Fedora

pirateneckbeard3.0

This film is a conundrum cause much like the black Fedora, it does cover a lot of story shrouded in dark mystery while stylishly covering a lifetime of a famous actresses career that kept her last years in Corfu as an independent producer tries to get a hold of her to do one more film but all he uncovers is more mystery and finds her living a complicated life. Things unfold and bring a clever story to light that kept me engaged when I found out every new twist. So clearly this movie is flawed possibly with production cost and Billy Wilder unsuccessful to get Marlene Dietrich and Faye Dunaway to be in the lead cast and as much as I have heard William Holden was to old I feel he is still a remarkable actor even if he just plays the roll of connective story tissue, he fleshes out the material well. as for flaws, it is the two female leads that are also not dubbed by a different vocal artist(same for both) that is somewhat challenging and it just kind of feels like a flat film that really is a different storyboarded version of "Sunset Boulevard". That be said I actually think Wilder writes a very well sad dark noir drama here with so many sharp narrative details that even when I found that I was getting bored some creative story element popped up and I would devour the ramifications that made me have to reshuffle the deck on my evaluation of what I knew. So yes It's flawed and a little upsetting to see such a master director being subjected to struggle to put this somewhat beneath his greatness material but I must say if you can scratch over the surface you will clearly find something that is actually worth watching especially for those of classic cinema and great story writing.

Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine3.0

Action! - Three Auteurs: The Witty and Eclectic Mr. WilderWilder's penultimate film has a lot of references to his earlier work, particularly Sunset Boulevard, and is a throwback in many respects to his golden years as a filmmaker. However, the director swaps out the horror and decadence for some romance, resigned acceptance, disappointment, and even loss.The performances of Keller and Knef, and the chemistry between the two, in what is essentially a psychological war between one who strives to achieve success and one who craves such success, are a large part of what makes the picture worthwhile. A lot of jealousy and Keller acting like an envious torturer reminded me of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, but without the psychological horror component. Wilder seems to reinforce my thoughts that this film is related to Sunset Boulevard by casting William Holden as the male lead, despite the fact that Holden is underutilized.All in all, although the story is fairly familiar and brings nothing exactly new to the table, thanks to the performances for the most part and Wilder's direction, this manages to raise above the average.TODAY SCHEDULEEarthquakeFedoraBuddy, BuddyShazam: Fury of the Gods

Will4.5

The movies are a lie and Hollywood kills! This is a wonderful movie. It's best viewed in the context of its creator, the great Billy Wilder, for whom Fedora marked a fitting bookend at the end of his career. Meta-observationally, what makes Fedora special is the man we know telling it behind the camera. For Billy Wilder was really there in the days of titular Fedora - back when movie stars had a majesty that eclipsed even the biggest of contemporary Hollywood's; when the movies had a glory and prestige now but a distant dream. But was it all but a dream? Hollywood's greatest cynic is of course on hand to deconstruct this, weaving a classic non-linear tale through the emblematic Fedora and her legacy of secrets and lies. Fedora was made in the late 70s in New Hollywood, where method acting reigned supreme, censorship was long forgotten and audiences generally expected different things. Holden's antiquated movie producer bemoans the "men with the beards", "handheld cameras with zoom lenses, cinema verite and the naked truth", and Billy Wilder acknowledges this in his direction, shooting Fedora just like he would have in his golden days thirty years past. Never once does the camera leave its sticks! The invisible editing of Old Hollywood now becomes visible, the voice over sticks out like a sore thumb, the flashback structure itself a throwback to the kind of Hollywood formula now extraneous - the film a beautifully outdated oddity in a sea of modernity. But for all its cynicism, there's still ultimately a painful sense of nostalgia for the institution of old - even if it's one that was always a sham. If anyone was equipped to tell this story, it was a certain Mr. Wilder.