REVIEW: Sunset Boulevard (Released in 1950) [70th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Billy Wilder

PRODUCERS: Charles Brackett

WRITERS: Billy Wilder & Charles Brackett & D.M. Marshman, Jr.

PERFORMERS: William Holden Gloria Swanson Erich Von Stroheim Nancy Olson Fred Clark

Lloyd Gough Jack Webb

Released in 1950, Director and co-writer Billy Wilder's tale of faded glory and obsession is depicted in the tradition of the old days of film noir, filled with suspense, mystery and retribution. This is more of a character study film that's about people trying to make it or reclaim their lost selves. It also tells what kind of people we are if we allow ourselves to be in the way that's presented to us. Sunset Boulevard is so much more than just a regular noir film, it's a Hollywood story of past, present and tragedy.

The film begins and ends with the main character (WILLIAM HOLDEN) lying dead in the one thing he always wanted: A pool. Not only that, but he's also narrating the story as if he's still there only he's reflecting on the events that led up to his death beforehand, brilliant piece of storytelling as far as I'm concerned. When you first see him, he's down on his luck, he's struggling for another shot at stardom as a writer and nothing seems to work for him at all. Then he inadvertently comes across this old mansion of a home that looks old and overgrown and just happens to be the residence of a former silent star queen of the movies. What follows is a dark descent into obsession and delusion and it's not a pleasant picture either. The ex-actress, played by Gloria Swanson (in perhaps one of her best known roles ever), is Norma Desmond who was once a well known star of the silent film era takes in William Holden's Joe Gillis, a struggling Hollywood writer and soon makes him his slave. Gillis on the other hand is trying to put together a script that can put him back on track with the help of a younger aspiring writer (NANCY OLSON) who has ambitions of her own and seeks assistance from him in becoming a good writer. The thing about Gillis and Desmond is when they first meet, it's not your typical 'love at first sight' kind of encounter that you see in most films today. Desmond is deranged, delusional and completely out of touch with the present time. But here's the scary part: what began as a working collaboration turns into an unhealthy existence of wanted attention and glory reclaim. Almost like being involved with the wrong person whose beliefs and ideas don't match with your own (2 CORINTHIANS 6:14) and Swanson's performance is just flawless in capturing that.

Then you have the Gillis character played by William Holden, who the story revolves around. As he's telling the story you almost feel for him but at the same time you also kind of get irritated by him as he goes along. He always makes the wrong decisions like coming back to Desmond's manor after hearing about her suicide attempt and staying with her for the remainder of the film (even after he just left when she assumes that he isn't in love with her). The only time I had ever seen him make a right decision is when he chooses to leave Desmond after trying to get the young writer he was working with to try and stay with him in the manor. That character named Betty, was the only person as far as I could tell, the only sensible one in the whole picture. When she turned down his offer and walked away, she clearly had the sense to not take such an elaborate offer that he makes (JAMES 1:13). She even ends up falling for Gillis while working on the script together, even though she's engaged to someone else, the fact that even while that was unfolding you wanted to believe he would choose a better life over the one he had. But I get it, he was caught between living the luxurious life with no strings attached and the life he could have had with someone who was in the profession as him. Once he's tries to leave for good, his decision ultimately costs him his life. In the end, he regains his dignity and dies with it.

All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. - ISAIAH 34:4 NIV

Fame is like an addiction, when you crave you're willing to do what it takes to get it but once you do it never lets go of you. The Norma Desmond character is a prime example of that, from successful silent star to former star, it's clear just how flawed she is. By the end of the film you're thinking 'This woman is nuts. She in her own home, not in the studio' and even today that final line 'I'm ready for my close-up' still holds up as one of the most errie moments in the film. That moment brought back a memory of mine when I saw it in High School for the first time in a cinema study oriented class because the next thing I remember is watching the teacher instructing us on the analysis of the film itself and what we students got out of it at the time. What I got out of it was the fame that took a hold of Desmond and how much of a grip it kept on her since, like a falling star with a 0% chance of ever returning to it's former place up in the sky.

To conclude, Sunset Boulevard was a character film that portrays the ups and downs of making it in

Hollywood. Whether it's trying to return or entering it, there's really no way around it. The only question is how would you make it? And if you were in Gillis' situation, what would you do differently? I know I wouldn't make the decisions he made nor the offer he tried to make to Betty. Who wants to live that way? Why risk it? As glamorous as it sounds there's really no promises behind it. Another thing this film was saying is that Fame doesn't last forever. If you have an attention spasm, you're likely to be the next Norma Desmond. This is not just any story, it's a Hollywood story and if you really want to know what the business is all about, take a look at this and see for yourself. Happy 60th Anniversary to this noir classic.

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