rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1950
Directed by Billy Wilder; produced by Charles Brackett; screenplay by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, D.M. Marshman Jr.
Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olsen, Cecil B. DeMille, Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
Billy Wilder has made so many great movies. 'Stalag 17', 'The Apartment' and
'Some Like it Hot' belong to my favorites, but 'Sunset Blvd.' is the
greatest. The story told in a very true way is brilliant.
'Sunset Blvd.' contains one of the best performances I have seen by Gloria
Swanson. She plays Norma Desmond, an actress who was famous in the time of
silent movies. Now she wants to be known again and has written her own
script. A writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) is helping her with the script.
He stays with her and in return she gives him everything he needs. 'Sunset
Blvd.' tells the story of an aged woman, mainly in her head, who wants her
fame she once had back in her life. On the edge of craziness Joe almost is
imprisoned by Norma, because she needs him to know she is still attractive
enough (he is half her age). The movie starts with Joe lying dead in a
swimming pool and Joe's voice explains what things has happened leading to
this tragic end.
Like I said Gloria Swanson gives one of the greatest performance, complete
with a brilliant Charlie Chaplin impersonation. William Holden does a great
job too in finding the right way to play his character that doesn't
completely knows what he wants. Erich von Stroheim is Max the butler in a
very important role to the story. Nancy Olson plays Betty Schaefer, a writer
he starts to write a script with and the fiancé of Joe's best friend. She
and Joe have some nice scenes together. And we have Cecil B. DeMille as
himself in a nice performance. The script Joe is working on for Norma must
be directed by DeMille she insists.
A sharp photography and a great direction by Billy Wilder makes this movie
complete as the masterpiece it is. The closing words by Norma are as great
as the later "Nobody's perfect" from 'Some Like it Hot' and "Shut up and
deal" from 'The Apartment'.