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Synopsis:
When an independent producer (William Holden) arrives in Greece hoping to lure a reclusive movie star named Fedora (Marthe Keller) into his latest film, he quickly finds himself caught up in a complicated scenario involving Fedora’s personal youth-giving physician (Jose Ferrer), Fedora’s maid (France Sternhagen), and an elderly woman known simply as “The Countess” (Hildegard Knef).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Billy Wilder Films
• Flashback Films
• Jose Ferrer Films
• Michael York Films
• William Holden Films

Review:
Billy Wilder’s penultimate movie — co-written once again with his longtime collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond — was this gothic Hollywood tale set abroad in Europe and filled with flashbacks, mistaken identities, drug addiction, mother-daughter dynamics, and plenty of dubbing. The film evokes immediate parallels with Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard given the (re)casting of Holden, and the centrality of an aging diva holding reign over her household while her loyal servants wait nearby.

Quickly, however, the movie takes all sorts of unusual twists and turns, with many other movies (and big-name actors) referenced in some way; I’ll quote from DVD Savant’s review since he so succinctly names many of them:

Fedora seems to be taking a tour through all of Wilder’s work, and the work of others as well. It begins with a Hollywood insider who has a flashback at the funeral of a great star (The Barefoot Contessa).

It then journeys to a romantic Mediterranean setting with an amusing hotelier (Avanti!).

The idea of a perhaps-mad star undergoing radical plastic surgery seems a melding of Sunset Blvd. and Les yeux sans visage, with mirrors removed from the house…

The ‘plastic surgery madness’ also evokes images and ideas about disfigurement from A Woman’s Face… Finally, a major make-over/identity transformation seems patterned after scenes in Vertigo and also the “Vertigo” pretender The Legend of Lylah Clare.

The inclusion of cameos by Henry Fonda and Michael York (playing themselves) simply adds to the surreality of what we’re watching: Fedora is a fictional movie star who nonetheless has a very-real crush on Michael York-the-actor:

… and who receives an honorary Oscar from Henry Fonda as “President of the Academy”.

One also can’t help thinking of Mommie Dearest (1981) at certain points (though that film and its influence wouldn’t appear until a few years later).

Indeed, it’s the mother-daughter element of the storyline that most directly turns it into an unexpectedly dark gothic horror flick; Wilder and Diamond don’t shy away from cynically representing the depths of life-altering narcissism at play in Hollywood. While Fedora isn’t a must-see entry in Wilder’s oeuvre, it will certainly be of interest to his fans, and remains well worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• A truly bizarre storyline
  
• Gerry Fisher’s cinematography
  
• Fine use of location shooting in Greece and France
  

Must See?
No, but surprisingly enough, it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Village Voice Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Private detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and his housemate Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) engage in a couple of misadventures, one involving a Russian ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) eager to have a baby, and one involving both an amnesiac woman (Genevieve Page) looking for her husband and Sherlock’s brother Mycroft (Christopher Lee).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Billy Wilder Films
• Christopher Lee Films
• Detectives and Private Eyes
• Historical Drama
• Sherlock Holmes Films

Review:
Billy Wilder originally intended for this gently comedic look at the more mysterious, “less successful” elements of Sherlock Holmes’ life — co-scripted by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond — to be several hours long, covering one main and three additional episodes. Due to a number of circumstances, he eventually decided to cut it down in length and only include two stories. It wasn’t well-received upon release, but has developed a cult following over the years and was purportedly the inspiration for the more recent British miniseries Sherlock (2010-2017), starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Indeed, it remains an imperfect but worthy period-era piece which fans will surely enjoy — that is, as long as they accept the casting of Shakespearean actor Stephens in the title role (I think he’s well-suited).

The first storyline is meant to be an amusing probing into the possibility that Holmes and Watson were romantic partners; unfortunately, the “joke” is stretched too thin and too long, wearing out its welcome.

The second, lengthier story is much more intriguing, involving mistaken identities, beautiful Scottish landscapes, escaped midgets, a brotherhood of friars, secret scientific endeavors, and a sighting of the mysterious Loch Ness monster. We genuinely don’t know where it will all lead — plus we get to see Sherlock interacting with his equally (albeit differently) brilliant brother Mylock (Lee), shown below with Queen Victoria (Mollie Maureen).

This part is a much more satisfying peek into Holmes’ foibles, revealing a side of him Watson didn’t tend to write about. Wilder’s film isn’t must-see viewing, but is one of his better late-life outings, and worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Christopher Challis’s cinematography
  
• Fine period detail
  
• Miklós Rózsa’s score

Must See?
No, though of course it’s a must-see for Holmes fans. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Talk Review
• DVD Savant Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
After his brother-in-law (Jack Lemmon) is accidentally hurt by a football player (Ron Rich), a shyster lawyer (Walter Matthau) convinces Lemmon to fake a back injury for insurance purposes — which Lemmon only agrees to in hopes that his ex-wife (Judi West) will return to him once he has money.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Billy Wilder Films
• Comedy
• Con-Artists
• Detectives and Private Eyes
• Jack Lemmon Films
• Lawyers
• Walter Matthau Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Walter Matthau won a Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as a crooked lawyer in this collaborative comedy “with a mean edge to it” by director Billy Wilder and writer I.A.L. Diamond, who made twelve films together, with a couple of gems among them — specifically Some Like it Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960). Unfortunately, this seventh collaboration falls in the “true clunker” category. The topic of insurance fraud wasn’t new for Wilder, who covered it with noir-ish flare in Double Indemnity (1944), but playing it for laughs was a bad idea all the way around. We’re not meant to like either the insurance agents or Matthau’s Willie Gingrich (and we most definitely don’t):

… but it’s also hard to feel much sympathy for Lemmon’s Harry Hinkle, given that: 1) his only reason for going through with the scam is to earn money for an ex-wife clearly undeserving of his ongoing devotion:

… and 2) his lies cause tremendous distress to poor Rich, whose character is otherwise (mostly) purely sympathetic (admitting to having a fiancee in every town doesn’t help his case, but he’s otherwise selfless to a fault).

Indeed, according to TCM’s Pop Culture 101:

The year The Fortune Cookie appeared, 1966, Stokely Carmichael issued his public appeal for African-Americans to embrace “black power.” In regards to the turbulent Post-Civil Rights climate, some reviewers considered the benign, almost saintly Boom Boom Jackson a throwback to earlier African-American stereotypes.

Exactly; Carmichael was right. While Peary argues that “Matthau’s conniving, coldhearted performance is the reason to watch this otherwise unfunny” comedy, I disagree that he makes it worthwhile; and not that we need more to dislike in this film, but Lemmon’s mother (Lurene Tuttle) won’t stop crying hysterically, either.

Sigh. This one was simply a chore to sit through.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Not much.

Must See?
No; skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Articles

Synopsis:
When a good-hearted young crewman named Billy Budd (Terence Stamp) begins work aboard a British naval vessel, he is soon targeted by a sadistic master-at-arms (Robert Ryan), and the ship’s captain (Peter Ustinov) faces the hardest decision of his career.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• At Sea
• Falsely Accused
• Melvyn Douglas Films
• Niall MacGinnis Films
• Peter Ustinov Films
• Robert Ryan Films
• Ruthless Leaders
• Terence Stamp Films

Review:
Peter Ustinov produced, directed, and co-starred in this adaptation of Herman Melville’s final (unpublished) novel, about the challenges of leadership in ethically murky waters. Unlike in Mutiny on the Bounty — the remake of which was released the same year as this film — the ultimate authority of the ship here remains steadfast; instead, it’s a subordinate leader who pushes the boundaries of acceptable behavior. As in The Naked Spur (1953), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), and other titles, Ryan once again excels at playing a menacing baddie who makes life untenable for those unwilling to kowtow to his demands:

… and Stamp (in his breakthrough cinematic role) is an appropriately naive foil for his efforts. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough to the overall narrative arc to sustain the nearly two-hour storyline. Melvyn Douglas is on hand to provide wise counsel:

… but neither he nor the other supporting characters (including Ustinov himself) are sufficiently fleshed out to help us relate to their dilemmas. While this seems like a fine adaptation of Melville’s work, the story itself doesn’t quite rise to the ranks of its seafaring peers (including Melville’s own Moby Dick).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Robert Ryan as John Claggart
  
• Terence Stamp as Billy Budd
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Talk Review (spoiler alert)
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article (spoiler alert)
• DVD Savant Review (scroll down)

Synopsis:
On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — various allied troops invade Normandy while German officials try to determine what their next steps should be.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Curt Jurgens Films
• Eddie Albert Films
• Edmond O’Brien Films
• George Segal Films
• Henry Fonda Films
• Jeffrey Hunter Films
• John Wayne Films
• Leo Genn Films
• Mel Ferrer Films
• Peter Lawford Films
• Red Buttons Films
• Richard Burton Films
• Robert Mitchum Films
• Robert Ryan Films
• Robert Wagner Films
• Rod Steiger Films
• Roddy McDowall Films
• Sal Mineo Films
• Sean Connery Films
• World War II

Review:
Darryl Zanuck produced and several directors helmed this three-hour adaptation of a 1959 non-fiction book by Cornelius Ryan about the D-Day landings, based on more than 3,000 interviews with participants from Canada, the United States, England, France, and Germany. The result is an appropriately overwhelming approximation of what that pivotal day in history was like, from multiple perspectives — and it sure involved a lot of violence. Indeed, other than some preliminary planning (taking up the first 50 minutes or so), the entire movie is a series of diverse attacks and maneuvers (eight battle scenes in total), showing the incredible complexity and danger of what went down that day.

We never really get to know any of the characters, though we do pay closer attention to a few — such as Red Buttons’ paratrooper Private Steele, who landed on the pinnacle of a church tower in Sainte-Mère-Église (and ultimately suffered a much better fate than the majority of his compatriots).

For those interested in World War II logistics (i.e., tactics and battles), this film is essential viewing — especially given how accurate it is in many ways. (See either Wikipedia’s entry, IMDb’s Trivia page, or one of several YouTube video reviews — such as the one put out by A Million Movies — for a comprehensive overview.) Of course, there are also some notable gaps and omissions — such as the fact that while 1700 African-American soldiers took place in D-Day, none are shown in this movie.

Cinematically, this film is wonderfully innovative in terms of having native languages spoken by the German and French characters, thus putting the cognitive “lift” on audience-goers to read a few subtitles. (Indeed, English isn’t heard until 10 minutes into the movie.) It’s also, of course, notable for having so many big name stars in the cast, each with varying (and sometimes minimal) degrees of screen time. Perhaps most front-and-center is John Wayne as Lt. Colonel Benjamin Vandervoot, who’s given several memorable grandstanding lines:

“You can’t give the enemy a break — send him to hell!”
“England’s gone through a blitz with a knife at her throat since 1940. I’m quite sure that they, too, are impatient and itching to go — do I make myself clear?”
“We came here to fight, not to swim!”
“One thing I’m sure of: we’re gonna hold this town until the link-up does come, whenever that is — today, tomorrow, till hell freezes over!”

Other big-name actors playing real people include (but are not limited to) Peter Lawford as Brigadier Simon Fraser:

… Robert Mitchum as Brigadier Gen. Norman Cota:

… Henry Fonda as Brigadier Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and Edmond O’Brien as Major Gen. Raymond O. Barton:

… Robert Ryan as Brigadier Gen. James M. Gavin:

… and Curd Jürgens as Infantry General Günther Blumentritt.

Additional well-known actors inhabiting a diverse cross-section of fictional characters include (but once again aren’t limited to) Leo Genn and Mel Ferrer:

… Richard Burton:

… Sal Mineo:

… Sean Connery:

… Eddie Albert:

… Jeffrey Hunter:

… Gert Fröbe:

… Peter van Eyck:

… George Segal, Robert Wagner, Rod Steiger, Richard Beymer, Jean Servais, Jean-Louis Barrault, and Roddy MacDowall (who came over to participate due to being bored on the set of Cleopatra).

Whew! While I’ll admit I quickly got battle-weary watching this epic war flick, it’s easy to see how appealing it would be to those with authentic interest in such matters. Favorite light-hearted moment: a group of nuns walk in and kick ass as field nurses during the heat of battle.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography by Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz
  
• Truly impressive battle footage
  

Must See?
Yes, once, simply for its historical relevance.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
When a D.A. (Burt Lancaster) in New York City investigates the fatal stabbing of a blind Puerto Rican gang member by three white gangsters — Danny (Stanley Kristien), Arthur (John Davis Chandler), and ‘Batman’ (Neil Burstyn) — he is quickly reminded how many factors contribute to juvenile delinquency and crime.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Burt Lancaster Films
• Courtroom Drama
• Gangs
• John Frankenheimer Films
• Juvenile Delinquents
• Shelley Winters Films
• Telly Savalas Films

Review:
The same year West Side Story (1961) was released, John Frankenheimer directed this adaptation of a novel by Evan Hunter, which was similarly focused on Anglo/Puerto Rican gang tensions in New York City. The storyline of The Young Savages is complicated by the fact that the central protagonist (Lancaster) grew up in the same neighborhoods as the boys he’s defending, and even dated the mother (Shelley Winters) of one of them (Kristien).

Meanwhile, Lancaster’s wife (Dana Merrill) is openly cynical about his motivations:

… especially given that he’s being pressured by an ambitious local politician (Edward Andrews) to get a conviction. (Evans’ original novel was called A Matter of Conviction.)

Fortunately, there is a refreshing focus on the perspectives of at least a few impacted Puerto Rican family members:

… and the casting of Chandler — who made his cinematic debut as the title gangster in Mad Dog Coll (1961) — effectively showcases the menace on the streets posed by ongoing jockeying for territorial control.

However, the movie ultimately comes across as too much of an earnest “message flick”, making it primarily worth a look simply for Frankenheimer’s direction, aided by DP Lionel Linden.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Creative cinematography by Linden
  
• Solid use of location shooting
  

Must See?
No, though Lancaster fans will surely want to give it a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review
• NY Times Original Review
• All Movie Review

Synopsis:
In the Mexican desert, a man (Kirk Douglas) is pursued by a law enforcement agent (Rock Hudson) eager to arrest him for killing his sister’s husband. Meanwhile, Douglas visits an old flame (Dorothy Malone) living with her alcoholic husband (Joseph Cotten) and teenage daughter (Carol Lynley), and soon finds himself accompanying them on a cattle drive, joined by Hudson, who doesn’t want to let Douglas out of his sight.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Carol Lynley Films
• Dorothy Malone Films
• Joseph Cotten Films
• Kirk Douglas Films
• Love Triangle
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Neville Brand Films
• Robert Aldrich Films
• Rock Hudson Films
• Westerns

Review:
Kirk Douglas produced and Robert Aldrich directed this seemingly standard genre western which takes a decidedly weird twist at a certain point, thus raising all kinds of challenging questions that aren’t even close to being resolved by the end. Along the way, we’re treated to a brief glimpse of Cotten as an uninhibited drunk whose grizzled performance seems inspired by Orson Welles in his later roles — or maybe I’m just reading that into it.

Meanwhile, sexy Malone emanates her usual world weariness, while Douglas and Hudson project Movie Stardom in their leading roles as cagy adversaries eager to outsmart one another.

In a critical supporting role, Lynley first comes across as tomboyish and naive:

… before suddenly emerging as more womanly and knowing what she wants from life and love. Sadly, Jack Elam and Neville Brand are wasted in minor roles as baddies who come and go too quickly.

Ernest Laszlo’s cinematography is noteworthy as always, but it’s unfortunately in service of an overall less-than-satisfying story.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Ernest Laszlo’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• CineSavant Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A black-hatted gunman-for-hire (Yul Brynner) finds six more men — Vin (Steve McQueen), Harry (Brad Dexter), Bernardo (Charles Bronson), Britt (James Coburn), Lee (Robert Vaughn), and young Chico (Horst Buchholz) — to help him defend a group of Mexican peasants from a ruthless bandit (Eli Wallach) who routinely steals their crops.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Charles Bronson Films
• Eli Wallach Films
• Hit Men
• James Coburn Films
• John Sturges Film
• Robert Vaughn Films
• Steve McQueen Films
• Westerns
• Yul Brynner Films

Review:
John Sturges directed this remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic The Seven Samurai (1954), transplanting it to the American Western setting it seemed ideal for. The resulting film isn’t a cinematic classic like Samurai, but has gone down in history for its own successes, including Elmer Bernstein’s instantly recognizable score (listed as number 8 on the AFI’s top 25 film scores of all time), its legacy as the second-most-shown movie on television (after The Wizard of Oz), and its all-star cast (many early in their careers at the time).

It’s notable for highlighting the lonely, seemingly purposeless existence of gunmen-for-hire, who are always seeking their next job, risking their lives, and denying themselves (or avoiding) the stability of a family and home. To that end, Bronson’s character is given one of the film’s most poignant speeches, as he informs a trio of three hero-worshipping peasant boys that their fathers are the real heroes; in response to one saying, “We’re ashamed to live here. Our fathers are cowards.” he retorts:

Don’t you ever say that again about your fathers, because they are not cowards. You think I am brave because I carry a gun; well, your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. And there’s nobody says they have to do this. They do it because they love you, and because they want to. I have never had this kind of courage. Running a farm, working like a mule every day with no guarantee anything will ever come of it. This is bravery. That’s why I never even started anything like that… that’s why I never will.

However, there’s an inherent sense of nobility and/or pathos lurking beneath the surface of many of these men, who are willing to take the job for just $20. (Only Dexter’s character — played for laughs — insists on believing there must be a bigger stash in store for them.)

Of special note among the cast are Wallach as the sociopathic bandit Calvera (he gets a great last line):

… and Coburn as the laconic knife-thrower Britt. (Coburn was apparently thrilled to get this role given that it mirrored that of the master swordsman in Kurosawa’s film.)

Brynner and McQueen were notoriously at odds during filming, with McQueen eager to upstage his colleague at every turn (he fiddled with his hat a LOT) — though this animosity doesn’t show up on screen.

Note: This film inspired three sequels (none listed in GFTFF), a television series of the same name, and a remake in 2016.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Charles Lang’s cinematography
  
• Fine location shooting in Mexico (with locals)
  
• The masterfully edited final shootout
  
• Elmer Bernstein’s rousing score

Must See?
Yes, once, for its historical value and for Bernstein’s score. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Q Network Review
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Articles