Fedora

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

1978 1h 49m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 163

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement, only to discover the horrifying truth behind her success.

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

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Cast

William Holden
Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler
Marthe Keller
Fedora
Hildegard Knef
Countess Sobryanski
José Ferrer
Doctor Vando
Frances Sternhagen
Miss Balfour
Mario Adorf
Corfu Hotel Manager
Stephen Collins
Young Barry
Henry Fonda
President of the Academy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Billy Wilder
Writers: I. A. L. Diamond, Tom Tryon, Billy Wilder
Languages: French, English, Greek
Countries: France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Greek.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Billy Wilder, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stefan Arnsten shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

William Holden and Marthe Keller and Hildegard Knef carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Youth had been a habit of hers for so long that she could not part with it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Billy Wilder directs. Gerry Fisher behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Stefan Arnsten cuts. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in French, English, Greek.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Greek.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
4Directed by Billy Wilder, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Stefan Arnsten shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7William Holden and Marthe Keller and Hildegard Knef carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Youth had been a habit of hers for so long that she could not part with it.".
9IMDB entry: tt0077539 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerry Fisher
Original score: Miklós Rózsa
Editing: Stefan Arnsten
Production design: Alexandre Trauner
Costume design: Charlotte Flemming
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Status: Released
Budget: $6,700,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Fedora (1978)

Also by

Billy Wilder

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-04
★ 6/10
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?

Production companies