Sunset Boulevard (Sunset Blvd.)

report broken trailer
< Previous Trailer  |   Add to My Scrapbook  |   Next Trailer >
Sunset Boulevard (Sunset Blvd.)

95% Liked It
liked it

Sunset Boulevard (Sunset Blvd.)

William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

Id: 11044768

Do you want to see this movie?

My Friends Said...

Sunset Boulevard (Sunset Blvd.) Recent Reviews

Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !

Recent Reviews

Sunset Boulevard (Sunset Blvd.) Recent Reviews
  • mrpopcorn
    August 28, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "I am big! It's the pictures that got small."

    A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

    REVIEW

    "Sunset Boulevard" repres...( read more)ents Billy Wilder at his most acidic and ghoulish, but it's a testament to his genius as a film maker that he could create a film as relentlessly bleak and cynical as this one and make it devilishly entertaining (and even quite funny at times) rather than unbearably depressing.

    There's a big fat heart at the center of Wilder's bitter pill, and it's one that could be easily missed amid the dark, film-noirish exterior. I think that ultimately "Sunset Boulevard" is about the love of movies. You can tell that Wilder loves movies as much as the sad and decaying film star Norma Desmond, played brilliant by Gloria Swanson. But he understands with an insider's point of view that there's a seedy underside to every business, and that's what he sets out to expose in his film. Movies get made and stars are born, but for every birth there's a death.

    I don't know how much of Swanson's performance is acting or her just being herself. If you allow yourself to think about it too long, Wilder's use of her is almost cruel, as making fun of Norma Desmond the character nearly amounts to making fun of Swanson the actress. The whole movie is uncomfortable in that same way--it's like a bunch of Hollywood used-to-be's got together and decided to let themselves be parodied for a greater cause. But the film stops just short of cruelty, because in many ways Norma is the most sympathetic character in the film, and every so often there's a glimpse of the vulnerable human being underneath that ridiculous getup that begs to be loved, and who can't relate to that?

    William Holden is perfect in a non-showy role that it would be tempting to pass off as an easy one. But I don't think it is an easy role. Holden has to be responsible for tempering the audience's reaction to Norma--he's the moral conscience of the film, and his steady presence anchors it and keeps it from sailing headlong into camp.

    There are so many quotable lines in this film, I don't know where to begin. Imagine this film and "All About Eve" coming out in the same year. It's a movie quote fan's wet dream.

    In an eerie bit of prophetic trivia, apparently Gloria Swanson thought this film would signal such a major comeback for her that she began plans to write a stage musical based on the film, starring herself. (She might even have gotten as far as completing it). Of course nothing ever came of it, and Swanson sunk quickly back into obscurity. But she would be vindicated to know that a stage musical did eventually appear, courtesy of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, and it actually does quite a bit of justice to Wilder's film.
  • garyX
    August 4, 2009
    garyX
    William Holden stars as a down on his luck screen writer who stumbles upon faded silent movie star Gloria Swanson whilst avoiding some repo men. He sees her as an opportunity to hustle a few bucks only to find himself mired deeper and deeper in her isolated, nightmarish little wo...( read more)rld. Another cynical classic from Billy Wilder, this film is a black hearted satire on Hollywood society and its obsession with image and self. Swanson is brilliant as the hilariously awful ex-starlet who surrounds herself with her own image, incapable of dealing with a world that has passed her by. Holden's character is not much more sympathetic as the self-interested operator, consumed with self loathing at his own parasitic relationship with the quite clearly insane old dame, and Erich Von Stroheim is creepy as hell as he lurks around, feeding his mistress' self delusions of grandeur. Similar, although not quite as good as Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, the lack of likable characters make this a little hard going, and it's a little melodramatic for my tastes, but the sharp dialogue, excellent performances and bizarre mix of psychological horror and black comedy make for fascinating viewing.
  • ohagankieran
    May 28, 2009
    ohagankieran
    This is such a great film on so many levels I can't really settle on where to begin. It is so beautifully shot (in that stark black/white that only nitrate negative could achieve), has a witty, clever and extremely well-written script, features some of the best acting in film's h...( read more)istory, acrobatically balances the main plot/subplots with expert precision, contains some of the best characters on celluloid, has many true-to-life parallels (Swanson's career/real life cameos/DeMille's involvement/etc) and is peppered with such great dialogue/narration that today's film writers should take note. If that weren't enough, there's even a cameo by silent film great Buster Keaton (among others).

    One of the most appealing aspects of this film is how, in the story, an aging, forgotten star is trying to recapture a bygone era (the silent film era). What's interesting is that now, so many years later, we're looking back at her looking back. To present day viewers, Gloria Swanson of the 1950's is a long forgotten lost gem and to experience her own longing for the 1920's is especially captivating (and a little chilling, I might add). I don't think this film could have had that same effect when it debuted and maybe this added dimension holds so much more appeal for today's audiences. We all know that nothing lasts forever, but we don't often consider the abandoned participants; much like the veterans of a past war.

    In response to the famous Swanson line (while watching one of her silent films): "...we didn't need dialogue; we had faces", I'd like to also add that they "didn't need movies; they had films."
  • flixsterman
    April 24, 2009
    flixsterman
    One of the best film noir pictures ever made. Just look at the plethora of glowing reviews. Not much more can be said.

    So...

    Let us digress for a moment and delve into the rarely discussed realm of the subtext, the underbelly if you will, of this iconic American classic. There ...( read more)are certain realities concerning Sunset Boulevard that are inescapable. One of the more evident ones is the non-platonic relationship between 50-something Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and 30-something Joe Gillis (William Holden). To get the full effect of the circumstance one must, if only for a moment, visualize the two of them together... mono a mono. Personally, every time I try to wrap my brain around that I throw up a little in my mouth. My twisted imagination conjures up a Harold-n-Maude(ish) image. I know what you're thinking. It is an unsettling mental visage that no one (except of course ME) would ever dwell on. Still, its a crucial concept that must be grasped if you're to immerse yourself in the ambiance of the picture and fully appreciate its geriatric sexuality.
  • binky013
    April 2, 2009
    binky013
    From a writing standpoint, kudos for this script.

    There is something about getting old, in Hollywood, that is imminently topical. In this movie about making movies, the notion of growing too old to draw an audience echoes a kind of universally unspoken nightmare for everyone

    ...( read more) who becomes a "star."

    How ironic that this really was Gloria Swanson's swan song. After this it was all a path to obscurity for her with mostly TV parts until the end. Her melodramatic acting style is almost so over the top that you might be tempted to laugh in some scenes, but the fact that her character's story is so sad keeps you from doing so. Swanson would have had my vote for the Oscar.

    William Holden is so good in this; dying young is one sure solution to the problem of aging. My favorite player is Cecil B. DeMille as himself. He completely and sympathetically understands the aging star's tragedy.

    In Hollywood, how old is too old? An interesting commentary on a problem that must plague many Hollywood industry folks even to this day.

    Okay, here's a question for everyone who might want to think about it: In literature, when a narrator continues to speak after death, is that an artistic problem, or, in this case, is that perhaps a commentary on art and immortality?
  • smootysveen
    January 4, 2010
    smootysveen
    The title says it: Wilder shows us so many of the peculiarities and rich ironies that accompany that slow dip into the horizon. The moral of the story: Life, like Hollywood, is a death trap. Get out while you're young or you'll be a reclusive, neurotic old bitch married to a monkey.
  • marian22223
    January 3, 2010
    marian22223
    like when i see from the first time
  • PoofyPuff1000
    November 26, 2009
    PoofyPuff1000
    Yet another great movie that had sprung from the mind of Billy Wilder.
  • ancestry80
    November 24, 2009
    ancestry80
    This is a strange movie, but it works! The acting, directing, and plot all come together for what some consider to be one of the best ever made. I might have to agree with that.
  • Phonex
    November 21, 2009
    Phonex
    Billy Wilder's film noir classic about the decay of Hollywood is alternately hilarious, shocking and extraordinary. William Holden plays a broke screenwriter who literally stumbles into the driveway of a seedy mansion owned by Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent mo...( read more)vie star. The old movie diva is trapped in the past. Poor Norma dreams of making a comeback and Holden becomes her screenwriting gigolo.
View All Reviews

Opening This Week

Top Box Office

Upcoming Movies

New on DVD