and Holden couldn't come anywhere near the performance he had delivered back in 1950. I did enjoy it; despite the print I saw being poor and rather shockingly edited (hacked?) but the denouement is pretty much telegraphed after about half an hour and so it loses out on any great degree of depth. Perhaps the very shallowness and fickleness Tom Tryon was identifying in his book?