1950 Review Blog
Sunset Boulevard
Grade: A 07/30/2014
Billy Wilder's 'Sunset Blvd.' is a spellbinding film noir masterpiece about a forgotten movie star & a reminder of how cruel Hollywood can be to the icons it no longer loves. From its creepy beginning through to its haunting final images ... I was riveted. Yes, the story about an old time acting legend being pushed to the brink of insanity is intriguing enough as it is. Yes, the writing is stellar (who DOESN'T want to hear about Old Hollywood and some of the fly-on-the-wall things that happen there?). And yes, the atmosphere is palpable (I shudder just thinking about that dying gothic mansion). But the real appeal is in the stunning, iconic portrayal of Norma Desmond by Gloria Swanson, a castaway silent film legend, in her own right. And with his easy screen presence & self-deprecating wit, William Holden is a perfect match for Swanson's Norma. 'Sunset Blvd.' is a biting black satire, a mood film, & also a stellar character-centered melodrama. To that end, it also happens to be (for me) one of the greatest films about Hollywood ever put onscreen.
Grade: A 07/30/2014
Billy Wilder's 'Sunset Blvd.' is a spellbinding film noir masterpiece about a forgotten movie star & a reminder of how cruel Hollywood can be to the icons it no longer loves. From its creepy beginning through to its haunting final images ... I was riveted. Yes, the story about an old time acting legend being pushed to the brink of insanity is intriguing enough as it is. Yes, the writing is stellar (who DOESN'T want to hear about Old Hollywood and some of the fly-on-the-wall things that happen there?). And yes, the atmosphere is palpable (I shudder just thinking about that dying gothic mansion). But the real appeal is in the stunning, iconic portrayal of Norma Desmond by Gloria Swanson, a castaway silent film legend, in her own right. And with his easy screen presence & self-deprecating wit, William Holden is a perfect match for Swanson's Norma. 'Sunset Blvd.' is a biting black satire, a mood film, & also a stellar character-centered melodrama. To that end, it also happens to be (for me) one of the greatest films about Hollywood ever put onscreen.