SUNSET BOULEVARD - 75 Years Later: A HOLLYWOOD STORY

Sunset Boulevard is a perfect depiction of fame, jealousy, ego and how the passage of time can wipe the slate clean for even the most notable. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, this feature from 1950 is a glorious black and white depiction of the cruelty of the Hollywood system. 

 

The film focuses on William Holden’s Joe Gillis, an out of work screenwriter who’s looking for his next “in”, while running for repo men looking to repossess his car due to being behind on payments he winds up hiding in the garage of silent movie star Norma Desmond as portrayed by Gloria Swanson. Swanson to a modern eye (and ear) may come off as over indulging with her performance here, over exaggerating every syllable that falls out of her mouth. The more time spent with Desmond, the more you realize that’s her ego taking over her mental state, which then leads into over-zealous jealousy when Joe comes around. 

 

Joe Gillis at first is held captive in this relic of the past’s mansion, forced to rewrite a screenplay she’s been working on for years. As time moves on and Joe struggles to entertain Norma, he ventures out into the night one fateful New Years Eve after learning of the actress’ intentions. From there, he begins to solely take advantage of the situation and her obsession - until everything comes crashing down around him when accusations fly and jealousy rages. 

 

William Holden’s performance as Gillis is almost diabolical in its lack of care and choice to take full advantage of this mentally wounded “star”. He is not alone in his ventures to manipulate the situation, with Norma’s longtime butler and chauffeur Max censoring the reality of her fallen stardom and allowing a belief that her return to the screen will be any day now. 

 

When the entirety of the picture is unveiled, Sunset Boulevard is a depressing noir in many regards, carried by tremendous performances and a beautiful grasp of the tortures of Hollywood. It's darkly comedic, rightfully sad, but all the more hypnotic for its depiction of the time - which still rings true to this day.