Sunset Boulevard: A Quick Review

"Sunset Boulevard" was released in 1950 and was directed by Billy Wilder.  It's the story of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an aging silent movie actress and Joseph C. Gillis (William Holden), a movie screenwriter.  She is convinced that people still love her, even though it has been years since her last movie and silent films are no longer being made.  Norma Desmond enlists Joseph C. Gillis to help her finish her script, that she is convinced will be her big comeback.  Her life at this point consists primarily of delusions at this point, since she is so caught up in her former self.  She also becomes very attached to Joseph C. Gillis, a feeling that he certainly does not reciprocate.  The acting is incredible in the film, especially by the two leads.  They compliment each other perfectly and Gloria Swanson played the character of Norma Desmond incredibly well.  On one hand she is completely full of her self, since she used to be such a widely known and respected actress.  On the other hand she is lonely and afraid of the current world she is living in, which is so different from the world decades before when she had a huge fanbase and was loved by millions.  This causes sympathy towards the character, especially since she is most certainly not mentally stable.  The black and white cinematography is absolutely beautiful.  Every scene is so well put together, whether it be a shot down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles or one of many shots in Norma Desmond's huge mansion, showing how vast it is.  Each of these shots is usually extremely dark in nature and has a lot of shadows, adding to the creepy, lonely feeling of the house, which perfectly mirrors the main character.  There's also some panning across a scene, adding to the visual style of the film.  One of my favorite shots is of Joseph C. Gillis lying dead in a pool.  The camera appears to be in the water looking up at him and the police officers at the edge of the pool.  The score compliments "Sunset Boulevard" perfectly and is one of the best that I have heard in recent memory.  It's a great mix of dark with occasionally romantic tones.  Also, this film had a lot of narration by William Holden, which worked perfectly for this film.  I feel like it is a useful film narrative technique.  Another useful technique that is used is the flashback.  The first scene of "Sunset Boulevard" is one of the last scenes in the film and then the majority is just a huge flashback.  This was done well and worked much better than "Sunset Boulevard" being completely in chronological order.  This is an incredible film to say the least.  It is perfect in every regard and it is no wonder it is still remembered and loved over 60 years later.  I highly recommend it to everyone since it is a classic American film, and one of the best films to come out of this country.  However, if you don't like old or black and white films you may not appreciate it. 4 out of 4 stars.

-Joseph Sbrilli