Close-up on Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream

Rating:
Summary: Classic film but let's not get carried away Ms. Desmond!
Review: When this author talks about the making of the film and the interviews with people who worked on it this is fascinating. However halfway through the book he sabotages it by writing as if Sunset Boulevard was the greatest thing ever put on film (it's not) or the best piece or literature ever created. (again..not) He actually gives sunset boulevard credit for inspiring ever other film, play or book ever written. Waaaaayyy too carried away.

Yes it's true that the lines of dialogue and Norma Desmond imagary has had a big impact on our popular culture. He could have just explained this but listing quotes or examples for a few pages was excruciatingly boring.

I wanted to stop reading it at that point. Fortunately the part about the musical (and all that drama) was next so it was worth getting through.

This author obviously loves film and certainly "Sunset Boulevard" and "All About Eve" are classics that are unequaled especially for their writing. However someone should have told this author when reverence becomes obsession. Couldn't they convince him to edit this????

I hope his next novel isn't "The Poseidon Adventure: More important than the Bible" or something!