My first year of my undergrad in film was sort of like a challenge - how many weird and wonderful movies can we show these kids until they realize film isn’t a bird course? But I presevered and made it into the program. At U of T, the major program has only three program requisites: Intro to Film, Film History, and Film Theory. It was the first screening of Film History, my first week of second year, that I finally saw this post’s movie, and it was better than I could have anticipated. Watching it, it finally clicked how much I loved Classic Hollywood movies.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
It’s funny, I had always heard a lot about this movie but it never appealed to me. Maybe it’s because when people talk about it, they never want to reveal too much. But, from those who’ve seen it, the consensus is generally that it’s one of the best films made in old Hollywood.
Without giving too much away, it’s about a screenwriter for Paramount Studios, Joe Gillis (William Holden) whose lack of success and growing debts force him to run away and stumble upon an old mansion on the iconic Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. The owner, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), was once a silent film star, but is now a delusional middle-aged has-been. She falls in love with Joe and won’t let him leave, hoping that he will write a script for her return to the screen.
It’s captivating, it’s funny, it’s thrilling. It gives a really cool insight into how the backlots of Hollywood worked, but also shows how some stars were discarded by studios and never recovered from the transition from silent to sound cinema.
Why You Should Watch:
The acting is great, the writing is even better, and it really is a psychological thriller, even though it may not seem that way on the surface. Don’t just take my word for it, it was actually nominated for 11 Oscars - including Best Picture and all of the acting categories - and won 3, including Best Screenplay. There’s also a really cool twist at the end. I could do a spoiler alert, but you should really just watch it and find out!
Scenes to Look Forward To:
A lot of great quotes in this movie. My friends know that I have a poster in my room with the 101 Best Movie Quotes of All Time. Two are from this movie: “I AM big, it’s the pictures that got small.” And, last but not least, “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille”. I also really like the scene where Joe and Alison, another aspiring screenwriter, go for a walk on the back lot at Paramount. Also, Cecil B. DeMille, the famous silent film director, actually makes a cameo! So does Eric von Stroheim, another silent film director, who plays Norma’s eerie butler, Max.
