Sunset Blvd.

Directed by: Billy Wilder ­ 1 hour, 50 minutes ­ 1950 ­ US ­ B&W ­ Blu-­ray ­ 1.37:1
Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Cecil B. DeMille

"The whole enterprise exudes decadence like a stale, exotic perfume. You might not want to smell it every day, but then in 1950 you didn't get the chance: it was certainly a change from oceans of rosewater, lilies of the San Fernando Valley, and the scrubbed, healthy look." – Pauline Kael

Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) is a fading silent film star in an opulent Beverly Hills mansion on Sunset Blvd., living in delusion with the help of her butler, Max. Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a broke Hollywood screenwriter who happens upon the mansion while fleeing repo men and hides his car in the empty garage. When Norma finds Joe and discovers he’s a screenwriter, she insists that he write a script for her great comeback. She quickly draws Joe into her world, paying off his debts, moving his belongings into the mansion, and becoming more obsessive and demanding by the day. Sunset Blvd. is a dark tale of the dying of Old Hollywood, like Lina Lamont in an especially grim sequel to Singin’ in the Rain with no singin’. Norma has a weekly bridge game with other actors who couldn’t bring their fame to the sound era, including Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson, one of the film’s many great self‐referential touches (to avoid spoilers, the rest will be discussed after the film). Sunset Blvd. is Billy Wilder at his finest, exploring the glittering grotesque of Hollywood with his dark wit.

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