Wilder co-wrote and directed Fedora in 1978, a production by the West Germans and the French. It's nice when we can all get along and make movies. The title character is a famous and beautiful movie star who has retired to her own private Idaho, actually a Greek island. Word gets out that she has killed herself. Rumor has it that she did herself in, naturally for an actress, in the most dramatic way possible. She threw herself in front of a train.
The lug who loved her years before can't believe it, and he does a little digging. Apparently, it's not illegal to dig on Corfu. And here comes the ol' switcheroo. The big ball of confusion that unwinds and gets everyone all tangled up in it. It wasn't Fedora who killed herself, it was… it was…. Aah, why spoil it for you. Watch for yourself and see what becomes of the broken-hearted.
Valter Kobal is the fifth generation of winemakers in his family. They have persevered through the decades, through WWII, through communism, and now make their own wines in Slovenia, as Fedora Wines. Their output includes Chardonnay, a red blend of Merlot, Cabernet, and Refosco, and wines made from varieties indigenous to Slovenia, like Zelen and Pinela, most of which sell for around $36.
Avanti!, from 1972, stars Juliet Mills and Jack Lemmon. The script for the romcom was written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, so there is that pedigree to consider. If you don't think it's funny enough, welcome to the club. Wilder reportedly didn't care for the finished product and claimed he didn't write it as a comedy in the first place. So, there.
Wine plays a tangential role in the movie. A deadly auto accident that serves as the film's linchpin happens at an Italian vineyard, and the owners prove to be unhappy that their vines were damaged by the crash. Colorado's Avanti Winery comes to mind, but wouldn't you rather have a nice Ligurian Vermentino? I thought so.
Witness for the Prosecution was directed in 1957 by Wilder, and he also had a hand in writing it. The script was based on the Agatha Christie play, which is what biz insiders call "stealing from the rich." Christie even said it was her favorite film adaptation of any of her works.
It was a good enough movie to garner six Oscar nominations and a handful of Golden Globe noms. Stars like Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Elsa Lanchester turned in magnificent performances, but alas, Sayonara and The Bridge on the River Kwai dominated their categories. Lanchester did win the Globe for her role as Miss Plimsoll.
When the critics like a movie, it can be a tough sell to the public. Not in this case. Tickets flew out of box offices like it was a tickertape parade. The movie's ad campaign read this way: "You'll talk about it, but please don't tell the ending." Okay, I won't. But you'll be shocked when Laughton's character is revealed in court to be a cross-dresser. Oops. I did it again.
Aptos Vineyard, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has a courtroom-related wine called Alternate Juror. I can relate to this because I was once an alternate juror myself. There is little in this world as unsatisfying as being an alternate anything. This Pinot Noir sells for $54, which is the least I would pay to avoid being the 13th angry man.
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