The Fourth Golden Boy Blogathon: A William Holden Celebration! – Fedora (1978)

This is the first of two posts dedicated to The Fourth Golden Boy Blogathon: A William Holden Celebration! being held over at The Wonderful World of Cinema, The Flapper Dame and Love Letters to Old Hollywood.

Tnx Virginie, Emily and Michaela for letting me take part!

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“I guess no gentleman would bring up an old affair. But then, I’m no gentleman.” – Barry Detweiler

Number of Times Seen – 1 (16 Apr 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A Hollywood producer travels to Europe in order to find an ageless starlet and convince her to take part in his new film.

My Take on it – When I heard about this blogathon that was being hosted by these three lovely bloggers, I was immediately intrigued since I’ve always been a fan of William Holden.

He appears in some of my all time favorite films and I have seen many of the films that he has appeared in.

The biggest question for me was which new film should I choose to watch for this blogathon.

Holden worked with Billy Wilder in 3 great films during the 50’s – Sunset Blvd (1950), Stalag 17 (1953) and Sabrina (1954), so I hoped that their final collaboration would be just as good, so I chose this film as my first choice to watch.

This is an excellent film because it deals with the way stars must find a way to cope with the fact that they, like everyone else age over time and can never stay as young as they once were forever.

Holden is superb in this film as a movie executive trying to convince an aging starlet to appear in his new film, but instead must try and solve a puzzling mystery.

The story unfolds in a great way and they use flashbacks to try and give us a very clear idea of how the past could affect the present even if just looking at the perception of things.

Wilder is an amazing writer and director and this film is further proof that he wasn’t only successful with his comedy but also with his drama and mystery.

The story is filled with much poignancy and it deals with timeless issues that are still relevant even after more than 40 years.

The story is presented really well as a mystery and I really liked the way that they utilize a character who has no investigative background yet must use his wit and common sense to try and solve the complex puzzle that has befallen him.

I’m so glad that I got a chance to see this film since it truly is a gem.

Bottom Line – Excellent film that deals with the way that actors must cope with the passage of time as they constantly want to remain young forever. Holden is superb in the lead role and I loved the way that the story unfolds via flashbacks in order to give us a clear idea as to what is really going on. Wilder is an amazing writer and director and this film lacks the usual humor that he is known for yet is filled with so much poignancy that it’s easy to see how talented he was in more avenues than one.  Really enjoyed the way that the story is presented as a mystery and utilizes a character without investigative attributes to try and solve the question that needs to be solved.  So glad that I got a chance to see this gem! Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – This film is considered a companion piece to the director Billy Wilder’s earlier classic picture, Sunset Boulevard (1950). Both movies star William Holden and deal with the life of an actress clinging to the past and unable to come to terms with fading fame and celebrity. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)

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