Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. is a film which is both a sterling tribute to the legends of Hollywood’s silent era, and a damnation of the power brokers behind the silver screen who kicked their elder stars to the curb, only to be forgotten in time.     

Sunset Blvd. begins with a murder at the home of a Hollywood starlet. Via a narrator, it quickly back tracks months earlier and introduces the viewer to struggling Hollywood screen writer Joe Gilles (William Holden).

 One day while on the run from debt collectors, Joe pulls into what he thinks is an abandoned mansion on Sunset Blvd. Quickly he learns that the estate belongs to faded star of the silent era and suicidal shut in Norma Desmond (played by real life silent screen star Gloria Swanson).

The introduction of Swanson’s Norma has to be one of the most memorable in film history. Surrounded by an eerie ambience, she is first shown mourning over the death of her pet monkey, who was perhaps her only companion. Later we would find that she does in fact have friends who attend a regular bridge game, played by fellow silent screen stars Buster Keaton, Anna Nilsson and H.B. Warner. Legendary director Cecil B. Demill would also make a cameo appearance later.

Norma urges Joe to be a ghost writer on a screenplay she believes will place her back on top of the Hollywood ladder. Broke and with no real prospects, Joe begrudgingly accepts, yet slowly falls into Norma’s clutches and becomes her toy boy lover, who becomes trapped in a grim, gaudy, and empty mansion, photographed wonderfully by cinematographer John F. Steiz, whose striking approach to black and white photography earned him several Academy Award nominations. Franz Waxman’s atmospheric score enhances the films stark vibe.     

Swanson’s performance may be over the top, but damn if it isn’t effective. Her menacing demeanour, combined with striking bug eyes and clenched jaw screams out villain, yet out of nowhere comes an impersonation of Charlie Chaplin which warmed the heart of this critic. This is a character with layers upon layers: a sad figure wrapped in a villainous cocoon and a demented frame of mind. 

William Holden also shines is his breakthrough role as an opportunistic writer who gets in way over his head. Supporting roles are filled very nicely by Erich von Stroheim as Norma’s ever loyal servant Max, and Nancy Olson as Joe’s other love interest Betty.

A masterful film-noir with a slight tinge of melodrama, Sunset Blvd. ends on a sad note which confirms Hollywood’s mantra: everything is a show. And this is one of the best.