Director: Billy Wilder
Year: 1950
Country: US
Language: English
"Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my closeup" Sunset Boulevard was the film that introduced me to film noirand thus a whole new world of Cinema. Never before had I seen such shadows, such immaculate lighting. Never before had I seen such a villain thwarted by her own insanity, her extreme desire to be a star. It was also my first Billy Wilder film, a director who made incredible classics like Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity The Lost Weekend, The Apartment, Ace In the Hole and Stalag 17. At the time Sunset Boulevard amazed me, it still amazes me and when I see it in theaters on September 19th due to the Classic Film Series monthly showing at the Cineplex I will still be amazed.
Sunset Boulevard is essentially about a forgotten silent film star named Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who dreams of one last shot at the screen. She lives in a decaying mansion and is shutout from the rest of the world. Constantly watching her old film reels, she is obsessed with her glory days of working for Demille. Her mind is stuck in the 20's. Her story doesn't seem that odd when you realize what the transition of silent to sound did to an actor's career back then. Only the strong and wealthy survived, the great Charlie Chaplin was able to make silent film after sound was introduced but it came to great cost to him, none of Chaplin's silent films from the sound era were a commercial success. Many former silent actors, including Max Von Mayerling, were reduced to working as butlers or shoe shiners. The ego of that actor would follow them throughout their career and thus it seems possible that some people could succumb to the illusion's Norma has.
"You used to be big" a penniless writer (William Holden) says as he meets Desmond in her enormous house "I am big" she says fierce fully "It's the pictures that got small!" She intends to use this desperate man to help her into a big screen comeback where she will shine like the way she did in her early film days. Holden seems to prostitute himself to this woman, because he has no choice. His life outside the house is falling in shambles, he wants to be a well known writer but knows he cannot do it on his own. They use each other, though Holden seems to come with more self loathing. Norma doesn't just want him to help her career but also to remind her that she is a beautiful woman who deserves to be loved. Who wouldn't want to be reminded of that?
"Oh, wake up, Norma. You'd be killing yourself to an empty house. The audience left 20 years ago.'' Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond perfectly. Her moves are theatrical and mesmerizing, her dialouge is sharp and cruel. She is powerful yet she is also a trainwreck. A young blonde writer (Nancy Olson) meets Holden on occasion when he sneaks out of the mansion to work on another screenplay. Even though she's engaged you can tell that she likes him- and he likes her. However, even when he realizes he's not caged and has free will to leave Desmond he doesn't. He doesn't follow through with the pursuit of the writer either. He seems to be attracted to the eccentricities of Norma, or of Norma's illusions.
In conclusion, Sunset Boulevard is a brilliantly made film. Each shot is important, each scene is perfectly paced. The lighting is masterful, a true achievement in Cinema. It is one of the best American Film Noir films of all time. While I think European Film Noir is far better, Sunset Boulevard is still very important nonetheless. Often parodied, but never outdone. Billy Wilder's first film of the 1950's does not disappoint. Praise it! 5/5
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