Review of Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Jacob M — 26 Jul 2013

"Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.".

Generally, when a film is made about Hollywood, then the famed city is depicted as a happy place filled with happy people. In Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, however, we witness the story of a fallen star and craziness about returning to the screen. Sunset Boulevard is creepy, creepy, and very creepy... but creepy in an excellent way, and this is the same Billy Wilder who made Some Like it Hot.

The film begins where we meet Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke Hollywood screenwriter who is itching to make money and get a job. When he falls behind on his car payments, he is pursued by repo men, but a flat tire lands him in the mansion of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a former and mostly forgotten silent film star who wants to make a comeback ("Don't say that word. I'm making a return."). She has Gillis make a screenplay about herself and intends to make a new film with her favorite director, Cecil B. DeMille (played by himself), and in the process, starts to fall in love with Gillis. Even more complicated is Gillis's relationship with the younger female screenwriter, Betts Schaefer (Nancy Olson), who's already engaged to another man. Things get crazy and Desmond goes suicidal.

Also, Erich von Stroheim plays Max, Desmond's servant who's faithful to her commands.

Sunset Boulevard, in my opinion, is brilliant. Simply brilliant. This is one of the most original films I've seen in my life, more original than films released today, in a time that's more focused on remakes and sequels. The fact that the film is narrated by a dead man in a pool makes the film more original and creepy. Many people describe Sunset Boulevard as a dark comedy, but I didn't see anything funny about it. Instead, I was treated to a brilliant, creepy, dark, thrilling, chilling, and wonderfully made thrilling drama.

Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond, the faded silent star to perfection. She's creepy, disturbing, and a maniac. The scene where she makes out with the screen writer is just sick, but sick in a way that wowed me in the suspense. Even creepier than Swanson is Erich von Stroheim as the creepy butler. His character had more twists than Desmond and is just simply chilling. As for William Holden? He's magnificent in the role, and was wonderfully cast as the screenwriter.

The black-and-white cinematography is simply outstanding. It's hard to imagine the film in color, as colorizing the film would ruin the film's creepiness. In scenes with the butler, the dark mood and creepiness makes the cinematography sand out. In the final shot with Swanson's "close-up", the black-and-white makes that shot that much creepier and ends the film on a chilling note.

Franz Waxman composed the score for this chilling film. Waxman is known for scoring creepy films, such as Bride of Frankenstein and Hitchcock's Rebecca, and in Sunset Boulevard, the creepiness and eerie mood adds more thrilling chills in Sunset Boulevard that you'd think that the film was made by Alfred Hitchcock himself.

For a film directed by the man behind Some Like it Hot, Sunset Boulevard is a chilling thrill ride, with marvelous performances, incredible black-and-white cinematography, possibly the most original story you'll ever see in Hollywood film, and a chilling score. I'm glad I saw this film and I hope more newcomers to classic films will watch this too.

"Without me, there wouldn't be any Paramount studio.".