Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)

Buy This Item Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition) by Paramount  Available from Amazon  $9.99  on 11-2-2008     Billy Wilder's noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and gasps of astonishment. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke and cynical young screenwriter, is attempting to ditch a pair of repo men late one afternoon when he pulls off L.A.'s storied Sunset Boulevard and into the driveway of a seedy mansion belonging to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent movie luminary whose brilliant acting career withered with the coming of talkies. The demented old movie queen lives in the past, assisted by her devoted (but intimidating) butler, Max (played by Erich von Stroheim, the legendary director of <I>Greed</I> and Swanson's own lost epic, <I>Queen Kelly</I>). Norma dreams of making a comeback in a remake of <I>Salome</I> to be directed by her old colleague Cecil B. DeMille (as himself), and Joe becomes her literary and romantic gigolo. <I>Sunset Blvd.</I> is one of those great movies that has become a part of popular culture (the line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," has entered the language)--but it's no relic. Wow, does it ever hold up. <I>--Jim Emerson</I> Reader Reviews I'm really not sure why I'm writing a review of a true classic that thousands of others have taken on.I first saw this film circa 1961 (13 years old) and was totally fascinated by it (and probably always will be). However, there is definitely a disconnect point- no young teenager would be drawn towards it today; certainly none would be reading this review. So, I'm really just wasting time, unless one notices the effectiveness of the first person dialogue that really helps buoy the film. Or, perhaps, it's the here today, gone tomorrow ethic of the world, not only Hollywood, that really stands out, almost in biblical proportions; something that Swanson was never able to acknowledge. Holden, in my opinion gets a bad rap. He's trying to eke out a living using Swanson,just as Swanson is trying to use DeMille, just as Max is using Swanson, albeit in polite ways. Recognizing his errors, Holden is on his way back to Dayton,just a couple of minutes too late to take the plunge. Anyway, no matter how good it is, it's only a movie. Right!?

Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $9.99 Updated on 11-2-2008.

SPONSORED LINKS