Fedora

Fedora (1978) is Billy Wilder's drama-mystery, available to watch online on iFILM. Washed-up Hollywood producer Barry "Dutch" Detweiler flies to a Greek island chasing one last comeback: coax a reclusive screen legend out of retirement and back in front of a camera.

Reaching her proves nearly impossible. Fedora is walled off by a strange household — a paralyzed countess, a fiercely loyal companion, and a private doctor who seems to guard a secret rather than a patient. The harder Dutch pushes, the clearer it becomes that the actress's ageless beauty hides something he was never meant to find. William Holden anchors the producer, with Marta Keller, Hildegard Knef and José Ferrer around him, plus brief turns from Henry Fonda and Michael York.

Late-period Wilder turns the same scalpel he used on Sunset Boulevard back onto Hollywood, this time on the industry that devours its own goddesses. Cold, elegant and quietly cruel — a treat for anyone who loves old European cinema with a double bottom. Stream Fedora (1978) online on iFILM.