Sunset Boulevard

A dead Hollywood writer is found floating in the pool of an aging Hollywood mansion.  Thus begins the great noir classic "Sunset Boulevard"...

     One of the greatest film-noir movies of all time, Billy Wilder's dark and moldy "Sunset Boulevard" is Hollywood at its most daring. Wilder was one of the greatest directors of the period, and it's easy to see why. Gloria Swanson gives one of the most unforgettable performances ever in the fabulously morbid film, which is a snide and scathing look at old Hollywood.  Her Norma Desmond is larger than life, over the top, and completely sensational.  Hunky William Holden holds his own against the lioness that is Swanson.

     Crisp, iconic dialogue and direction, plus fantastic black and white photography help solidify its classic status.  It's gloriously over the top and lurid.  Full of memorably strange scenes, with some almost chilling at times, "Sunset Boulevard" is fascinating considering the light, fluffy films coming out of Hollywood at the time.  This move has balls, and big ones.  It's a dark and cynical look at how Hollywood treats its royalty once they reach a certain age- and what people will desperately do to remain in the spotlight.

     How they even released this movie in the first place is mind-boggling- it's so ahead of it's time.  Swanson's portrayal of Norma Desmond is the stuff of legend, and surely one of the greatest female acting feats on film.  You cannot take your eyes off of her when she's on the screen. She is smashing in the role and her performance is not only brilliant, but high camp as well.

     The film went on  to accumulate 11 Academy Award nominations, winning 3.  "Sunset Boulevard" also introduced the iconic line "I'm ready for my closeup , Mr. DeMille" to pop culture.  It was one of the first films to be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and ranked #12 on the American Film Institute's 100 Best American Films of the 20th century.  A wonderfully weird film-noir classic!