Sunset Boulevard is the complete package, just as any film being released as part of a studio’s Centenial Collection should be. Paramount has re-released this 1950 Oscar winner with a full additional DVD of extras for anyone who is a fan or becomes one after watching the film, or any film student who wants to learn more about one of the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films (it’s #12; you don’t even have to get too far down the list to reach it).
It tells the classic cautionary tale of a young, striving Hollywood writer (William Holden) looking for his big break, and a past-her-prime Golden Age actress (Gloria Swanson) who’s holed up in her lavish mansion, dreaming of her glory days Miss Havisham-style. Through a case of mistaken identity, their lives wind up irrevocably and tragically entangled.
Proving once again that the same themes are recycled and re-recycled in the Hollywood film machine, Sunset Boulevard examines the ambition and empty opportunism of those involved in “the business. A great reminder that the basic tenets of filmmaking haven’t changed much over the past 6 decades–or for that matter, for thousands of years when it comes to storytelling. A classic story is just that, no matter when it was told. And this one is told with clarity, succinctness (using devices like narration to move the story along) and purposeful dialogue.
A true film noir, the film’s showcases visuals that are rich and dramatic, heightened of course by the black and white film. The lines are often blurred between reality and fiction, as this was Swanson’s return to the screen after almost a decade away from film, and famed director Cecil B. Demille stars as himself.
Many have praised Swanson’s portrayal of a has-been screen goddess as the finest of her career, and that may be arguable, but both she and Holden are masterfully directed by Billy Wilder to give performances that are believable and also archetypal for the time period. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Sunset Boulevard won 3, for Best Writing, Best Music and Best Art Direction.
Paramount put together a comprehensive package of special features for this release, including several mini-documentaries that trace the film from pre-production through production to scoring it and securing its place as a classic film, examine each of the key players and actors in the film, and take a look at the Paramount of the 1950s. Such a collection is impressive given that nearly 60 years after its initial release, many of the film’s principals are no longer around to comment on it. Information was gathered through family members, experts, surviving studio executives, and some archival footage.
A great watch on a cold winter’s night when you’re in the mood to feel educated in film culture and history.