Monday, February 18, 2019

cinema obscura: billy wilder's "fedora" (1978)

While many of his contemporaries were slowing down with only an occasional film every now and then, Billy Wilder remained a vital, prolific filmmaker, particularly in the 1950s and '60s, churning out title after title.

His only equal at the time was Alfred Hitchcock.

In 1957 alone, Wilder produced a wildly diverse trio - "Love in the Afternoon," "The Spirit of St. Louis" and "Witness for the Prosecution."

But after "The Fortune Cookie" in 1966, he abruptly pulled back. It was four years later when he returned with the troubled but appealing "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes," followed another two years by "Avanti!," a sophisticated but rather middle-aged "romp" based on a semi-successful play by Samuel Taylor. Wilder was beginning to slow down, too.

He would make only three more films, two of them rather lethargic Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau teamings, "The Front Page" and "Buddy Buddy," the latter being Billy Wilder's final film. But sandwiched in-between those two was 1978's compelling "Fedora," an attempt by Wilder to return to form. More accurately, it was a companion piece to his triumphant "Sunset Blvd." (1950), replete with the same leading man - William Holden. It was nearly 30 years later -  and Wilder and, to a degree, Holden were out to prove that they still had it in them to make a seminal, influential movie about the moviemaking process. Only this time, the pervasive eeriness of the material wasn't simple camp. "Fedora" is genuinely eerie - actually downright creepy.

Once again, Holden plays a washed-up movie opportunist hoping to nudge a retired, reclusive actress - the Polish-born Fedora - toward a comeback with his new version of "Anna Karenina." But something is amiss, strange.

And when Fedora dies suddenly, after jumping in front of a moving train, Holden attempts to ferret out the ... "truth." That word comes with ominous underpinnings in this atmospheric, chilly affair which is not quite as companionable as "Sunset Blvd." And while Wilder opted for color cinematography (courtesy of Gerry Fisher's painterly hues), rather than black-&-white, he conjurs up dreamy shadow imagery that efficiently distills his film's disturbing themes. (A French-German co-production, "Fedora" is essentially the European sibling of "Sunset Blvd.")

Wilder surrounded Holden with both a top international cast - Marthe Keller and Hildegard Kneff as two incarnations of Fedora, along with José Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Henry Fonda, Mario Adorf, Arlene Francis and Michael York - and also a hugely photogenic backdrop, the Greek Island of Corfu.

Stephen Collins is a good match-up as the young version of the Holden character in flashbacks.

The film's Big Secret - concocted by Tom Tryon (the late film-actor-turned-writer) for a short story in his 1978 collection, "Crowned Head" - remains provocative. For the occasion, Wilder adapted Tryon's story with his long-time writing partner, I.A.L. "Izzy" Diamond, and these vets make it clear that the aim of their collaboration is not for the modernity of the other films at the time but for something ageless - not unlike "Sunset Blvd."

Their efforts here almost matched their previous project. Almost.

Note in Passing: In his book, "Conversations with Wilder," Cameron Crowe writes, "Wilder is quick to point out that his original casting plan would have served the picture better." I believe, if my recollections are correct, that his original plan was to cast Vanessa Redgrave and her mother Rachel Kempson is the roles ultimately played by Keller and Kneff.

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~images~
(from top) 

~Artwork for "Fedora"

~William Holden and Marthe Keller in a scene from "Fedora"
~Mario Adorf and Holden in another scene from the film
~photography: Lorimar/United Artists 1978©

9 comments:

Mike said...

Enjoyed this article very much. Tracking down "Fedora"(bwhich I've tried for years) has proven to be elusive. It's the dereliction of the home-entertainment arms of the studios that move present-day cinephiles to distraction. I agree with twentyfourframes - this film should be on DVD.

Steve said...

The film is available on a Spanish DVD release. The picture and sound quality are good. It contains the original English version along with a dubbed Spanish version. There are Spanish subtitles available as well but unfortunately no English subtitles. I don't know if this DVD is an edited chopped version of Fedora but this Wilder film is far from a masterpiece. What is wonderful about this Billy Wilder film is its score, the music by Miklos Rozsa. I don't believe it is represented here in full vs. the Varese album release.

Alex said...

I am dismayed this film is still not on DVD. I watched it years ago on a rented VHS copy and was pleasantly surprised. Wilder still had that acidic touch he was so known for. Hard to believe Wilder could not get a film made during the last 20 years of his life.

Robert G. said...

I saw this ages ago, I believe on HBO. Very provocative, and one would like to think that a film by a director as revered and well-remembered as Wilder would warrant a fresh release (or at least a Netflix stream). Probably some kind of of pain-in-the-butt rights issue is involved.

Ari said...

This sentence struck me: "[W]hen Fedora dies suddenly, after jumping in front of a moving train, Holden attempts to ferret out the ... "truth." That word comes with ominous underpinings. "Fedora" is an atmospheric, chilly affair[.]

That description could easily apply to a number of notable movies from the 1970s - The Conversation, The Parallax View, and All the President's Men come to mind immediately as examples. In that sense, it's interesting to think how Wilder managed to remain in touch with the mood of the moment, even into the late 1970s.

Bunuel said...

The original casting plans for FEDORA were to have Marlene Dietrich and Faye Dunaway; Dunaway was actually signed, but when Dietrich refused, Dunaway was gone. The role that Dietrich was to play was a woman who becomes a recluse after a botched plastic surgery job; Dietrich had stopped appearing in public, reputedly for that very reason.

joe baltake said...

Bunuel- Thanks for the heads-up and the fascinating update, but I recall Redgrave and her mother being considered - although the mention of Dunaway sounds vaguely familiar. I'll have to check.

mike schlesinger said...

Jeez, you people haven't been looking very hard. Olive Films released a very nice DVD some years ago. Still available on Amazon.

BTW, Joe, the commentary track on a forthcoming Blu-Ray of FRONT PAGE will hopefully cause you to re-evaluate your opinion of that particular film.

Stu Golden said...

I am a new reader to your blog.

I loved your discussion of FEDORA, which contained no "spoilers" and did not reveal what the "secret" is in the film.

And the approach in your blog was almost identical to the approach used by the filmmakers in that film, in that their film, too, contained no "spoilers" and consequently it was a real surprise/shock/treat to learn the "secret" of the film.

Best.

Stu Golden