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Every week, millions of moviegoers flock to their neighborhood theaters to see the Next Big Movie—usually something fast-paced and flashy and often (let’s be honest here, shall we?) forgettable. Don’t get me wrong—I love action and fancy special effects as much as the next guy. Heck, I loved Iron Man. But now, mere months after seeing it, can I tell you much about the story? Nope.
Actually, it isn’t often these days that I walk out of a theater feeling utterly blown away. It isn’t often that a story truly grabs me—or that a performance keeps me so captivated that I don’t want to blink, for fear of missing something. And it’s even less often that I get both in the same movie. For that, I find myself heading back to the classics—like Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard.
Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a down-and-out young screenwriter who’s struggling to break into the biz. No matter how hard he tries, Joe can’t seem to sell a story—and he’s about to pack his bags and head back to Dayton. But then, on one fateful afternoon, while he’s trying to outrun a pair of repo men, Joe pulls into the driveway of a huge, run-down house on Sunset Boulevard.
The house, he soon discovers, belongs to silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Since the birth of the talkies (and, consequently, the death of her career), Norma has locked herself away from the rest of the world. She spends her days watching her old movies, playing cards with her old cronies, and writing the script for her glorious return to the screen.
Joe sees the crazy old star and her long, ridiculous script as the perfect opportunity to make some quick cash. But once he settles into his strange new life as Norma’s editor and live-in companion, he quickly discovers that “no one ever leaves a star.”
Wilder’s 1950 classic gives viewers a haunting, film-noir look at the dark side of Hollywood. It’s a mesmerizing tale about the pressures of stardom—and what happens when it all goes away. It’s tragic and suspenseful, and it’s every bit as gripping and powerful today as it was nearly 60 years ago.
Sunset Boulevard is a beautiful film. It may have been filmed in black and white, but you don’t need Technicolor to feel its chilling ambience. In fact, it’s probably even better without color. The dark shadows and the smoky grays of the dilapidated mansion only emphasize the eerie solitude of Norma’s once-grand life.
But this film is more than just another pretty face. It’s also both a keen character study and a grim look at stardom. It shows the stark black-and-white contrast of young, naïve Joe who wants to live the Hollywood dream and Norma, whose dream turned into a nightmare long ago. They’re both fascinating characters, made even more fascinating by the stars’ convincing portrayals. But while the film is filled with brilliant performances, Swanson is simply magnificent as the larger-than-life drama queen who’s become so self-absorbed that she’s completely lost her mind.
I could probably go on all day about the things that make Sunset Boulevard a can’t-miss classic—like the striking cinematography, the brilliant writing, the dark humor, the gripping suspense, the shocking honesty, and the cameos by everyone from Cecil B. DeMille to Buster Keaton. But a short review can’t even begin to do it justice. You’ll just have to see this one for yourself.
DVD Review:
Paramount’s new two-disc Centennial Collection release of Sunset Boulevard includes an extra disc full of hours and hours of special features that are almost as fascinating as the film itself.
The making-of feature, Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning, offers a behind-the-scenes look into the film—from Wilder’s writing to the all-star cast. But there are other features, covering nearly every aspect of the film. There are features on both Gloria Swanson and William Holden. There are features on Franz Waxman’s Oscar-winning score (and its 2002 re-recording), the film’s locations, and costume designer Edith Head. There are stories and interviews about the movie, along with galleries, trailers, and much more. There are even two features on the history of Paramount Pictures.
So if you love Sunset Boulevard—or classic movies in general—as much as I do, you’ll enjoy every minute of these illuminating extras.
Blu-ray Review:
The newly-restored Blu-ray release of Sunset Boulevard comes complete with the hours of extras found on the recent 2008 DVD release—in addition to a few new interactive behind-the-scenes features.
If you know a thing or two about Sunset Boulevard, you already know about the mysterious alternate opening—the one with the talking corpses. And this release offers just a glimpse of that deleted scene, through original scripts and original (silent) footage. You can read through two different versions of the script for the opening scene, clicking over to watch some of the footage.
But the original prologue isn’t the only deleted scene included on the disc. You’ll also find a full deleted scene, entitled “The Paramount Don’t Want Me Blues,” featuring a fun song about life in Hollywood.
Or, for a little tour of the Hollywood of this 1950 classic, you’ll want to check out the Hollywood Location Map, with an interactive map that lets you visit some of the locations from the film and learn more about their past and present.
Though the classic film itself is reason enough to buy this Blu-ray release, the fascinating extras are like icing on a (truly satisfying) cake. Sunset Boulevard fans and classic movie buffs alike will want to set aside a few hours to take them all in.
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