Gloria Swanson was only 51 when she made this. That feels young to me now, at 62. It's weird to watch a movie when you're young and think she's so old, then age yourself and think she's pretty young for being "old".
I know exactly what you're saying. I, too, am older than Swanson was when she made Sunset Blvd. It feels odd looking back on my much younger self, remembering how much sadness I felt for Norma Desmond's suffering. And yet, to this day I don't fall into the group that interprets Norma through the lens of "high camp." I still see Swanson as having played her with great pathos which mirrors a form of expression in silent pictures. Such an extraordinary film.
@@i.i.oblomov9345 Not sure where people get the idea of this being "high camp." I'd say your views on the role are right on the money. Interestingly, on the DVD, there is a documentary on the making of this movie. Gloria Swanson knew exactly what she was doing. The commentary states she knew how important a film this could be if done right. She knew not to play it as camp or satire. One of the comments was to the effect that Swanson understood how quickly the film could derail if she played it with the wrong note. I really appreciate how actors/actresses, the professionals, really take their craft this seriously.
Nobody deserved the Best Actress Award more than Gloria Swanson, any other star would have reduced this movie to a mere parody but it was her brilliant acting that will survive many generations of actors. This was brilliant casting and all glories to Gloria Swanson. By denying her the award the Academy showed its true colors! An absolute travesty
I agree, her performance is brilliant and one of the most famous and enduring in Hollywood history. And when you step back for a "meta" view of Sunset as a movie about movies and Hollywood, that is the richest part of all this... We are shown repeatedly that almost everyone else, her old directors, tech people, writers and male costars, are *still working* It is only Norma, as a female star, who is considered abruptly worthless because she is past a very early expiration date... And you step back out of the frame of the narrative and look at real lifr, and there she is, an actual silent film actress many years past her expiration date, delivering one of the most imitated performances of all time. This is one of the most famous films of Hollywood history, EVER, and I think we can agree that I largely due to her performance.
Gloria Swanson should never have faded from the screen. She was a wonderful actress and also a gifted singer and a fascinating personality. There was no reason why Swanson could not have gone on in films except that films shut her out for younger a.nd more malleable stars. Swanson' was an intelligent, powerful and assertive woman and Hollywood has never dealt well with those types. She failed to get the Oscar and got nothing in the way of film roles after Sunset Boulevard despite proving she was riveting on screen. What a waste of an actress in her prime and a great and luminous Star who remained fascinating to the end.
I think it was mostly the second reason you put forth. Sunset is a scathing look at Hollywood and Swanson's incredible performance was probably far too close to the bone for much of the voting academy.
A woman of her generation would be so insulted, being described as having "real balls." (Do you think she looks like a man? Acts like a man?) I would say she was courageous.
I love how gloria was actually very bright and a dignified actress. She was never chasing fame, she adapted to the times and she had a very modern and healthy life.
I'll stand by remakes. I know there's a bit of a trend for them right now and they are rarely (if ever?) as well received as the originals. But a fresh take on a story we know well can bring a lot of insight and creativity. We do this all the time in the theatre: how many productions of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet have there been? Yet no production of them is the definitive version. They're all just variations and insights into stories we all know well. Having said that though, there is something about Sunset Boulevard that makes it uniquely of it's time, in no small part due to the correlations between Norma Desmond and Gloria Swanson.
This film is more than a social commentary on Hollywood. It's a tale of broken dreams. Nearly all characters in the film have unrealized dreams - aging actress, struggling writer, unloved ex-husband. This is contrasted by a woman (Betty) who accepted the dim reality of her Hollywood career and moved on, settled with a job behind the camera. A brilliant film is where it connected with the audience, and made us think, reflect on our lives. Sunset Boulevard achieved this, and it earned a place rightfully in National Film Registry.
What I love about Gloria Swanson's performance was how well she understood and projected her character to the very end of filming... I saw a "making of" documentary/bio where Miss Swanson's copy of the script where her last scene had her say "I'm ready for the scene" and she had crossed out "the" and hand wrote "my" and she says "I'm ready for my scene"... She understood perfectly how deeply Norma was entrenched in her fame to the very end...
dimitreze I think this movie was what we call today a "chick flick!" Once I watched it with my husband and his brother. I thought they would love it too. About twenty minutes into it, I looked around and saw that both of them had fallen asleep!
“I am big, it’s the pictures that got small” such a fantastic line. I’ve yet to see this film, I’d like too, I love the musical. I saw the musical with Ria Jones in 2017 and it’s breathtaking, it made me cry.
@@steveb1164 Not really. After Sunset Blvd (1950), he made stellar films such as The Seven Year Itch, (1955), Some Like it Hot, (1959), The Apartment (1960) etc. If his name was "mud", he would have been blacklisted. Instead, he kept on working in A-list productions.
Well, at the first viewing Warner, I think it was, was absolutely blind with anger. you don't sh...… where you eat he told Billy. But, beeing Bily and a master at his job, somehow he got it distributed.
@@devogrant2817 - in Hollywood production level, money talks bs walks. Besides, most of the critics flipped for Sunset Boulevard. The most the Hollywood establishment at the time could do was dis the film thru the Academy.
We studied this at USC Cinema School. I remember Dr. Caspar saying Hollywood hated it because it held a mirror to the industry. I had no idea what he was talking about. After working in Hollywood seven years I totally got it and got Joe Gillis's place in the world.
Oh heck yeah I get it! I worked as an actor for 20 years down there, even costarring with Brad Pitt and others. Then, oh my, I found out the woman I had been married to was a call girl and involved with people I later suspected of stealing a tv show idea from. I ended up blacklisted, had my children illegally taken to Europe and found myself, my low point, living on Venice beach boardwalk having sold my house up in Beachwood and my farm in Canada. Penniless .I am still to this day blacklisted. It all started because I came home to find bruises on her face and my 4 year old son told me of men hitting mommy. Her confession of being a 'hooker' and then my young son being threatened to be hurt if he talked to me. All agents in LA and Canada have told me is to keep my mouth shut about my kids and maybe I would work again. Haha, oh yeah. Well life goes on without Hollywood and what I learned from all this is what a sick depraved bunch of sycophants work in that industry.
I also saw this in college. The professor had chosen a series of films for the semester, with the theme of 'Movies about movies." This is one that I still go back and watch, decades later. It remains relevant.
@@normadesmond6017 Bette Davis's over-the-top ego and her refusal to accept her loss for 'Baby Jane' with grace and class was perhaps the reason she would never receive another Oscar nomination. She should've kept her mouth shut and showed some class, instead of denigrating and dismissing the talented Anne Bancroft's well-deserved moment of Oscar glory. If anyone had reason to be annoyed was perhaps Joan Crawford for not even garnering a nomination for her subtle turn as Blanche Hudson. Anyway, karma took care of Davis's off-the-rails ego in the end as she lived long enough to see Kate Hepburn win her 4th Oscar in 1982. Could Davis' s strokes in 1983 have been a mere coincidence? Life can be strange that way.
Not just 'has beens' but lots of twisted wannabes also. They are more obsessed with the fame and glory than the art. I knew a couple myself. One was a struggling aspiring actress in her early 30's that wanted to be seen as early 20's. Charming personality, but she struggled with inner demons. The other wasn't an actress, but thought she could be by merit of her beauty alone. Again in her early 30's. One time during an argument she berated me saying, "Some day I will be a big star.", even though she had no experience and knew nobody. Both highly manipulative and self-absorbed.
Indeed. Tracey Ullman used to have a running skit about a washed up TV actress who was a bleach blonde who played the lead on a fake series called "VIP Lounge." Her show was a 20 year old syndicated rerun. But of course, it was a throwaway parody. Not like Swanson's performance.
Ironic that Gloria Swanson's most famous and enduring role was in this very movie about the aging, desperate formerly-famous Hollywood megastar. Take me for example--I can't name any movie from the silent era that starred Gloria Swanson. But I definitely know "Sunset Boulevard" and her magnificent acting within it.
I feel you slightly misrepresented Swanson - after talkies came out and her movie career fell - she didn't give up, the went to NY and had an amazing career on the stage. Even after an attempt to make Sunset be some sort of comeback (which basically failed), she was very much the non-Desmond and just went back to NY and the stage. Swanson was really the polar opposite of Desmond, in terms of their reaction to the talkies.
Also, at the time that Gloria Swanson was asked to do Sunset Blvd. she was in the midst of a very successful early local TV show in New Jersey in which she played hostess and interviewer of celebrities.
I suspect Swanson made "Sunset Boulevard" as a sort of cautionary tale... "There but for the grace of God go I", kind of. She avoided becoming like Norma Desmond... she stayed busy, working in the theater, producing for television, etc.
Gloria Swanson was heartbreakingly amazing as Norma Desmond! For her to even accept this role was pure courage. Thank you for this beautifully narrated & elegant analysis of one of the greatest film noirs ever made.
of course being in a top Hollywood movie requires so much courage .........a single mom with 3 youngsters in the ghetto requires courage so does being in the military and law enforcement NOT being in a friggin movie
I came across Sunset Boulevard on TV 📺 when I was 9 yrs old. At the time I didn't completely understand it, but I knew I loved it. It still remains one of my All Time favorites 🎥
In the 80s I was in my 20s and I worked on the old MGM lot on a popular television and what I love about Sunset Blvd is that it is the most accurate portrayal of Hollywood ever made. It really is a love letter from a storyteller who sees it all whole.
@@lepetitchat123 what I find intriguing about Sunset is how it wants us to pity Norma but never addresses WHO she was truly serving as a film actress or who she inspired. It was always ME ME ME ME ME with the character where as Max and Betty were seeking to inspire in some type of way.
I only just watched this and it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Everything about it is perfect, the acting, writing, cinematography and the themes.
The narrator’s voice is very seductive and beautiful. Great video. The Take should seriously do more video analysis on Old Hollywood movies like this one.
As much as I love films with Bette Davis, and Judy Holliday; Gloria Swanson deserved the 1950 Acadamy Award for creating an iconic character Norma Desmond that in some ways eclipsed her own considerable stardom and personality.
A classic beyond classic. Didn't see this film until I was in my 30's. I've been mesmerized ever since! Truly, what Gloria Swanson says without saying anything....pure magic.
A true classic, I fell in love with this movie as a teenager. My 12 year old granddaughter caught a glimpse of that immortal final shot on t.v. and now swans (excuse the pun) around saying "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. De Mille". And when she's a little older we'll share the full movie together.
Joe is a user but Norma is willing to be used, and uses him as well. She wants to believe Joe cares for her, but deep down she is aware that he is only with her for the money. The only one who really 'loves' her is Max, but he is so possessive/protective that doesn't allow Norma to live in the real world, so he can keep her to himself in a cage of delusion and memories. I feel sorry for Norma, but in some ways she brought her troubles on herself. The system inflated her ego to epic proportions, but she didn't need to become so egotistical and difficult to work with. Her career was destroyed by the talkies changing everything, but also her because of her age and her difficult temperament. She demands attention and uses her wealth to buy and sell people and to get her way in everything. The system broke both of them and they both will pay for their doomed relationship. She will go to a mental institution after a humiliating trial, and he's just plain old dead... in the water.
I remember watching this when I was a child and felt for this woman. When you are young 50 is old. Now I am fixing to be 60 and lord does it depress me. I still feel for Nora Desmond watching even this at my age now. You wish you had a magic wand to be able to allow her to be young again. Then...what’s wrong with using it yourself. The iconic moment of “I’m ready for my close up Mr. DeMille. “ broke my heart to see her slowly go insane. I thought then ‘I’m never getting old.” I lied to myself.
one of the best films ever. i knew i wanted to be a screenwriter when i watched it for the first time. yes, it is cynical and dark. but it does offer hope, and even slight redemption. every character got what they wanted, except for Betty.
Ok this comment is a year old but I gotta say it - Betty did get what she wanted. I think Joe said to her something like “you’ll fly to Arizona and go get married, that’s what you wanted” when Betty confessed her love for Joe. It’s an interesting way to look at the ending. Norma got her fame, Max kept Norma in the dark, Betty was (presumably) married, and Joe got his pool.
Mimi Kiggy you are so right !! When you put it like that , yes. They got what they originally wanted in an ironic sort of way but not the way they expected it . 😂
It's so paradoxical. You want Joe to break free from Norma, and have a real life with Betty, but because of the opening, you already know that their relationship is doomed.
Gloria Swanson was 50 at time of filming and William Holden was 31 (but the script assumed he was much younger). Contrast this with High Noon, where Grace Kelly was 22 and Gary Cooper was 51. Audrey Hepburn was 26 when she made Funny Face and Fred Astaire was 56. She was 25 when she made Sabrina and Humphrey Bogart was 53. Kim Novak was 25 when she made Vertigo and James Stewart was 51. There are many more examples. Nothing was made of the age difference, only the story mattered. Yet, the central theme of the 'pathological' relationship of ageing Norma Desmond and the very much younger Joe Gillis was assumed to be unnatural and repugnant, inevitably leading to murder. Certainly, Norma was unhinged and Joe Gillis was a weak opportunist, and this made for a great story. Yet the age-difference double standard assumed that Norma's age and Joe's youth were the obvious catalysts for tragedy. In other films of the time, where the age difference of the actors was much the same, only in reverse, the lovers were mostly exalted and/or lived happily ever after.
I genuinely adore this movie. Gloria Swanson had that agelessness of her generation and ON TOP OF IT learned how to act alongside this new kind of film. And she brought a lot of personal emotions to the film. She was so incredibly human, even Norma Desmond tried so hard to be above it all.
All About Eve beat this film for best picture, but I can't help but be more drawn to Sunset Boulevard. But All About Eve had some similar themes. Aside from the aging actress trying desperately to play roles "too young" for her, it deals with confronting reality. Something that Margo ultimately does, where Norma doesn't.
Miss Swanson was robbed of her Oscar for this film, it wasn't enough just to be nominated, wilder should have received best director, and Gloria best actress. This was the year bet he Davis thought she was robbed of her award, and Joan set her straight it was Swanson who was robbed. Classic times....
Kevin Chrisner--As far as I know, Joan Crawford never said to Bette Davis that it was Gloria Swanson who was robbed of the Oscar in 1950. I believe that was an invention for the movie "Feud", and not based on a true occurrence.
I've watched this video several times since it was first posted, but I've declined to comment on it. But, now I will. First, the commentary is very accurate in its description and detail. It's analysis of the movie is dead-on. I'm still a bit shocked to find such carefulness in the information given in it that one normally wouldn't discover in such a mini-biopic look at the translative meaning behind a movie. But, here you have it. Second, I'm a retired former editor and screenwriter from MGM. My mother was an actress back in the '40's, '50's, and early '60's. Growing up in Hollywood affords one at much cynicism, much like the character played by the great Bill Holden. I see myself in one poignant part of the movie, in the character played by Nancy Olsen. She tried out acting, but was rejected, so she ends up going behind the scenes for work as a writer. For me, it was pretty much the same. I had the looks when I started out in the '60's, but roadblocks to becoming a true actor kept arising left and right. To my dismay, I turned to my second love -- writing. My voice was another attribute that I found could be used to further my aspirations and I found success giving voiceovers and announcements, etc. I found writing to be tough and stressful, but in the end, quite fruitful. Yes, Hollywood was built on -- and for -- FANTASY. Everything you hear in this video is 100% accurate about the world of Fantasyland that we all know as....Hollywood. Great video!
One of my all-time favorite films and so brilliant. And that it came out the same year as "All About Eve"--is just the most genius thing ever. Both films are perfection!
I actually knew Gloria Swanson a bit in the mid 1970s when I was in high school and I had an after school job at a bakery on Madison Avenue in NYC. By that time she really was the forgotten "Norma Desmond"-type movie star and she'd stop in the shop just to talk - yep it was sad!
Idk …. sad ? Living in New York after a storied & varied career , getting out there to enjoy the simple things, & feeling happy & confident enough to chat with the neighbors … sounds pretty fabulous ! That said , I wasn’t there. Maybe you were implying that she seemed lonely. If so, that IS sad. Not unusual tho. Loneliness is at an epidemic these days. Good on her for getting out & seizing the day, lonely or not.
Gloria Swanson, and all of the other actors, the director, the writers all put together a movie that turned out a timeless classic. Sunset Boulevard is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever produced. The sets, the story, the unspoken message of missing the moment, it all combines into my favorite movie. No others can ever bring this movie out better than what they did. RIP.
Sunset Boulevard is about the relation of the artist vs Hollywood while La La Land is about the relation of two artists within Hollywood. Two totally different films in story or aesthetics. Both fantastic for diferent reasons
I never knew about this movie outside of "I'm ready for my close up." I took it for granted and all I can say is that Gloria Swanson seriously deserved that Academy Award. Much more.
Mulholland Dr (2001) by David Lynch contains similar themes of the Hollywood nightmare and is considered a companion piece to Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. MD even includes the actual car used in Sunset Blvd in one scene when the character Betty arrives at the Paramount Studio gates.
Billy Wilder was an absolute genius. This, for me, is truly one of the greatest films ever made. I saw it for the first time at the age of 23 in an old art film theatre off of Hollywood Blvd. in Silver Lake. I remember crying my eyes out at the end of the picture. Gloria Swanson was so lucky to have been offered this role and is another reason why George Cukor is so revered in the annals of film history. He absolutely knew who was the best actress for any given role and he was so right about choosing the wonderful, sweet and kind Gloria Swanson.
I LOVE THIS - it doesn't make a critique of the actors or their performances but just of the film and psychology and intent itself - absolutely 5 stars and I will subscribe!
This was one of my dad's favorite movies. Holden was one of his favorite actors (they were close to the same age and kind of looked alike). When we would watch it, he would always point out how extremely brave it was for Swanson to take this part. Playing as she did, a kind of unflattering portrayal of her own real life. Hollywood really did (and probably still does as we are finding out recently) chew people up and spit them out. What they did to the silent stars, who created the very medium itself though....just unconscionable. How ironic is it that one of the directors accused Wilder of "eating his own"..exactly the very story Sunset was trying to tell. Projection at it's finest.
Without a doubt, an all time classic. Swanson's line that she was 'still big, it was the pictures got small' is in my estimation, thee best line ever on celluloid. Wilder and company, painted a masterpiece.
I lived in los angeles for 34 years and i always said the city is a dream machine, just like how your car is a gasoline machine. It doesnt make them happen, it runs on them.
Sadly Mary Pickford and Garbo were somehow like Desmond, no because of insanity but for the way they lived their later years being reclusive. Other female stars like Dietrich, Lillian Gish and Swason keep on adapting. But is true Hollywood is cruel with old women
Do not mistake privacy for reclusiveness. The press (and public) calls you reclusive if you won't continue to serve their needs and interests by making yourself available for their use and exploitation.
These actresses retired filthy rich, too. The world does not owe you a living, let alone the one of your choosing. This idea that "Hollywood" used and then discarded these actresses in a cruel way is nonsense. Virtually all the stars of the silent era, who were still stars, were given a chance in the 30s to adapt to the new technologies. Some managed, some didn't. But like opera singers or sports stars, being young and cute - a starlet - has an expiration date. You cash it in and then adapt, retire, take up painting, whatever. The tragedy of N Desmond is not that she was thrown out, but that she could not stop living in the past that was long over. She was given everything, and then did nothing with it. How sad.
It's not just Hollywood that is cruel with older women. It's society. If you aren't a size 0 and aged 22, then you are supposed to sink into the shadows and not be seen or heard from again, as you are, apparently, of no further use.
@@kennashan And yet Gloria Swanson's own career belies that statement. It simply is not true as a blanket statement. N Desmond is not a metaphor for women in general. Perhaps Desmond illustrates the adage that money cannot buy you happiness but it can buy your preferred form of misery.
That story of Hollywood is long gone now. Even in the 40's 50's and 60's, stars were created by studios in every respect.They put you under a seven year contract and took over your life. They told you what clothes to wear, who you should date and who you shouldn't. If they didn't like your face or your hair they would change it. Studios gave you dancing lessons, singing lessons, fencing, and acting lessons. Actresses were told never to go out on the street looking anything but like a star. No, jeans and t-shirt look, you had to retain glamour at all times in the public. You may never work, but you were ready. Now, actors have to work hard to create themselves.
P.S. Unsure if this is ACTUALLY your voice (or an A.I. roll), however the human behind this critique has an incredibly brilliant line in thought. Psychological , historical, & cultural suggestions pass the literary genius of a REALLY WELL WRITTEN SCRIPT. Thank you.
Bette Davis is my favorite actress and All About Eve was a good film, but Sunset Blvd surpasses it on every level and should have won best picture. And Gloria should have won best actress hands down. These movies are before my time so I had to look up the academy award winners for 1951...never heard of Judy Holliday or the role she played , but Norma Desmond is an icon.
The audible sound the eloquent commentary the the elements the point of Interest which forwarded the storyline of what made this movie so successful was eloquently explained and for me which I was always aware of but now more than ever appreciative of what writer has to suffer through the art of writing
You guys should do the darker sister to this masterpiece - David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Lynch himself said Sunset Boulevard is his favorite film and Mulholland Drive is also a critique of the illusion of Hollywood...albeit in a more nightmarish, twisted and surreal version David Lynch style!
poontang3zizo In my senior year of high school, we were coincidentally watching Sunset Blvd in film class and Mulholland Drive in creative writing. I loved observing both films at the same time like that
Lynch's own Twin Peaks character is named Gordon Cole & a scene from Sunset Blvd. was used in an important scene in the recent Twin Peaks Return. Someone in the comments of a Mullholland Drive analysis suggested that Diane/Betty is actually incorporating Sunset Blvd into her fantasy. " Diane is fantasizing herself as living out the story of Betty from Sunset Blvd."
Mulholland Drive is my absolute favorite film, one of the most brilliant and unsettling films ever, as well as visually beautiful, with a haunting soundtrack. I place Sunset Blvd, always my pet, beside it, and rate Black Swan close to these two.
@@chicagonorthcoast it's interesting that David Lynch also visited this female duality of "Mulholland Drive" in "Lost Highway" with Arquettes' Renee/Alice character. Both of these films *are* terrific, aren't they? :)
Nice work here, on one of the greatest of films. And a nod to William Holden, with such a fine performance. And not only that, but some of the most striking shots on film (such as her glasses through the blinds).
Billy Wilder first wanted Montgomery Cift for the role, but he declined because he didn't want to play a gigolo. Wiliam Holden was in a tough spot in his career. He had done Golden Boy, but not much after that. But he was ideal for this one. An opportunist who grabbed his last chance, just like he did in Stalag 17. And he and Swanson had great chemistry.
If you really want to appreciate this film in all its glory the film is playing in 17 big screen movie theatres in the New York City area on May 13 and May 16 2018. Imagine seeing this film on the big screen in the movie theatre....the way it was meant to be seen!
Nancy Olsen is often overlooked but her role is necessary for the movie to look. She's the rooted person who we compare the other characters to. She basically tells Holden, "You're nuts to stay here, let's get the hell out of here." Without her it would be a crazy look at crazy people. Swanson and Holden both deserved Oscars, I'm not undervaluing them, merely pointing out that Olsen is undervalued.
Holden is at his cynical best in this film. Also his films stalg 17 and the bridge over the river Kwai show off his ability to play a cynical role better then any other actor on the planet..
SUNSET BOULEVARD was BIG! And Swanson made it even BIGGER! Ironically, years later, Norma made a triumphant RETURN to the theater on Broadway, most notably portrayed by the Incomparable Glenn Close. NORMA will never say goodbye 👋 💔. This is a gem 💎 Many thanks! You are truly ready for your CLOSEUP!
Ultra brilliant. Personally, so thrilled to see this superb analysis of my favorite film. I was a Reader, just like Betty, in Hollywood, at Paramount and other studios during the 80s. I empathize completely with the bitterness of writers, which is explored pretty thoroughly in this film. But the fact is that out of over 2000 script submissions that I read only a handful were any good. It's easy to write disconnected, non moving, confusing, and pointless scripts. I read plenty of them. On the other hand, Hollywood is completely ruthless. The writers of Sunset Boulevard need to be canonized, though, because a better piece of writing never came out of Hollywood. It is beyond brilliant in script, direction and acting. Unlike Betty, I didn't want to be a writer. I loved analysis. Each script came to me as a mystery inside a title page (we used paper then) and I loved diving into them.
Untiltomorrow9 The most telling aspect of the analysis, is, that it probably reflected much of Billy Wilder's experience as screenwriter and represented payback, for the numerous frustrations he suffered. Definitely an Insiders job. I think the crucial aspect of all movies (and scripts) is, that the action needs to draw you in, within the first 15 minutes, or its a lost cause. But like you said, most scripts are derivative and lack originality.
@@karindesmonds4602 My job was to save the producers the angst of reading those "most common" scripts. Compared to prose writing there are very few words on a page of movie script. That is very misleading. It makes some people believe it is thus very easy to write. But it's the most difficult form there is.
Outstanding review. Not a comment in 5 years...OMG. You are like an old book collecting dust in the library that nobody has touched. Well I am glad I just got to brows by to enjoy your most wonderful comentary.
This, the famous walk down the stairs, this great cinematic climax is I think the most tragic, the most heart-wrenching finally in all of cinema. Norma Desmond, this once great figure, worshipped by all the world, now divested of nearly everything; her dignity, her self respect her very grip on reality... yet still she is capable of urgently wanting to fulfill one final dream. And so now, before descending into her ever-looming madness, Norma wants only one last thing, a chance to rescue the remaining shards of her former glory, She wants a closeup- one last close up And so as she moves artfully toward the lens and at the very moment her face begins to fill the screen, her dream on the verge of being finally fulfilled, suddenly, her image dissolves, evaporates, disappears...gone. As Von Stroheim and Parson's look on in tears, we too watch hopelessly as Norma is consigned to oblivion...There is no fate worse in Hollywood than to go unseen...he cruelest ending in all of cinema, I contend...
I first saw 'Sunset Boulevard' in the late 1970's at the old Elgin movie theater in Manhattan. It was a double feature with 'All About Eve'. I hadn't seen either & love watching old movies on a big screen in this now long gone movie theater...sticky floors & stale popcorn added to its ambiance. I arrived a few minutes late to see the beginning of the first feature, 'Sunset Boulevard' so I was shock to see Joe Gliss floating in the pool! Both films are on my short list of all-time favorites. Had the pleasure of 'meeting' Ms. Swanson at her book signing a few years later. She gracious and absolutely stunningly beautiful...with a flawless complexion.
Such a classic and my all time favourite. I have always loved Gloria Swanson and her fascinating life. This film was a huge come back for La Swanson and is some of ( if not THE ) best work she has ever done. In a talkie, I might add. Wilder outdid himself with this film. Great acting by everyone who was cast. With cameo appearances by such personalities as Hedda Hopper, Cecile B DeMille, Erich Von Stroheim, Buster Keaton, HB Warner, Anna Q Nilsson and others. Sunset Boulevard will continue to enthrall audiences into the future. I do hope Hollywood has the sense to never allow anyone to try and remake this film. It would and could never be even close to what Wilder and Swanson created in the original Sunset Boulevard. A definite must see for all.
What an enchanting, well done documentary about a bona fide Hollywood masterpiece. Movies are an art form that tends to encompass all art forms. You can keep your television analysis since TV consistently caters to a less demanding audience! Although, I must say...I keep waiting for THE NEXT cinema classics with little to show for it. History will look at comic-book heroes, Harry Potter and Star Wars as the same movie being made OVER and OVER again!
This is so good. I only recently found this channel and I am making my way through it. While not a screen writer, I do love writing and these thematic dissections are brilliant. I don't normally 'like' things, or comment - but at the moment I am inspired, so it's obviously deserved in this case. Well done.
I watched this movie years ago and never forgot it. I only remembered it as a story of an aging career film actress living for her dreamed comeback. I carried a life lesson from it, which is essentially: Move on, don't get caught-up in the setbacks, wonderful new experiences are to be had in a new dimension. I was attracted to this review by the subtitle, “The Hollywood Nightmare” . That's how I thought of it. I want to say thank-you for the video. I can appreciate the film much more so after seeing all the efforts and attributes that made it be what it really was an is.
When DeMille says "A dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit" was as relevant then as it is doubly so today. With social media taking it to the enth degree.
Possibly my all-time favorite film and the most memorable line was "no one thinks about writers; they think actors make it up as they go along." So true. Thank you for this video.
Quick correction to this narrative: Miss Swanson had two prior Oscar nominations before Sunset Boulevard. She was nominated in 1927/28 (the first year of Oscar) for "Sadie Thompson", and again in 1929/30 for "The Trespasser". Her stunning performance in Sunset earned her her third and final Best Actress nomination, much deserved.
Oops, you're right ... I got all excited and missed the 21 year part. I love this movie and especially Glo-Glo. Can't even imagine Mary Pickford in this part... no actress could have done it better than Swanson. Thanks for setting me straight.
@@asaintpi Its akin to seeing Princess Lea being played without Carrie Fisher,,, Scarlet Ohara without Vivian Leigh,, or The Wizard Of Oz Dorthy Gale having been made without Judy Garland.. They as they morphed into a legend became those parts.....
I have seen the movie twice. Always thought of it as one of the best films ever. I had no idea that it was speaking for people like Billy Wilder, Dashell Hammett, maybe even F. Scott Fitzgerald and any other writers, film or other genre, that it had eaten and spit out. Always wondered why the great silent film actors, even the men were pushed out, like Francis X. Bushman, Ramone Navvore and others! Awesome explanation of what I always thought was JUST a really good film!
I think it is one of the best movies ever. Time has not diminished its appeal and the danger of being cut off from reality when too fond of the past can catch any of us, letting alone Hollywood stars. Think of footballers, singers, politicians, anybody.
SPOILERS: If the main characters could've just hold out a little longer, then by the 1960's, Norma would have been doing the game show circuit ("Norma Desmond for the block...."), while Gillis would have been making money hand over fist, writing for television.
Great analysis of the role of the writer and how this film explores the true sacrifice and humility involved in making art. And I think it's also worth critiquing the incredibly sexist comments Joe Gillis makes about Norma throughout, including about her looks. He's not just making comments against her trying to look young, but he makes others that are just ageist. Additionally, part of her "monstrosity" is a result of being treated as no longer relevant when she could still be starring in films. Look at how times have changed--Nicole Kidman is in a movie every other day. In fact, I interpret the scene where the man turns the spotlight on Norma quite differently. That scene shows that she is actually *not* forgotten, but rather beloved by the cast and crew. If the men who ran Hollywood weren't so ageist and sexist (notice how all the old male directors are still working), then Norma could still have been in movies. She only wants to be young because women in that system only had value if they were young.
The closing scene is one of films masterpieces of cinematography. Once seen it is never forgotten...and though I first saw it on a TV, I cant imagine the impact it would have if I had seen it on a large screen a few rows back.....Ms.Swanson should have gotten an oscar just for having the guts to portray the narcissist Norma Desmond and her dissent into narcissists hell....
Brava! I just stumbled onto this analytical masterpiece. It has great meaning for me as I prepare for a decade birthday, my 70th. So starting when I was 30 and a mother of two, and a semi aspiring singer, I planned for and then performed at my 30th birthday. As the years progressed, I had a similar party on my 40th, etc. And now, with my 70th looming, I can't help but think that some of the silliness and desire to stay youthful as exemplified in Sunset Boulevard might be an undertone in my party. If there's a way for me to include a clip of her final descent down the staircase, I thought it would be funny. I hope all my desires to sing are not viewed as tragic. This amazing video clarified that time-honored and extraordinary movie, Sunset Boulevard.
I don't understand why anyone would think this film needs to be explained. I went to see Sunset Boulevard by myself in 1950, when I was eight years old. I didn't know what the film was about when I decided to go see it. I only knew it was showing at my neighborhood theater and I went to movies there regularly. I didn't know who Gloria Swanson was when I saw the film, but even at the age of eight, I had no trouble understanding that she was playing a delusional silent film star who eventually lost touch with reality, because she couldn't let go of the past. And, I understood that Joe Gillis was an opportunist who turned out to have a conscience about being a "kept boy" and that became his undoing. I didn't know who the great Erich von Stroheim was, or that he had directed Swanson in real life, but I remember being blown away by his performance as Max. I think I even understood that the film was a criticism of the film industry and how it makes people so famous that they start to believe their own publicity. That's not hard to understand, even for a kid. But most of all, that fading mansion gave me a glimpse into the grand opulence in which some of the great silent film stars lived. And, as a kid, I was overwhelmed by the strangeness of the styles in both dress and decor of the silent era. Even in 1950, the days of silent film seemed to belong to a different world. It's been almost 70 years since the first time I saw Sunset Boulevard. I thought Norma Desmond was an old lady when I was eight, but the character was only fifty. Now, it's been nearly thirty years since I was fifty and fifty doesn't seem old at all.
The 2 best films were unfortunately made in the same year. Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve. Everyone should watch both movies. IMO, THE 2 best classics of all time. I frigging love both movies. The acting was phenomenal. The story lines are unforgettable. Watch them both. You won't be disappointed.
The Isotta Fraschini car in this film was customized by Paramount for this movie. It was later restored to it's original factory spec. I saw it in Las Vegas. Isotta Fraschini cost $28000 at a time when a new American Peerless or Pierce Arrow was $7000
This movie is absolutely brilliant knowing the nuance of Gloria Swanson's past. The movie, especially in that last scene, is incredibly profound, bridging the gap between art and reality. It reminds me of that remarkable moment in Don Quixote when he sees the book about himself in the bookstore and he strikes his usual attitude to deflect reality. It's so true and sad and absurd, and of course, human.
Martin Landau uttered those exact words, as Bela Lugosi: “[Hollywood] chews you up and spits you out.” Joe and Betty’s passion and talent fell on deaf ears, even as the two persevered to push their project forward. Ed Wood (both the real and fictionalized versions) fell victim to his own naïveté
SUNSET BOULEVARD is film noir and very dark satire about the very dark and ugly side concerning the glamour of"Tinseltown"... So many layers to the film... DeMille helped Swanson becom a star in the 1920's and Von Stroheim guided Swanson through an unfinished epic You can pity Norma but she's also an insatiable succubus/vampire type monster- you see this at the at the end, with her claws outstretched like Dracula's/ Nosferatu's daughter...Franz Waxman's score is CLASSIC with his inter weaving of "PARAMOUNT ON PARADE" as part of the score...
You mean Von Stroheim RUINED an unfinished epic, Queen Kelly. Swanson had joined United Artists as an independent producer, and Joe Kennedy helped finance QK, hiring Von Stroheim to direct. Well, no chance of bringing the thing in anywhere near budget with him directing- he produced 10 hours of footage for one short scene. The film was lurching far over budget and behind schedule because of him, and when Swanson saw the way the film looked, she was horrified and stopped the production. Then she found out that Joe Kennedy was stealing from her. What a disaster.
Nancy Olson who played Holden's co-writer was there the day they filmed with Cecil B. Demille. She said Demille came up to her and said he wanted her for Delilah for his next film, Samson and Delilah. Hedy Lamarr got the part. Olson laughs - "Can you imagine ME as Delilah? When I was in high school my nickname was "Wholesome Olson".
I know Sunset Blvd intimately from Los Angeles County Jail all the way to The Palisades, used to drive the whole way daily. Norma’s mansion was near Harvard Westlake Prep School. It isn’t the best location (next to a major road) and has no view. I also know Mulholland Drive from Malibu to 101 Fwy well. Compare to Sunset Blvd, Mulholland is winding and less used by commuters. Norma’s Sunset Blvd represents an established set while Mulholland is for up and comers or the more creative set. Lynch got the essence right in his Mulholland Drive film.
I enjoyed the commentator that the narrator on her analysis on the elements introduced into the movie by the great filmmaker Billy Wilder this movie is one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life it transcends time. All the creative elements that went into this movie Billy Walters creative artistic decisions and dialogue with substitutive Rich emerging truth is what happens behind the scenes with other artists baixar great classic
I rewatched the movie last week & it still holds up incredibly. Hollywood still treats women of a certain age as “too old” to give juicy roles; not all women get that treatment thankfully. Too bad Gloria didn’t snag that Best Actress for her incredible work or gotten Best Director for Wilder
Gloria Swanson was only 51 when she made this. That feels young to me now, at 62. It's weird to watch a movie when you're young and think she's so old, then age yourself and think she's pretty young for being "old".
ItsFazsha 😂😂😂 same here.
I know exactly what you're saying. I, too, am older than Swanson was when she made Sunset Blvd. It feels odd looking back on my much younger self, remembering how much sadness I felt for Norma Desmond's suffering. And yet, to this day I don't fall into the group that interprets Norma through the lens of "high camp." I still see Swanson as having played her with great pathos which mirrors a form of expression in silent pictures. Such an extraordinary film.
She had a call in/talk radio show on WOR New York.
@@i.i.oblomov9345 Not sure where people get the idea of this being "high camp." I'd say your views on the role are right on the money. Interestingly, on the DVD, there is a documentary on the making of this movie. Gloria Swanson knew exactly what she was doing. The commentary states she knew how important a film this could be if done right. She knew not to play it as camp or satire. One of the comments was to the effect that Swanson understood how quickly the film could derail if she played it with the wrong note. I really appreciate how actors/actresses, the professionals, really take their craft this seriously.
Right with you ItsFazsha.
Nobody deserved the Best Actress Award more than Gloria Swanson, any other star would have reduced this movie to a mere parody but it was her brilliant acting that will survive many generations of actors. This was brilliant casting and all glories to Gloria Swanson. By denying her the award the Academy showed its true colors! An absolute travesty
I agree, her performance is brilliant and one of the most famous and enduring in Hollywood history.
And when you step back for a "meta" view of Sunset as a movie about movies and Hollywood, that is the richest part of all this...
We are shown repeatedly that almost everyone else, her old directors, tech people, writers and male costars, are *still working*
It is only Norma, as a female star, who is considered abruptly worthless because she is past a very early expiration date...
And you step back out of the frame of the narrative and look at real lifr, and there she is, an actual silent film actress many years past her expiration date, delivering one of the most imitated performances of all time. This is one of the most famous films of Hollywood history,
EVER, and I think we can agree that I largely due to her performance.
I wish my auto correct would stop "helping" me....it takes forever to correct the corrections! I've got to turn this thing off, lol
I found Swanson mostly over-the-top. Carol Burnett's parody wasn't that far off.
Gloria Swanson should never have faded from the screen. She was a wonderful actress and also a gifted singer and a fascinating personality. There was no reason why Swanson could not have gone on in films except that films shut her out for younger a.nd more malleable stars. Swanson' was an intelligent, powerful and assertive woman and Hollywood has never dealt well with those types. She failed to get the Oscar and got nothing in the way of film roles after Sunset Boulevard despite proving she was riveting on screen. What a waste of an actress in her prime and a great and luminous Star who remained fascinating to the end.
I think it was mostly the second reason you put forth. Sunset is a scathing look at Hollywood and Swanson's incredible performance was probably far too close to the bone for much of the voting academy.
6:42
"I always heard you had some talent."
"That was last year, this year I'm trying to earn a living."
That explains a lot of 'artists' decisions.
Its the most eloquent way to say you are 'selling out'
great line
Lol
A bad choice of dialogue. Betty should never have heard of him. If he is an unknown writer, it adds to his anxiety and desperation.
Swanson had real balls and brilliance to take this on.
Agreed...this was up there with
Peck playing Mengele in
Boys from Brazil; very much a breakthrough!
@@stevenbeoethy872 Much more brave! Up and beyond!
A woman of her generation would be so insulted, being described as having "real balls." (Do you think she looks like a man? Acts like a man?) I would say she was courageous.
Untiltomorrow9 she looks pretty good for 51and STILL stayed FEMININE.
Mark T. Neither!! How about a TRUE PROFESSIONAL
I love how gloria was actually very bright and a dignified actress. She was never chasing fame, she adapted to the times and she had a very modern and healthy life.
Absolutely brilliant film. Let's hope nobody ever thinks they should do a remake of it.
coralarch I second that . Hate remakes of classic masterpieces.
coralarch They are planning a remake!
With Hillary Rodham Clinton as Norma!!
Stuart, I take it that you must be playing Max as her sidekick and sycophant.
I'll stand by remakes. I know there's a bit of a trend for them right now and they are rarely (if ever?) as well received as the originals. But a fresh take on a story we know well can bring a lot of insight and creativity. We do this all the time in the theatre: how many productions of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet have there been? Yet no production of them is the definitive version. They're all just variations and insights into stories we all know well.
Having said that though, there is something about Sunset Boulevard that makes it uniquely of it's time, in no small part due to the correlations between Norma Desmond and Gloria Swanson.
Which actress today would be able to come close to that performance ? No one comes to mind.
This film is more than a social commentary on Hollywood.
It's a tale of broken dreams. Nearly all characters in the film have unrealized dreams - aging actress, struggling writer, unloved ex-husband. This is contrasted by a woman (Betty) who accepted the dim reality of her Hollywood career and moved on, settled with a job behind the camera.
A brilliant film is where it connected with the audience, and made us think, reflect on our lives. Sunset Boulevard achieved this, and it earned a place rightfully in National Film Registry.
Next to this is Babylon...
What I love about Gloria Swanson's performance was how well she understood and projected her character to the very end of filming... I saw a "making of" documentary/bio where Miss Swanson's copy of the script where her last scene had her say "I'm ready for the scene" and she had crossed out "the" and hand wrote "my" and she says "I'm ready for my scene"... She understood perfectly how deeply Norma was entrenched in her fame to the very end...
I was totally unprepared by how amazing this movie would be when I saw it
Billy Wilder is amazing
Billy Wilder is amazing HE WAS ALWAYS AMAZING
@@ausendundeinenacht1 I'm amazed at how amazing things can be so amazing
Diane and Camilla agree
dimitreze I think this movie was what we call today a "chick flick!"
Once I watched it with my husband and his brother. I thought they would love it too. About twenty minutes into it, I looked around and saw that both of them had fallen asleep!
Y
“I am big, it’s the pictures that got small” such a fantastic line. I’ve yet to see this film, I’d like too, I love the musical. I saw the musical with Ria Jones in 2017 and it’s breathtaking, it made me cry.
Watch it, it's as good as you think
You have to see it. Swansons brilliance, and Holden young and handsome...
Kevin Chrisner One of the best lines in one of the best films ever made. Most films today are pure junk.
Now you can watch it for free, it's on Crackle.
The musical was a fitting tribute to the movie...and I instantly became a devoted fan of Elaine Page!
I can't believe that Wilder got away with having the story take place around Paramount Studios, and not some generic name.
@@steveb1164 Not really. After Sunset Blvd (1950), he made stellar films such as The Seven Year Itch, (1955), Some Like it Hot, (1959), The Apartment (1960) etc. If his name was "mud", he would have been blacklisted. Instead, he kept on working in A-list productions.
@@steveb1164 No! It made him more revelant, in Hollywood!
Well, at the first viewing Warner, I think it was, was absolutely blind with anger. you don't sh...… where you eat he told Billy. But, beeing Bily and a master at his job, somehow he got it distributed.
True ...how didhe get away with it ....may be because they based it on a silent movie star...
@@devogrant2817 - in Hollywood production level, money talks bs walks. Besides, most of the critics flipped for Sunset Boulevard.
The most the Hollywood establishment at the time could do was dis the film thru the Academy.
If any one in history has been robbed of an Oscar it was Swanson for this performance. She was absolutely brilliant.
She wuz robbed!!
My jaw dropped when I discovered who Max really was. The personification of unconditional love. This movie is a masterpiece.
most of Billy Wilders movies are
watched this for english with my entire year level and everyone in the room screamed in shock at that scene
Unconditional love? He took a 16 year old girl and made her a monster.
@@silencemeviolateme6076 yes, unconditional love.
Love doesn't always mean good.
@@silencemeviolateme6076 yeah. Codependent love to be exact. If he can’t have her no one can
We studied this at USC Cinema School. I remember Dr. Caspar saying Hollywood hated it because it held a mirror to the industry. I had no idea what he was talking about. After working in Hollywood seven years I totally got it and got Joe Gillis's place in the world.
Oh heck yeah I get it! I worked as an actor for 20 years down there, even costarring with Brad Pitt and others. Then, oh my, I found out the woman I had been married to was a call girl and involved with people I later suspected of stealing a tv show idea from. I ended up blacklisted, had my children illegally taken to Europe and found myself, my low point, living on Venice beach boardwalk having sold my house up in Beachwood and my farm in Canada. Penniless
.I am still to this day blacklisted. It all started because I came home to find bruises on her face and my 4 year old son told me of men hitting mommy. Her confession of being a 'hooker' and then my young son being threatened to be hurt if he talked to me. All agents in LA and Canada have told me is to keep my mouth shut about my kids and maybe I would work again.
Haha, oh yeah. Well life goes on without Hollywood and what I learned from all this is what a sick depraved bunch of sycophants work in that industry.
I also saw this in college. The professor had chosen a series of films for the semester, with the theme of 'Movies about movies." This is one that I still go back and watch, decades later. It remains relevant.
@@stevenews6660 write a book man, it will be a bestseller
I cared for Billy Wilder.
@@stevenews6660 - Sounds like a story/script for another Hollywood expose, but probably hits too close to home. So sorry about all the trouble.
Gloria Swanson should have won the Oscar. Period.
The fact that she didn't win the Oscar demonstrates how true an image of Hollywood it portrays.
You’re absolutely correct she should’ve won the Oscar, but on the other hand “Hollywood and the Oscars”, movie making is fake and purely political!
Brando didn't win the Oscar for A Streetcar, Raging Bull didn't win Best Picture. The Oscars have always been rigged, especially now.
for sure .Even Bette Davis, nominated for Baby Jane, thought so.
@@normadesmond6017 Bette Davis's over-the-top ego and her refusal to accept her loss for 'Baby Jane' with grace and class was perhaps the reason she would never receive another Oscar nomination. She should've kept her mouth shut and showed some class, instead of denigrating and dismissing the talented Anne Bancroft's well-deserved moment of Oscar glory. If anyone had reason to be annoyed was perhaps Joan Crawford for not even garnering a nomination for her subtle turn as Blanche Hudson. Anyway, karma took care of Davis's off-the-rails ego in the end as she lived long enough to see Kate Hepburn win her 4th Oscar in 1982. Could Davis' s strokes in 1983 have been a mere coincidence? Life can be strange that way.
This is terrific and the narrator has a gorgeous voice.
Deborah Gear was the narrator.
The narrator was William Holden.
I have a notion to second that emotion !!
There's still plenty of Norma Desmond's in today's Hollywood. Nothing's changed.
Not just 'has beens' but lots of twisted wannabes also. They are more obsessed with the fame and glory than the art. I knew a couple myself. One was a struggling aspiring actress in her early 30's that wanted to be seen as early 20's. Charming personality, but she struggled with inner demons. The other wasn't an actress, but thought she could be by merit of her beauty alone. Again in her early 30's. One time during an argument she berated me saying, "Some day I will be a big star.", even though she had no experience and knew nobody. Both highly manipulative and self-absorbed.
@@aliensoup2420 hahahahaha oh wow!
@@aliensoup2420 You gave not said anything but the truth! I loved this movie because of it's truth!
Indeed. Tracey Ullman used to have a running skit about a washed up TV actress who was a bleach blonde who played the lead on a fake series called "VIP Lounge." Her show was a 20 year old syndicated rerun. But of course, it was a throwaway parody. Not like Swanson's performance.
Really ?? ,l wouldn't know stop following so called "celebraties 41'ys ago. I would only know the old REAL FILM STARS like ms SWANSON .
It's true .. Gloria Swanson was robbed by not winning the Oscar that year!
I don't think she ever had a chance, not because it wasn't it wasn't the best performance - it was - but because it was too good. Painfully good.
Gloria wasn't shattered by being denied that shallow award presented by a bunch of self-centered phonies.
@@jayrussell1825 how about Judy Holliday
@@screenactorsguilable Born Yesterday is an under rated classic.
@@donaldhorn1 but Judy elevated that ok-movie. Maybe the film was far forgotten except 4 her performance
Ironic that Gloria Swanson's most famous and enduring role was in this very movie about the aging, desperate formerly-famous Hollywood megastar. Take me for example--I can't name any movie from the silent era that starred Gloria Swanson. But I definitely know "Sunset Boulevard" and her magnificent acting within it.
Tried to watch one, couldn't press play lmao
I feel you slightly misrepresented Swanson - after talkies came out and her movie career fell - she didn't give up, the went to NY and had an amazing career on the stage. Even after an attempt to make Sunset be some sort of comeback (which basically failed), she was very much the non-Desmond and just went back to NY and the stage.
Swanson was really the polar opposite of Desmond, in terms of their reaction to the talkies.
Also, at the time that Gloria Swanson was asked to do Sunset Blvd. she was in the midst of a very successful early local TV show in New Jersey in which she played hostess and interviewer of celebrities.
So very true, Binary----! In fact, most of this review is just crap.
I'm sorry it is not literally true, but, if Gloria Swanson were insane, could she have made the movie?
I suspect Swanson made "Sunset Boulevard" as a sort of cautionary tale... "There but for the grace of God go I", kind of. She avoided becoming like Norma Desmond... she stayed busy, working in the theater, producing for television, etc.
Nobody would hire a Desmond to eat the budget or time of Union workers.
Gloria Swanson was heartbreakingly amazing as Norma Desmond! For her to even accept this role was pure courage. Thank you for this beautifully narrated & elegant analysis of one of the greatest film noirs ever made.
of course being in a top Hollywood movie requires so much courage .........a single mom with 3 youngsters in the ghetto requires courage so does being in the military and law enforcement NOT being in a friggin movie
I came across Sunset Boulevard on TV 📺 when I was 9 yrs old. At the time I didn't completely understand it, but I knew I loved it. It still remains one of my All Time favorites 🎥
Me too! And all of the buildings in this movie are still standing!
Same here!
In the 80s I was in my 20s and I worked on the old MGM lot on a popular television and what I love about Sunset Blvd is that it is the most accurate portrayal of Hollywood ever made. It really is a love letter from a storyteller who sees it all whole.
What show?
More like a cynical letter 😂
@@lepetitchat123 what I find intriguing about Sunset is how it wants us to pity Norma but never addresses WHO she was truly serving as a film actress or who she inspired. It was always ME ME ME ME ME with the character where as Max and Betty were seeking to inspire in some type of way.
@@KrisBryant99 "WHO she was truly serving as a film actress or who she inspired."
It's the people out there in the dark. At least for Norma.
I only just watched this and it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Everything about it is perfect, the acting, writing, cinematography and the themes.
The narrator’s voice is very seductive and beautiful. Great video. The Take should seriously do more video analysis on Old Hollywood movies like this one.
Scratch a cynic and you find a disappointed romantic.
I think this is very insightful.
Scratch a disappointed romantic find a newspaper
That was beautiful 💔❤️
Ouch
Very insightful. Now I can see that I WAS useful once upon a time !
As much as I love films with Bette Davis, and Judy Holliday; Gloria Swanson deserved the 1950 Acadamy Award for creating an iconic character Norma Desmond that in some ways eclipsed her own considerable stardom and personality.
Davis agreed with you; she felt Swanson deserved the Oscar that year.
Agreed
@Naylor Broughton yeah right her bj's were much more sought after than the old timers running against her
@@duke9555 Who are u talking about? That's nasty!
This film about fame, that others turned down because it might hurt their reputation, is why G S remembered. Funny that
A classic beyond classic. Didn't see this film until I was in my 30's. I've been mesmerized ever since! Truly, what Gloria Swanson says without saying anything....pure magic.
We didn't need words! We had faces!!!
A true classic, I fell in love with this movie as a teenager. My 12 year old granddaughter caught a glimpse of that immortal final shot on t.v. and now swans (excuse the pun) around saying "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. De Mille". And when she's a little older we'll share the full movie together.
Swanson was magnificent in this film.
I did find myself feeling very sorry for her character by the end of the film.
Joe is a user but Norma is willing to be used, and uses him as well. She wants to believe Joe cares for her, but deep down she is aware that he is only with her for the money. The only one who really 'loves' her is Max, but he is so possessive/protective that doesn't allow Norma to live in the real world, so he can keep her to himself in a cage of delusion and memories. I feel sorry for Norma, but in some ways she brought her troubles on herself. The system inflated her ego to epic proportions, but she didn't need to become so egotistical and difficult to work with. Her career was destroyed by the talkies changing everything, but also her because of her age and her difficult temperament. She demands attention and uses her wealth to buy and sell people and to get her way in everything. The system broke both of them and they both will pay for their doomed relationship. She will go to a mental institution after a humiliating trial, and he's just plain old dead... in the water.
@Randy White I mean, she did attempt suicide several times, so...
I remember watching this when I was a child and felt for this woman. When you are young 50 is old. Now I am fixing to be 60 and lord does it depress me. I still feel for Nora Desmond watching even this at my age now. You wish you had a magic wand to be able to allow her to be young again. Then...what’s wrong with using it yourself. The iconic moment of “I’m ready for my close up Mr. DeMille. “ broke my heart to see her slowly go insane. I thought then ‘I’m never getting old.” I lied to myself.
one of the best films ever. i knew i wanted to be a screenwriter when i watched it for the first time. yes, it is cynical and dark. but it does offer hope, and even slight redemption. every character got what they wanted, except for Betty.
do you mean they got what they deserved ????
Ok this comment is a year old but I gotta say it -
Betty did get what she wanted. I think Joe said to her something like “you’ll fly to Arizona and go get married, that’s what you wanted” when Betty confessed her love for Joe. It’s an interesting way to look at the ending. Norma got her fame, Max kept Norma in the dark, Betty was (presumably) married, and Joe got his pool.
Mimi Kiggy you are so right !! When you put it like that , yes. They got what they originally wanted in an ironic sort of way but not the way they expected it . 😂
i just watched it today for the first time, i feel weird inside, thats a good thing
It's so paradoxical. You want Joe to break free from Norma, and have a real life with Betty, but because of the opening, you already know that their relationship is doomed.
Gloria Swanson was 50 at time of filming and William Holden was 31 (but the script assumed he was much younger). Contrast this with High Noon, where Grace Kelly was 22 and Gary Cooper was 51. Audrey Hepburn was 26 when she made Funny Face and Fred Astaire was 56. She was 25 when she made Sabrina and Humphrey Bogart was 53. Kim Novak was 25 when she made Vertigo and James Stewart was 51. There are many more examples. Nothing was made of the age difference, only the story mattered. Yet, the central theme of the 'pathological' relationship of ageing Norma Desmond and the very much younger Joe Gillis was assumed to be unnatural and repugnant, inevitably leading to murder. Certainly, Norma was unhinged and Joe Gillis was a weak opportunist, and this made for a great story. Yet the age-difference double standard assumed that Norma's age and Joe's youth were the obvious catalysts for tragedy. In other films of the time, where the age difference of the actors was much the same, only in reverse, the lovers were mostly exalted and/or lived happily ever after.
Exactly!!! The whole film is another reminder it's a man's world and women have some nerve living in it if they dare to grow older.
So true! It should be as Holden says "there's nothing wrong with being 50 unless you try and act like your 25"
I genuinely adore this movie. Gloria Swanson had that agelessness of her generation and ON TOP OF IT learned how to act alongside this new kind of film. And she brought a lot of personal emotions to the film. She was so incredibly human, even Norma Desmond tried so hard to be above it all.
All About Eve beat this film for best picture, but I can't help but be more drawn to Sunset Boulevard. But All About Eve had some similar themes. Aside from the aging actress trying desperately to play roles "too young" for her, it deals with confronting reality. Something that Margo ultimately does, where Norma doesn't.
I might like All about Eve more because Bette Davis and George Sanders, but both are outstanding dark masterpieces.
All About Eve is a good film, but it is not even close to Sunset Boulevard. Two best films of 1950 is Sunset Blvd. and Rashomon
damn both r good. People in 1950 could really write...and ACT!
+Jakob Kristensen not just good, an outstanding one, same as sunset
Austin's OP amen
Miss Swanson was robbed of her Oscar for this film, it wasn't enough just to be nominated, wilder should have received best director, and Gloria best actress. This was the year bet he Davis thought she was robbed of her award, and Joan set her straight it was Swanson who was robbed. Classic times....
I cant stand child abuser( in my opnion) Joan Crawford but in this she was prob was right.
Kevin Chrisner--As far as I know, Joan Crawford never said to Bette Davis that it was Gloria Swanson who was robbed of the Oscar in 1950. I believe that was an invention for the movie "Feud", and not based on a true occurrence.
@@karlakor Nevertheless, it's true. Swanson was robbed.
Lol according to Feud, not an actual quote
I've watched this video several times since it was first posted, but I've declined to comment on it. But, now I will. First, the commentary is very accurate in its description and detail. It's analysis of the movie is dead-on. I'm still a bit shocked to find such carefulness in the information given in it that one normally wouldn't discover in such a mini-biopic look at the translative meaning behind a movie. But, here you have it. Second, I'm a retired former editor and screenwriter from MGM. My mother was an actress back in the '40's, '50's, and early '60's. Growing up in Hollywood affords one at much cynicism, much like the character played by the great Bill Holden. I see myself in one poignant part of the movie, in the character played by Nancy Olsen. She tried out acting, but was rejected, so she ends up going behind the scenes for work as a writer. For me, it was pretty much the same. I had the looks when I started out in the '60's, but roadblocks to becoming a true actor kept arising left and right. To my dismay, I turned to my second love -- writing. My voice was another attribute that I found could be used to further my aspirations and I found success giving voiceovers and announcements, etc. I found writing to be tough and stressful, but in the end, quite fruitful. Yes, Hollywood was built on -- and for -- FANTASY. Everything you hear in this video is 100% accurate about the world of Fantasyland that we all know as....Hollywood. Great video!
😎👏👏👍👍💛
sandiegotrojandawg I can only imagine!
Oops I made the commentary up above the word starving microphone of the smartphone I meant to say the word aspiring writer not starving writer LOL
One of my all-time favorite films and so brilliant. And that it came out the same year as "All About Eve"--is just the most genius thing ever. Both films are perfection!
I actually knew Gloria Swanson a bit in the mid 1970s when I was in high school and I had an after school job at a bakery on Madison Avenue in NYC. By that time she really was the forgotten "Norma Desmond"-type movie star and she'd stop in the shop just to talk - yep it was sad!
Oh wow that IS sad! Was she married?
Idk …. sad ? Living in New York after a storied & varied career , getting out there to enjoy the simple things, & feeling happy & confident enough to chat with the neighbors … sounds pretty fabulous ! That said , I wasn’t there. Maybe you were implying that she seemed lonely. If so, that IS sad. Not unusual tho. Loneliness is at an epidemic these days. Good on her for getting out & seizing the day, lonely or not.
This film is among my favorites. Thanks Screen Prism for talking about films like this.
Gloria Swanson was and will always be one of the most beautiful women that ever lived.
Gloria Swanson is my favorite actress and movie star of ALL time, and Sunset Boulevard is an outstanding movie.
Well said Christopher. All time though ? OK mate.
Right on! That one and "A Star is Born." When movies we're real...
Gloria Swanson, and all of the other actors, the director, the writers all put together a movie that turned out a timeless classic. Sunset Boulevard is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever produced. The sets, the story, the unspoken message of missing the moment, it all combines into my favorite movie. No others can ever bring this movie out better than what they did. RIP.
La La Land = fantasy Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard = the real Hollywood
La La Land = shite, Sunset Boulevard = classic, consistently in the top 100
La La Land is not shit. It is a very good film. But of course Sunset Boulevard is better.
the real sunset blvd = stop riding my ass with your sportscar
La La Land= Soon to be Classic.
Sunset Boulevard= What set the standard for movies to be considered Classics.
Sunset Boulevard is about the relation of the artist vs Hollywood while La La Land is about the relation of two artists within Hollywood.
Two totally different films in story or aesthetics. Both fantastic for diferent reasons
"Sunset Boulevard", 1950, is an excellent masterful classic film which explores the dark side of Hollywood.
Dan Jakubik no kidding Captain Obvious.
I never knew about this movie outside of "I'm ready for my close up." I took it for granted and all I can say is that Gloria Swanson seriously deserved that Academy Award. Much more.
It was a very bad mistake when Gloria Swanson didn't get the Oscar for her performance in this movie. She was absolutely brilliant.
Mulholland Dr (2001) by David Lynch contains similar themes of the Hollywood nightmare and is considered a companion piece to Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. MD even includes the actual car used in Sunset Blvd in one scene when the character Betty arrives at the Paramount Studio gates.
wonder if any brave Hollywood writer/director/auteur will tackle the Weinstein imbroglio ..not to mention the horrid Roman Polanski crimes?
@@duke9555 Careful a shift is happening in entertainment.
Billy Wilder was an absolute genius. This, for me, is truly one of the greatest films ever made. I saw it for the first time at the age of 23 in an old art film theatre off of Hollywood Blvd. in Silver Lake. I remember crying my eyes out at the end of the picture. Gloria Swanson was so lucky to have been offered this role and is another reason why George Cukor is so revered in the annals of film history. He absolutely knew who was the best actress for any given role and he was so right about choosing the wonderful, sweet and kind Gloria Swanson.
I LOVE THIS - it doesn't make a critique of the actors or their performances but just of the film and psychology and intent itself - absolutely 5 stars and I will subscribe!
This was one of my dad's favorite movies. Holden was one of his favorite actors (they were close to the same age and kind of looked alike).
When we would watch it, he would always point out how extremely brave it was for Swanson to take this part. Playing as she did, a kind of unflattering portrayal of her own real life.
Hollywood really did (and probably still does as we are finding out recently) chew people up and spit them out.
What they did to the silent stars, who created the very medium itself though....just unconscionable.
How ironic is it that one of the directors accused Wilder of "eating his own"..exactly the very story Sunset was trying to tell.
Projection at it's finest.
" We didn't need words. WE HAD FACES!" Pretty much sums up the whole deal !
What a beautifully written piece. So sensitive to subtle nuance .
I like the voice of this narrator a lot more than the usual narrator
Without a doubt, an all time classic. Swanson's line that she was 'still big, it was the pictures got small' is in my estimation, thee best line ever on celluloid. Wilder and company, painted a masterpiece.
I lived in los angeles for 34 years and i always said the city is a dream machine, just like how your car is a gasoline machine. It doesnt make them happen, it runs on them.
I love old Hollywood movies. I watched this movie in my media film class. It was a great film. Truly a classic!
Sadly Mary Pickford and Garbo were somehow like Desmond, no because of insanity but for the way they lived their later years being reclusive. Other female stars like Dietrich, Lillian Gish and Swason keep on adapting. But is true Hollywood is cruel with old women
I think Pickford was a little out of it by the end. She was a raging alcoholic.
Do not mistake privacy for reclusiveness. The press (and public) calls you reclusive if you won't continue to serve their needs and interests by making yourself available for their use and exploitation.
These actresses retired filthy rich, too. The world does not owe you a living, let alone the one of your choosing. This idea that "Hollywood" used and then discarded these actresses in a cruel way is nonsense. Virtually all the stars of the silent era, who were still stars, were given a chance in the 30s to adapt to the new technologies. Some managed, some didn't. But like opera singers or sports stars, being young and cute - a starlet - has an expiration date. You cash it in and then adapt, retire, take up painting, whatever. The tragedy of N Desmond is not that she was thrown out, but that she could not stop living in the past that was long over. She was given everything, and then did nothing with it. How sad.
It's not just Hollywood that is cruel with older women. It's society. If you aren't a size 0 and aged 22, then you are supposed to sink into the shadows and not be seen or heard from again, as you are, apparently, of no further use.
@@kennashan And yet Gloria Swanson's own career belies that statement. It simply is not true as a blanket statement. N Desmond is not a metaphor for women in general. Perhaps Desmond illustrates the adage that money cannot buy you happiness but it can buy your preferred form of misery.
That story of Hollywood is long gone now. Even in the 40's 50's and 60's, stars were created by studios in every respect.They put you under a seven year contract and took over your life. They told you what clothes to wear, who you should date and who you shouldn't. If they didn't like your face or your hair they would change it. Studios gave you dancing lessons, singing lessons, fencing, and acting lessons. Actresses were told never to go out on the street looking anything but like a star. No, jeans and t-shirt look, you had to retain glamour at all times in the public. You may never work, but you were ready. Now, actors have to work hard to create themselves.
this film is a gem
P.S.
Unsure if this is ACTUALLY your voice (or an A.I. roll), however the human behind this critique has an incredibly brilliant line in thought. Psychological , historical, & cultural suggestions pass the literary genius of a REALLY WELL WRITTEN SCRIPT. Thank you.
Bette Davis is my favorite actress and All About Eve was a good film, but Sunset Blvd surpasses it on every level and should have won best picture. And Gloria should have won best actress hands down. These movies are before my time so I had to look up the academy award winners for 1951...never heard of Judy Holliday or the role she played , but Norma Desmond is an icon.
The audible sound the eloquent commentary the the elements the point of Interest which forwarded the storyline of what made this movie so successful was eloquently explained and for me which I was always aware of but now more than ever appreciative of what writer has to suffer through the art of writing
I always felt included when Norma Desmond gave that speech at the end of the movie, "and you wonderful people in the dark." :)
Just watched this film the other night for the first time and loved it.....what a cracking looking picture at 70 years old
You guys should do the darker sister to this masterpiece - David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Lynch himself said Sunset Boulevard is his favorite film and Mulholland Drive is also a critique of the illusion of Hollywood...albeit in a more nightmarish, twisted and surreal version David Lynch style!
poontang3zizo In my senior year of high school, we were coincidentally watching Sunset Blvd in film class and Mulholland Drive in creative writing. I loved observing both films at the same time like that
Lynch's own Twin Peaks character is named Gordon Cole & a scene from Sunset Blvd. was used in an important scene in the recent Twin Peaks Return. Someone in the comments of a Mullholland Drive analysis suggested that Diane/Betty is actually incorporating Sunset Blvd into her fantasy. " Diane is fantasizing herself as living out the story of Betty from Sunset Blvd."
Mulholland Drive is my absolute favorite film, one of the most brilliant and unsettling films ever, as well as visually beautiful, with a haunting soundtrack. I place Sunset Blvd, always my pet, beside it, and rate Black Swan close to these two.
@@chicagonorthcoast it's interesting that David Lynch also visited this female duality of "Mulholland Drive" in "Lost Highway" with Arquettes' Renee/Alice character. Both of these films *are* terrific, aren't they? :)
@@ironmaven1760 beautiful but never {peak} behind that curtain ;-)
Nice work here, on one of the greatest of films. And a nod to William Holden, with such a fine performance. And not only that, but some of the most striking shots on film (such as her glasses through the blinds).
Billy Wilder first wanted Montgomery Cift for the role, but he declined because he didn't want to play a gigolo. Wiliam Holden was in a tough spot in his career. He had done Golden Boy, but not much after that. But he was ideal for this one. An opportunist who grabbed his last chance, just like he did in Stalag 17. And he and Swanson had great chemistry.
i needed time to appreciate this movie in all its glory, but now i think its in the place it deserves on my list. thank you prism
If you really want to appreciate this film in all its glory the film is playing in 17 big screen movie theatres in the New York City area on May 13 and May 16 2018. Imagine seeing this film on the big screen in the movie theatre....the way it was meant to be seen!
Nancy Olsen is often overlooked but her role is necessary for the movie to look. She's the rooted person who we compare the other characters to. She basically tells Holden, "You're nuts to stay here, let's get the hell out of here." Without her it would be a crazy look at crazy people. Swanson and Holden both deserved Oscars, I'm not undervaluing them, merely pointing out that Olsen is undervalued.
Holden is at his cynical best in this film. Also his films stalg 17 and the bridge over the river Kwai show off his ability to play a cynical role better then any other actor on the planet..
SUNSET BOULEVARD was BIG! And Swanson made it even BIGGER! Ironically, years later, Norma made a triumphant RETURN to the theater on Broadway, most notably portrayed by the Incomparable Glenn Close. NORMA will never say goodbye 👋 💔. This is a gem 💎 Many thanks! You are truly ready for your CLOSEUP!
It’s a shame movies like this aren’t made anymore.
Ultra brilliant. Personally, so thrilled to see this superb analysis of my favorite film. I was a Reader, just like Betty, in Hollywood, at Paramount and other studios during the 80s. I empathize completely with the bitterness of writers, which is explored pretty thoroughly in this film. But the fact is that out of over 2000 script submissions that I read only a handful were any good. It's easy to write disconnected, non moving, confusing, and pointless scripts. I read plenty of them. On the other hand, Hollywood is completely ruthless. The writers of Sunset Boulevard need to be canonized, though, because a better piece of writing never came out of Hollywood. It is beyond brilliant in script, direction and acting.
Unlike Betty, I didn't want to be a writer. I loved analysis. Each script came to me as a mystery inside a title page (we used paper then) and I loved diving into them.
Untiltomorrow9 The most telling aspect of the analysis, is, that it probably reflected much of Billy Wilder's experience as screenwriter and represented payback, for the numerous frustrations he suffered. Definitely an Insiders job. I think the crucial aspect of all movies (and scripts) is, that the action needs to draw you in, within the first 15 minutes, or its a lost cause. But like you said, most scripts are derivative and lack originality.
@@karindesmonds4602 My job was to save the producers the angst of reading those "most common" scripts. Compared to prose writing there are very few words on a page of movie script. That is very misleading. It makes some people believe it is thus very easy to write. But it's the most difficult form there is.
Outstanding review. Not a comment in 5 years...OMG. You are like an old book collecting dust in the library that nobody has touched. Well I am glad I just got to brows by to enjoy your most wonderful comentary.
This, the famous walk down the stairs, this great cinematic climax is I think the most tragic, the most heart-wrenching finally in all of cinema. Norma Desmond, this once great figure, worshipped by all the world, now divested of nearly everything; her dignity, her self respect her very grip on reality... yet still she is capable of urgently wanting to fulfill one final dream. And so now, before descending into her ever-looming madness, Norma wants only one last thing, a chance to rescue the remaining shards of her former glory, She wants a closeup- one last close up And so as she moves artfully toward the lens and at the very moment her face begins to fill the screen, her dream on the verge of being finally fulfilled, suddenly, her image dissolves, evaporates, disappears...gone. As Von Stroheim and Parson's look on in tears, we too watch hopelessly as Norma is consigned to oblivion...There is no fate worse in Hollywood than to go unseen...he cruelest ending in all of cinema, I contend...
Hedda Hopper.
I first saw 'Sunset Boulevard' in the late 1970's at the old Elgin movie theater in Manhattan. It was a double feature with 'All About Eve'. I hadn't seen either & love watching old movies on a big screen in this now long gone movie theater...sticky floors & stale popcorn added to its ambiance.
I arrived a few minutes late to see the beginning of the first feature, 'Sunset Boulevard' so I was shock to see Joe Gliss floating in the pool!
Both films are on my short list of all-time favorites. Had the pleasure of 'meeting' Ms. Swanson at her book signing a few years later. She gracious and absolutely stunningly beautiful...with a flawless complexion.
Such a classic and my all time favourite. I have always loved Gloria Swanson and her fascinating life. This film was a huge come back for La Swanson and is some of ( if not THE ) best work she has ever done. In a talkie, I might add. Wilder outdid himself with this film. Great acting by everyone who was cast. With cameo appearances by such personalities as Hedda Hopper, Cecile B DeMille, Erich Von Stroheim, Buster Keaton, HB Warner, Anna Q Nilsson and others. Sunset Boulevard will continue to enthrall audiences into the future. I do hope Hollywood has the sense to never allow anyone to try and remake this film. It would and could never be even close to what Wilder and Swanson created in the original Sunset Boulevard. A definite must see for all.
What an enchanting, well done documentary about a bona fide Hollywood masterpiece. Movies are an art form that tends to encompass all art forms. You can keep your television analysis since TV consistently caters to a less demanding audience! Although, I must say...I keep waiting for THE NEXT cinema classics with little to show for it. History will look at comic-book heroes, Harry Potter and Star Wars as the same movie being made OVER and OVER again!
This is so good. I only recently found this channel and I am making my way through it. While not a screen writer, I do love writing and these thematic dissections are brilliant. I don't normally 'like' things, or comment - but at the moment I am inspired, so it's obviously deserved in this case. Well done.
I watched this movie years ago and never forgot it. I only remembered it as a story of an aging career film actress living for her dreamed comeback. I carried a life lesson from it, which is essentially: Move on, don't get caught-up in the setbacks, wonderful new experiences are to be had in a new dimension.
I was attracted to this review by the subtitle, “The Hollywood Nightmare” . That's how I thought of it. I want to say thank-you for the video. I can appreciate the film much more so after seeing all the efforts and attributes that made it be what it really was an is.
When DeMille says "A dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit" was as relevant then as it is doubly so today. With social media taking it to the enth degree.
Possibly my all-time favorite film and the most memorable line was "no one thinks about writers; they think actors make it up as they go along." So true. Thank you for this video.
Quick correction to this narrative: Miss Swanson had two prior Oscar nominations before Sunset Boulevard. She was nominated in 1927/28 (the first year of Oscar) for "Sadie Thompson", and again in 1929/30 for "The Trespasser". Her stunning performance in Sunset earned her her third and final Best Actress nomination, much deserved.
asaintpi, actually the narrative said it was Swanson’s first Oscar nomination in twenty one years, not her first nomination.
Oops, you're right ... I got all excited and missed the 21 year part. I love this movie and especially Glo-Glo. Can't even imagine Mary Pickford in this part... no actress could have done it better than Swanson. Thanks for setting me straight.
How many does Whoopi have?
@@asaintpi Its akin to seeing Princess Lea being played without Carrie Fisher,,, Scarlet Ohara without Vivian Leigh,, or The Wizard Of Oz Dorthy Gale having been made without Judy Garland.. They as they morphed into a legend became those parts.....
I have seen the movie twice. Always thought of it as one of the best films ever. I had no idea that it was speaking for people like Billy Wilder, Dashell Hammett, maybe even F. Scott Fitzgerald and any other writers, film or other genre, that it had eaten and spit out.
Always wondered why the great silent film actors, even the men were pushed out, like Francis X. Bushman, Ramone Navvore and others! Awesome explanation of what I always thought was JUST a really good film!
This film is an absolute must watch. Im a late term millennial and this film feels completely relevant and hasn't really aged at all
I think it is one of the best movies ever. Time has not diminished its appeal and the danger of being cut off from reality when too fond of the past can catch any of us, letting alone Hollywood stars. Think of footballers, singers, politicians, anybody.
SPOILERS: If the main characters could've just hold out a little longer, then by the 1960's, Norma would have been doing the game show circuit ("Norma Desmond for the block...."), while Gillis would have been making money hand over fist, writing for television.
Great analysis of the role of the writer and how this film explores the true sacrifice and humility involved in making art. And I think it's also worth critiquing the incredibly sexist comments Joe Gillis makes about Norma throughout, including about her looks. He's not just making comments against her trying to look young, but he makes others that are just ageist. Additionally, part of her "monstrosity" is a result of being treated as no longer relevant when she could still be starring in films. Look at how times have changed--Nicole Kidman is in a movie every other day. In fact, I interpret the scene where the man turns the spotlight on Norma quite differently. That scene shows that she is actually *not* forgotten, but rather beloved by the cast and crew. If the men who ran Hollywood weren't so ageist and sexist (notice how all the old male directors are still working), then Norma could still have been in movies. She only wants to be young because women in that system only had value if they were young.
The closing scene is one of films masterpieces of cinematography. Once seen it is never forgotten...and though I first saw it on a TV, I cant imagine the impact it would have if I had seen it on a large screen a few rows back.....Ms.Swanson should have gotten an oscar just for having the guts to portray the narcissist Norma Desmond and her dissent into narcissists hell....
Brava! I just stumbled onto this analytical masterpiece. It has great meaning for me as I prepare for a decade birthday, my 70th. So starting when I was 30 and a mother of two, and a semi aspiring singer, I planned for and then performed at my 30th birthday. As the years progressed, I had a similar party on my 40th, etc. And now, with my 70th looming, I can't help but think that some of the silliness and desire to stay youthful as exemplified in Sunset Boulevard might be an undertone in my party.
If there's a way for me to include a clip of her final descent down the staircase, I thought it would be funny. I hope all my desires to sing are not viewed as tragic.
This amazing video clarified that time-honored and extraordinary movie, Sunset Boulevard.
William Holden starred w/ both Swanson and Judy H that year. What a great actor.
I don't understand why anyone would think this film needs to be explained. I went to see Sunset Boulevard by myself in 1950, when I was eight years old. I didn't know what the film was about when I decided to go see it. I only knew it was showing at my neighborhood theater and I went to movies there regularly. I didn't know who Gloria Swanson was when I saw the film, but even at the age of eight, I had no trouble understanding that she was playing a delusional silent film star who eventually lost touch with reality, because she couldn't let go of the past. And, I understood that Joe Gillis was an opportunist who turned out to have a conscience about being a "kept boy" and that became his undoing. I didn't know who the great Erich von Stroheim was, or that he had directed Swanson in real life, but I remember being blown away by his performance as Max. I think I even understood that the film was a criticism of the film industry and how it makes people so famous that they start to believe their own publicity. That's not hard to understand, even for a kid. But most of all, that fading mansion gave me a glimpse into the grand opulence in which some of the great silent film stars lived. And, as a kid, I was overwhelmed by the strangeness of the styles in both dress and decor of the silent era. Even in 1950, the days of silent film seemed to belong to a different world. It's been almost 70 years since the first time I saw Sunset Boulevard. I thought Norma Desmond was an old lady when I was eight, but the character was only fifty. Now, it's been nearly thirty years since I was fifty and fifty doesn't seem old at all.
The 2 best films were unfortunately made in the same year. Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve. Everyone should watch both movies. IMO, THE 2 best classics of all time. I frigging love both movies. The acting was phenomenal. The story lines are unforgettable. Watch them both. You won't be disappointed.
The Isotta Fraschini car in this film was customized by Paramount for this movie. It was later restored to it's original factory spec. I saw it in Las Vegas. Isotta Fraschini cost $28000 at a time when a new American Peerless or Pierce Arrow was $7000
This movie is absolutely brilliant knowing the nuance of Gloria Swanson's past. The movie, especially in that last scene, is incredibly profound, bridging the gap between art and reality. It reminds me of that remarkable moment in Don Quixote when he sees the book about himself in the bookstore and he strikes his usual attitude to deflect reality. It's so true and sad and absurd, and of course, human.
Martin Landau uttered those exact words, as Bela Lugosi: “[Hollywood] chews you up and spits you out.”
Joe and Betty’s passion and talent fell on deaf ears, even as the two persevered to push their project forward. Ed Wood (both the real and fictionalized versions) fell victim to his own naïveté
SUNSET BOULEVARD is film noir and very dark satire about the very dark and ugly side concerning the glamour of"Tinseltown"... So many layers to the film... DeMille helped Swanson becom a star in the 1920's and Von Stroheim guided Swanson through an unfinished epic You can pity Norma but she's also an insatiable succubus/vampire type monster- you see this at the at the end, with her claws outstretched like Dracula's/ Nosferatu's daughter...Franz Waxman's score is CLASSIC with his inter weaving of "PARAMOUNT ON PARADE" as part of the score...
You mean Von Stroheim RUINED an unfinished epic, Queen Kelly. Swanson had joined United Artists as an independent producer, and Joe Kennedy helped finance QK, hiring Von Stroheim to direct. Well, no chance of bringing the thing in anywhere near budget with him directing- he produced 10 hours of footage for one short scene. The film was lurching far over budget and behind schedule because of him, and when Swanson saw the way the film looked, she was horrified and stopped the production. Then she found out that Joe Kennedy was stealing from her. What a disaster.
Nancy Olson who played Holden's co-writer was there the day they filmed with Cecil B. Demille. She said Demille came up to her and said he wanted her for Delilah for his next film, Samson and Delilah. Hedy Lamarr got the part. Olson laughs - "Can you imagine ME as Delilah? When I was in high school my nickname was "Wholesome Olson".
I know Sunset Blvd intimately from Los Angeles County Jail all the way to The Palisades, used to drive the whole way daily. Norma’s mansion was near Harvard Westlake Prep School. It isn’t the best location (next to a major road) and has no view. I also know Mulholland Drive from Malibu to 101 Fwy well. Compare to Sunset Blvd, Mulholland is winding and less used by commuters. Norma’s Sunset Blvd represents an established set while Mulholland is for up and comers or the more creative set. Lynch got the essence right in his Mulholland Drive film.
The fact that the mansion Nora was in was on Sunset goes with the story. The male lead was on a main drag when he had a flat.
I enjoyed the commentator that the narrator on her analysis on the elements introduced into the movie by the great filmmaker Billy Wilder this movie is one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life it transcends time. All the creative elements that went into this movie Billy Walters creative artistic decisions and dialogue with substitutive Rich emerging truth is what happens behind the scenes with other artists baixar great classic
Sunset Boulevard is probably one of the best movies ever made black and white film noir it's right up there with All About Eve with Betty Davis
I rewatched the movie last week & it still holds up incredibly. Hollywood still treats women of a certain age as “too old” to give juicy roles; not all women get that treatment thankfully. Too bad Gloria didn’t snag that Best Actress for her incredible work or gotten Best Director for Wilder