Plot: What’s it about?
“You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.”
“I am big! It’s the pictures that got small!”
Lines like that can only be associated with one movie…Sunset Boulevard. Not many films can really hold up to all of the hype and expectations that are associated with them. I’m pleased to say that this not only met my expectations, it exceeded them by leaps and bounds. Forged from the mind of Billy Wilder, Sunset Boulevard is a slap in the face to Hollywood – no wonder it was (and is) so popular! Nominated for Best Picture (it was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all), it lost to another great movie, All About Eve. It is widely accepted that had this movie not been about the business of making movies, it would have won. This shouldn’t take anything away from Eve, as it’s a great movie as well. But perhaps the most intriguing thing about the film is the fact that it uses real characters from “real” life and that it hit so close to home for two of the main stars (Swanson and Von Stroheim). Join me, if you will, for a look inside Sunset Boulevard.
We meet Joe Gillis (William Holden) dead, floating in the middle of a swimming pool. Yet he narrates the movie from beyond the grave. Right away we know we’re in for something special. Gillis is a starving writer who has moved out to Hollywood in search of a new career. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Gillis has a few “B” movies to his credit, but is still trying to live the dream and make it big. While trying to avoid some men who are after him (to repossess his car), he gets a blow out and ends up off of, coincide dentally enough, Sunset Boulevard. Thinking the huge mansion to be abandoned, he hides his car in the garage in hopes that the men won’t find him or his car. As he wonders into the house, he finds that it is indeed inhabited by none other than Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a former silent film star who now lives as somewhat of a recluse in this huge house. Thinking that Gillis is here to help her with her dear departed friend (a monkey), the two don’t hit it off at first. Finding out that Joe is a screenwriter, she confides in him her script that she’s been working on. She plans her comeback in a remake of Salome. Joe seizes the opportunity to work with her, having nothing of his own. He stays the night only to awaken to his belongings in her house. He’s moved in whether he likes it or not!
Joe becomes a reluctant gigolo, in as many senses of the word. He pretends to refuse her gifts (new suits, gold cigarette cases, etc.) but yet eventually takes them anyway. There’s attraction on both sides, yet Joe longs to be done with his “assignment” and to hopefully get on with his career. On the “outside world”, Joe has tried to pitch a movie entitled “Bases Loaded”, but a reader at Paramount (Nancy Olsen) has dismissed it as “…a rough re-write of something that wasn’t very good to begin with”. As time passes, Joe seems to have gotten accustomed to the lifestyle in which he supposedly hates. And what of the life? He has no real responsibilities except to be there for Norma whenever she needs him. Part of the same resentment that angers him also keeps him in control when he realizes what he has with her. Perhaps the most amazing thing is how art imitates life. Swanson was actually a silent film star that all but disappeared when “talkies” came out. Her butler, Erich Von Stroheim, was married to her in real life and was the director of several of her films. They bombed and she vowed never to work with him again. Additionally, she was a friend of the legendary Cecil B. DeMille and made films with him. DeMille plays a part in the story and it’s a bit awkward for us to see them together.
Gillis manages to get away from time to time, meeting with Betty Schaefer (the reader from Paramount) to help her re-write a story that was done by Joe. Only a few short months earlier, he would have given his soul for a chance like this, but now he tells her that she can have the story and take the credit for writing it. Amazing the changes that have happened. The conflict arises when Betty professes her love for Joe, even though she’s already engaged to someone else (Jack Webb). This chain of events is what sets in motion the ending of the film.
Sunset Boulevard remains a classic for one reason, it’s use of real people and real-life situations. Somehow, we can relate to the movie better when we know the names they use (Cecil B. DeMille, Alan Ladd, etc.) and even a few silent movie stars turn up in Buster Keaton and H.B. Warner (Desmond has them over for a poker game and Joe has decided to call them the “waxworks”). The biting dialogue, the great story and the sheer subject matter are some things that we see often these days, but this was the first to cross that threshold. If you can accept the fact that Norma Desmond is essentially playing herself, and “over the top” is how the role was meant to be played; then you’ll enjoy the film as much as I did. It’s well-known that the movie is great, earning high spots among the American Film Institute’s Top 100 movies of all time and the readers of the Internet Movie Database have placed it in the Top 20 as well. Sunset Boulevard is simply superb and it deserves a spot in every collection. Highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
When it comes to timeless Hollywood classics, I don’t think you need to look much further than this title. It’s seen some pretty amazing restorations on DVD, Blu-ray and now we’ve finally got it on 4K for its 75th Anniversary. Having said that, Sunset Boulevard has literally never looked better. Yes, the 1.37:1 full-frame transfer doesn’t fill our HDTV’s, but that’s no fault of the disc. The gorgeous black and white image looks stellar from beginning to end. There’s the slightest bit of grain associated with the image, but it does give the image a bit of texture and detail has been improved a bit from the previous Blu-ray. Black levels look amazing as is contrast. The overall picture clarity is simply stunning and we’d expect nothing less for one of Hollywood’s greatest films.
Audio: How does it sound?
Don’t let the label fool you, as the Dolby TrueHD mono track is a lot more robust than one might think. Granted, the majority of the film is dialogue-driven (Holden’s character narrates it from beyond the grave), but we do get a very strong-sounding track. Like so many other films of the time, we don’t get that “hiss” that’s so associated with the soundtracks. The overall soundtrack sounds amazing, considering it’s only coming out of one channel and while there are a few harsh instances, it’s by and large a very strong track. Certainly it can’t compare to the films of today, but for a movie of this age, I was more than satisfied with the way this sounded.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As was the case with the previously-released Blu-ray, we’ve got a lot of supplements that are ported over. But nothing new has been added and none are found on the 4K disc.
- Audio Commentary – First up, we have a feature-length commentary track by Ed Sikov who wrote the book “On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder”. Sikov knows his stuff here and he’s featured on the other supplements as well. My only complaint with his commentary track is that it sounds like he’s reading it! Yes, really! Don’t get me wrong, it’s informative, well thought out and very perceptive (he’s obviously seen the film countless times), but his dry voice sounds like he’s reading his lines off a piece of paper. Granted, I’ve never been to a commentary track recording, so I don’t know what’s involved, but I found this rather distracting.
- Sunset Boulevard – The Beginning – We have a slew of cast and crew folk from the Paramount years as they take a look at the iconic (even then) film.
- Sunset Boulevard – A Look Back – Author Ed Sikov, Actress Nancy Olson, Critic Andrew Sarris, Producer A.C. Lyles, and Actress Glenn Close take a look at the film, its influences as well as casting and production locations.
- The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard – Author and former LAPD Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh gives us his take on one of his favorite films (this one, obviously).
- Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic – Critic Andrew Sarris, Actress Gloria Swanson, Author Ed Sikov, and some others speak on the film and its long-lasting appeal.
- Two Sides of Ms. Swanson – Gloria Swanson’s Granddaughter Brooke Anderson and Actress Linda Harrison regale us with some tales of the late, great actress.
- Stories of Sunset Boulevard – Critic Andrew Sarris, Author Ed Sikov, Filmmaker Nicholas Meyer, and Actress Nancy Olson give us some anecdotes on the film and its troubled shoot.
- Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden – Essentially the same group give us the same input on the life and career of actor William Holden.
- Recording Sunset Boulevard – Critic Andrew Sarris and Soundtrack Album Producer Robert Townson give us the lowdown on the timeless score of the film by Franz Waxman.
- The City of Sunset Boulevard – We get some detailed information on shooting locales seen within the film, including the history of each major location.
- Franz Waxman and the Music of Sunset Boulevard – Film Music Historian John Waxman, Composer Elmer Bernstein, and Composer John Mauceri give us some further input on the film’s composer, Franz Waxman.
- Morgue Prologue Script Pages – If you’ve ever wanted to see some alternate versions of the opening scene, your wait is over (technically it would have been over in 2012 when this was originally released, but you get the idea).
- Deleted Scene – “The Paramount Don’t Want Me Blues.” Running around 90 seconds, a deleted scene from a movie that’s over 60 years old is certainly a rarity. The picture quality isn’t quite up to the same standard that the movie is, but it’s still nice to see this included
- Hollywood Location Map – This “interactive” map, complete with clickable icons that lead to short video subjects on the locales.
- Behind the Gate: The Lot – Producer A.C. Lyles and Film Historian/Author Rudy Behlmer give us some history of the famed studio.
- Edith Head: The Paramount Years – A look back at the life and career of the legendary cinema costume designer.
- Paramount in the ’50s – A feature that looks back at Paramount’s best films from the 1950s, including Sunset Boulevard.
- Galleries – Three total: Production, The Movie, and Publicity.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
I saw in a Reddit post where someone gave this a blind buy and asked “if the movie was any good.” As one might guess, the response was, well…a bit harsh. To put it bluntly, Sunset Boulevard is, simply, a classic in all regards. Not only is it considered the greatest movie about Hollywood, it’s widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Had it not come out the same year as All About Eve, there’s no doubt this would have won Best Picture. The new 4K restoration breathes new life (pardon the pun) into the transfer and this is required for any movie-lover’s collection.
