#64 Sunset Boulevard

In Summary

Sunset Boulevard is a Hollywood golden-era tale of faded glamour, talent and of delusion. It is one of those films that has entered the popular consciousness on an almost subliminal level where you'll be familiar with the plot and themes even if you've never seen the film.

Following the failing writer, Joe Gillis, as he finds himself inculcated into the life of the faded starlet, Norma Desmond - played by Gloria Swanson, whose own career path had been very similar. Sunset Boulevard plays out much like a film noir, narrated by Gillis as he lies dead in a pool.

Gillis is roped into adapting a sprawling and incoherent screenplay about the life of the biblical figure, Salome, written by Desmond in order to re-launch her career, Gillis finds himself effectively trapped by Desmond's wealth.

Desmond dotes on Gillis as a form of control, providing him accomodation in her vast mansion, buying him expensive clothes and jewellery. It is never quite clear whether Norma Desmond's interest in Gillis is romantic or a power-trip. Any attempt Gillis makes to escape Desmond's clutches, she responds with emotional blackmail.

Throughout the film it is clear that Norma Desmond is deluded, however, her delusions ramp up as the film progresses, put into sharp focus as she goes to meet the legendary director Cecil B DeMille (played by the man himself). After making a series of near-impossible demands for her proposed film, DeMille comments after she leaves that her career's decline was down to her difficulty to work with rather than the advent of the talking era.

As it becomes clear that Desmond and Gillis' film has no chance of being made, Gillis begins to seek a way out of his golden prison, as Desmond's delusions build up further and she becomes completely detached from reality.

Combining elements of both film noir and comedy, Sunset Boulevard manages to capture the allure of fame and stardom while elucidating the strangeness of the reality of life in a town where dreams are both made and destroyed.

A Memorable Quote

I *am* big. It's the *pictures* that got small.

Things You May Not Know

• While the actress, Gloria Swanson's, career followed a similar trajectory to Norma Desmond, she had accepted she was no longer wanted in films and had moved to New York before she was cast in this film.
• In his latter days, director Billy Wilder received numerous requests to remake Sunset Boulevard, rejecting each offer by stating that he didn't own the rights.
• Norma Desmond's mansion in real life was owned by the billionaire Jean Paul Getty (subject of the 2017 film, All The Money In The World) who requested that a pool be built as the fee for using it.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
Sunset Boulevard manages to not only capture a golden era of Hollywood filmmaking but is also something unique and memorable in and of itself. With a stellar central performance from Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard both celebrates and critiques Hollywood.

With the legendary director, Billy Wilder, at the helm, Sunset Boulevard is a classic on so many levels.