Fedora is Billy Wilder's reflective and serene look back at the clash between Hollywood illusions and realities, based on a story from Tom Tryon's bestseller "Crowned Heads." William Holden plays Butch Detweiler, a craggy independent producer, down on his luck, who tries to lure famed screen star Fedora (Marthe Keller) out of seclusion from her Greek island hideaway in Corfu for a long-delayed return to the screen in an adaptation of Anna Karenina. But Holden must go through a bevy of protective caregivers (including Hildegard Neff as the Polish countess Sobryanski, who looks after her; and Jose Ferrer as quack doctor Vando, who keeps Fedora's hopes alive with promises of eternal youth) to reach the legendary actress and speak to her about her comeback film.