6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress out of retirement.
Starring: William Holden, Marthe Keller, Hildegard Knef, José Ferrer, Frances SternhagenDrama | 100% |
Romance | 50% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If as you watch Billy Wilder’s little seen 1978 film Fedora you’re struck with a strong case of déjà vu, it may be because you have indeed seen something similar if not identical before, especially if you’re a fan of Rod Serling’s immortal The Twilight Zone. Toward the end of the series’ long run, when many critics and even audience members had started to find the show somewhat passé, The Twilight Zone aired an episode called “Queen of the Nile,” which offered former MGM starlet (and future Hostess Twinkie shill woman) Ann Blyth as an apparently ageless film star named Pamela Morris, a relic from the silent era who still looks as youthful as she did decades ago. A crusty journalist shows up to interview the former star, at which point a series of revelations, including the real identity of an aged woman who is supposedly Morris’ mother, ensues. Now “Queen of the Nile” may not have had the delicious visceral impact of the best (typically earlier) episodes of Serling’s landmark show, but it had a certain creepiness factor that made it one of the more memorable outings of the series’ final season. Did actor Thomas Tryon perhaps see this episode and subliminally file away certain key plot elements until he morphed into a bestselling author a few years later with The Other, ultimately using them in his collection of short stories entitled Crowned Heads, from which Fedora was culled? Consider a few of the rather remarkable similarities: once again there’s an apparently ageless actress (the titular Fedora, evidently named after a hat), and once again there’s a curmudgeonly interloper (in this case a hopeful producer) attempting to convince Fedora to return to the screen, and exactly as in “Queen of the Nile” there’s also an elderly woman with a secret relationship to the reclusive star. While these are admittedly surface similarities, and Tryon’s approach does not dabble in the supernatural the way The Twilight Zone episode did, anyone who ever saw “Queen of the Nile” will certainly be a step ahead throughout much of Wilder’s swan song to a Hollywood of yore.
Fedora is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. According to information provided by Olive, this release was mastered in 2K from the original camera negative produced by Bavaria Media, in cooperation with CinePostproduction, and is therefore sourced identically to the French release reviewed by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov (whether this is the same actual master or encode, I'm not certain). This is overall a lovely high definition presentation, one with a wonderfully warm color space that makes Corfu pop beautifully. Detail is exceptional and shadow detail is also well above average. Colors are pleasing and accurate looking, especially the vivid blues of the water around the island. My one area of concern is slightly variable contrast, which seems just a bit pushed at times. You can notice it in the scene where Detweiler crosses in the little boat to Fedora's island for the first time, or much later in the film when Detweiler bursts into Fedora's mansion, a scene where Holden's white shirt comes very close to blooming. Otherwise, though, this is a top tier transfer and should easily please discriminating videophiles.
Fedora features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which capably supports this largely dialogue driven film. Holden's narration rings loud and clear, and more traditional dialogue scenes have no issues whatsoever. This film featured a reunion of Wilder with the legendary Miklos Rozsa, and Rozsa's uncharacteristic score (which may utilize some source Greek cues) sounds fine as well. There is no damage or any other problems to report on this track.
There are no supplements on this disc, a real shame given the excellent documentary on the French release.
Fedora is admittedly a rather odd film, one which skirts awfully close to camp at times, usually courtesy of Keller's problematic performance. But for those willing to peer a bit beneath the surface, there's a rueful but nostalgic tenor here that seems to perfectly sum up where Wilder was at this point in his long life and career. Technical merits are very strong and Fedora comes Recommended.
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