Wow! Things have really gone fast in this marathon. I'm already at the halfway point with this review, and although I haven't enjoyed a few of the movies so far, I'm definitely not getting burned out on this marathon either. Hopefully you, the readers, feel the same. Anyway, let's move on. Up this week is Sunset Boulevard, a 1950 film directed by Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot). It went on to high acclaim, Roger Ebert gave it 5/5 stars. Here is my review and a list of remaining films.
Sunset Boulevard
Starring Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a silent film star now forgotten about, and William Holden as Joe Gillis, a younger screenwriter who ends up making a business deal with her, and allows himself to be controlled by her, Sunset Boulevard is a story of Hollywood decadence.
It starts off where it ends, with a body in Norma's swimming pool. A narrator explains the situation and then takes us back to experience the whole ride from the beginning. We meet up with Joe Gillis, the struggling screenwriter, who, by, a series of mishaps and random events, ends up at her house. Thinking the house to be uninhabited and that it would make a great place for the car he needs to hide for a while, he parks there. Soon he learns though that the house is not only occupied, but also that there's a job open for him there, typing up Norma's giant screenplay that she plans to be her comeback vehicle.
It's worth stating now, that Sunset Boulevard does not feature a large amount of either guns or girls. In fact, there's hardly ever any violence throughout the movie. Despite this lack though, the film manages to keep an air of suspense going throughout. This is largely due to the acting power of all those involved. Gloria Swanson is probably the best, with her extravagant but empty gestures and grand schemes of a comeback, or as she puts it "return", filling her head. Within a few seconds she can go from happy to shouting and manages to make it seem natural. She is constantly teetering on the brink of insanity for the duration of the movie, obsessed with her early days and refusing to believe she has been abandoned by her one time fans.
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
"It starts off where it ends, with Norma's body in the swimming pool."
Uhhh, actually, it's Joes (Holdens) body in the pool.
As it happens I just reprised this movie a few days ago, and the notion that struck me was the homoeroticism of the movie. Though there is an implied sexual relation with Norma there is not one bit of onscreen sex play or fondness between them. And Norma is a mess with NO sexual attraction. In fact, she looks like a drag queen. Holden, on the other hand, is displayed splendidly, with beautiful clothes and suits to show his fine adult male figure and face to advantage. The relationship with the young girl is a throwaway, and it becomes apparent that Max has transferred his favor to Joe. Every frame of the movie is about Joe/Holden.
2 - Cameron Graham
Bliffle - Good points about the portrayal of Joe Holden and the love relationships. You do, of course, get the notion that Joe and Norma are having a sexual relationship, but you're right that we never see anything happen at all.
My mistake! That sentence should read "It starts off where it ends, with A body in NORMA'S swimming pool".
3 - El Bicho
I am curious as to why you don't identify the narrator or the dead body since they are both apparent very quickly in the film?
4 - Cameron Graham
It was just more a small writing decision I made. Not for any huge reason really since the film takes no pains to hide whose body it is, but just to keep the writing clean more than anything.
5 - Scott Butki
Did you know the movie got a chilly reception in Hollywood because it was based on some real people with names not too different from the characters.
It's a wonderful movie. You left out the most famous line: "I'm ready for my closeup."
I'm curious about your selections for this series. You left out some of the best film noir movies like The Maltese Falcoln.
6 - Cameron Graham
I'd argue that the most famous line by far is "I am big. It's the pictures that got small".
In the first entry of this series I detailed my selection process and explained that I didn't pick movies such "The Maltese Falcon" because I'd already seen them, and wanted to focus on respected noirs I hadn't watched.