Sunset Blvd is a classic American film noir filmed in 1950 and a lesson in what refusing to grow old gracefully can result in.
Its director, Billy Wilder, directed other iconic films and Sunset Blvd was awarded three oscars. The setting for the film, as the title may suggest, is the classic boulevard running through Beverley Hills in Los Angeles. For many this is associated with money, opulence and fame.
The movie stars William Holden as screenplay and down on his luck bum and Gloria Swanson is the faded, glamorous Norma Desmond who used to be a big star in the silent movie industry.
Holden wants to be rich and famous and comes with the same dream of many a starry eyed writer drawn to the city. However, his debts are huge and the streets are not paved with gold. His checks bounce and his debts are never ending. Desmond needs to have a screenplay written which she hopes will jump start her career and Joe needs money. So they begin a mutually convenient relationship which quickly transpires into a romantic affair.
Norma falls in love with Joe and Joe falls in love with her money and through this mutually convenient situation they coexist. He tries to leave eventually, but she attempts suicide and manages to coax him back.
Desmond believes that her career will flourish again, but she is more mature in years now and the film company has no interest in her script.
However, unbeknown to Norma he is working on a private script with young writer Betty and he falls for her. When he tries to leave Norma the dramatic climax of the film sees a shot fired and Gillis floating in a swimming pool with sirens all around.
Her last line, often quoted is "I'm ready for my close up" showing how her mentally unstable mind is likening the events to being in a film and distorting what is actually happening.
This is a tragic movie and reveals the inner darkness and corruption in the film industry. People become dispensable commodities and the film is testament to an actress with a mental illness who cannot accept that her youth and beauty are behind her.
She is a sad reminder of an industry that worships the young over everything else. This is particularly poignant in this day and age of cosmetic enhancement and shows how an individual can suffer once they lost their film making appeal.
The servants she has treat her gently and pander to her need to look youthful. In this day and age of botox and plastic surgery the film is an uncomfortable reminder that there are some things that can't be bought.
Sunset Boulevard is suitable for all ages and is a thought provoking look at the lives of the rich and famous. Desmond's lavish mansion, swimming pool and servants are things that are associated with making it in life, but her mental instability arising from her lost youth makes all these material possessions meaningless.
Joe, her lover's untimely death, is sad and wasteful, but he represents the exploitative force behind Desmond's demise.
Its director, Billy Wilder, directed other iconic films and Sunset Blvd was awarded three oscars. The setting for the film, as the title may suggest, is the classic boulevard running through Beverley Hills in Los Angeles. For many this is associated with money, opulence and fame.
The movie stars William Holden as screenplay and down on his luck bum and Gloria Swanson is the faded, glamorous Norma Desmond who used to be a big star in the silent movie industry.
Holden wants to be rich and famous and comes with the same dream of many a starry eyed writer drawn to the city. However, his debts are huge and the streets are not paved with gold. His checks bounce and his debts are never ending. Desmond needs to have a screenplay written which she hopes will jump start her career and Joe needs money. So they begin a mutually convenient relationship which quickly transpires into a romantic affair.
Norma falls in love with Joe and Joe falls in love with her money and through this mutually convenient situation they coexist. He tries to leave eventually, but she attempts suicide and manages to coax him back.
Desmond believes that her career will flourish again, but she is more mature in years now and the film company has no interest in her script.
However, unbeknown to Norma he is working on a private script with young writer Betty and he falls for her. When he tries to leave Norma the dramatic climax of the film sees a shot fired and Gillis floating in a swimming pool with sirens all around.
Her last line, often quoted is "I'm ready for my close up" showing how her mentally unstable mind is likening the events to being in a film and distorting what is actually happening.
This is a tragic movie and reveals the inner darkness and corruption in the film industry. People become dispensable commodities and the film is testament to an actress with a mental illness who cannot accept that her youth and beauty are behind her.
She is a sad reminder of an industry that worships the young over everything else. This is particularly poignant in this day and age of cosmetic enhancement and shows how an individual can suffer once they lost their film making appeal.
The servants she has treat her gently and pander to her need to look youthful. In this day and age of botox and plastic surgery the film is an uncomfortable reminder that there are some things that can't be bought.
Sunset Boulevard is suitable for all ages and is a thought provoking look at the lives of the rich and famous. Desmond's lavish mansion, swimming pool and servants are things that are associated with making it in life, but her mental instability arising from her lost youth makes all these material possessions meaningless.
Joe, her lover's untimely death, is sad and wasteful, but he represents the exploitative force behind Desmond's demise.
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Do you want to download free song for ipod' Movie Cast List He had attempted to build a perfect substitute world for himself. Evolving over time into a cult classic, this can be classified as more of a generational film.
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