Rating: 
Summary: "Comedy-Noir"
Review: Billy Wilder was that rare breed of film-maker, (Director only begins to scratch the surface of his talent) who was equally adept at screwball comedy, romatic comedy and dark comedy. As examples you need not look further than Some Like It Hot, Sabrina and Sunset Blvd. In fact if there could be such a catagory you might say Sunset Blvd is "Comedy-Noir". Because on one level we are dealing with a murder. We know this, as the centeral character speakes to us from his recent earthly departrue. Remember he's found face down in Norma Desmond's swimming pool in the opening scene. So the film rolls out as a classic West Coast Cool murder yarn, the likes of The Big Sleep or Dial M For Murder. It's when we're introduced to the wackey world of Norma Desmond that we begin to glimpse into her wretched soul. She has lost touch with all but her "wax-work" contingent of equally faded stars. Dark Humor?...Where else do you find a chimp and a butler veying for the attention of their morbid goddess. Or how about New Years Eve at Normas? Just you, Bill Holden, Norma, Max, a ten piece combo. tubs of bubbly and you can dance all night on the marble floor Valentino used to tango on. Sound like a gas? Billy Wilder was THE master comedic film-maker in his day or any other. No one else could have made this movie and succeeded the way he did. A George Cuckor or a Frank Capra might have done well in such a project. But Billy Wilder knew how to tell this tale. He knew the humor would ooooze out of the woodwork like the damp musty air of Norma's empty estate. He knew we'd all find it so titilating and grotesque when Norma makes her big scene before her final audience, The Beveraly Hills Police. Oh Billy you sure knew who to spin a yarn. Just think of what good fun he could have had with the likes of some of todays big time celeberties. I'm sure he and Dominick Dunne could have come up with some great material for today's "Comedy-Noir"!
Rating:
Summary: It's better?
Review: Who could have imagined that this film could get better but it has, now that it's on DVD. Gloria's fans will revel in the ability to find just the right scene or dialogue at the touch of a button. This is truly one of the best films of all time. Just "sit dawnn" and watch it. Reading Ms. Swanson's biography, "Swanson on Swanson" will give added depth to the screenplay because much of the detail in S.B. is, in fact, true.
Rating:
Summary: The best story a corpse ever told!
Review: Not without reason is this one of the greatest films of all time. Never before had anyone dared to expose the seedy, depressing underside of the Hollywood rat race and no one has come close since( with the possible exception of Robert Altman, whose film The Player makes for a great double feature). Billy Wilder's tale of a far too original for his own good, down on his luck screenwriter who finds shelter in the home and arms of a delusional, washed up silent movie queen is the kind of story Recyclewood(TM) could only dream of making these days. Everything about this film works. The dialogue is sharp, biting and often humorous. The players are all cast perfectly, whether it be Gloria Swanson's silent era goddess Norma Desmond, William Holden's disillusioned writer Joe Gillis or former silent era director Erich Von Stroheim's turn as Norma's ex-husband/butler Max. Even the bit players are brilliant. Including Cecil B. DeMille as himself and former Hollywood legends H.B. Warner, Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson as Norma's bridge cronies(aka "waxworks"). The cinematography is beautifully flawless, especially within the confines of Norma Desmond's cavernous home. And the directing, well, it's Billy Wilder and he could do no wrong. If you are thinking about a career in the glittering shark tank, this is as good a cautionary tale as you'll ever see.
Rating:
Summary: All right, Mr Demille, I'm ready for my close-up.
Review: They sure don't make actors or movies like this anymore. Sure this is probably the most campiest movie that has ever been transferred to DVD but you know something,,,,it's worth every penny.The DVD transfer is wonderful for both picture and sound. Watching this on DVD sort-of has a hipnotic effect on you,,,,,it keeps you wanting more and more and the time just flys by. I wouldn't say this is a great motion picture but very much an important film of Americana and something we should all be proud of. After all Gloria Swanson was a queen back then and this was the film that has had endless renditions to from musical stage to comedy routines on tv. Well worth having in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: HOLLYWOOD AND THE FORGOTTEN IDOLS!!!
Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD is, along with "All About Eve", my favorite film from 1950. It is a true masterpiece and one of the best loved films. The story revolves around a failed screenwriter Joe Gilles (William Holden) who stumbles into the mansion of the aged silent-film-supreme-movie-star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who lives a life of reclusion. As she feeds the crazy illusion of still being adored by her fans, she plans a comeback not knowing that the whole world has long ago forgotten her. Only her butler Max (Erich von Stroheim) - who was once her director (!) and husband (!) - supports her diva-like behavior. The true greatness of this film is something that demands multiple discussions. But for me, the thing I like best is the bitter irony, acid/dark humour and relentless madness that runs through the entire film. Norma Desmond is, arguably, the craziest character ever written for the screen and also one of its most fascinating. The screenplay is a landmark in modern cinema. It combines powerful drama with dark comedy like no other. It touches many great issues like vanity, idolatry, the ephemeral nature of fame, the need for self esteem, the need for love... This is also a film where Hollywood looks at itself and examines its own basis: the star-system. The art direction is beautiful: check out Norma's living room and her relationship with her own photographs! - just as an example. Just like you would expect, a vast trail of cameos appear on the film as themselves: Buster Keaton, Cecil B. deMille and Hedda Hopper just to name a few. Rich dialog is also a major asset in this great film. So are the costumes (by the master Edith Head), Cinematography and Music (by Franz Waxman). An interesting note is that it is a dead character who tells the story. This DVD edition has many charming extras: first a great documentary about Edith Head: the woman behind Hollywood's most glamorous clothes. It was she who designed the costumes for many best-loved films like Shane, Sabrina and most of the Hitchcock American films. She was the leading costume designer for Paramount Pictures. Second, two featurettes about the making of Sunset Blvd. and the music score. It would be great if all classic movies were presented like this... Buy this film.
Rating:
Summary: The Sun Never Sets on SUNSET BOULEVARD
Review: I recently saw this film again at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, and I kid you not -- it's one of the great reasons why movies need to be seen on the big screen; even an interior drama like this one -- the richness of the performances, the sets and the crackle of the dialogue as the characters trade barb after barb is all enhanced by the projected film print of this classic. Not withstanding that ideal presentation, this DVD is most welcome. It's Wilder at his pungent best and it's no coincidence that this film ended the writing partnership of Brackett & Wilder. Holden is searing and Swanson does cruel comic insanity like no one before or since. Greatest story ever about this movie, is Louis B. Mayer's response to the film after seeing a preview screening. Mayer ran up to Wilder and said something to the effect that immigrants like Wilder shouldn't bite the hand that feeds them so hard, and Wilder basically retorted "...You, Mr. Mayer!" And that's exactly what this movie says so well, that Hollywood -- underneath the glamorous premieres and jetset lifestyle -- is rotten at it's core, a town/industry that eats people up and tears up their dreams, and that it would take a peerless insider to bring the house down, yet at the same time prop himself up to legendary status. The four or five subsequent Wilder films after SUNSET BLVD. are strokes of genius. Now, can we get ACE IN THE HOLE and AVANTI on DVD?
Rating: 
Summary: "max ? is that you?"
Review: When i first think about suset bldv i think of the funny spoofs that carol burnett made of the film!
then i actually caught it one early morning afterwork around 3 30 am and was drawn to it!..Great film!!!
luckaly today many of todays aging actresses are still being offered award winning roles! and HAVENT gone int oobscurity!..and it was norma desmend who got the final closeup befor all of them!
its a wonderful dark film i put into the classics file right along with What ever happened to baby jane? .iowa
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Generally, Hollywood on Hollywood movies are pretty bad, but Sunset Boulevard is one of the few exceptions. This movie is really as close to perfect as movies can get! In fact, it's even difficult to pinpoint the elements that make it so good, but a few of the highlights include the dark sets, appropriate music, very clever direction by Billy Wilder, and the brilliant performances of Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Sunset Boulevard is the tale of an aging silent-movie queen (Gloria Swanson) who lives locked away in a huge palace, alone except for her butler/chauffeur/former director/ex-husband and her dreams of her former glory. When a financially troubled screenwriter (William Holden) stumbles into her grasp, he is caught by her madness and riches like a fly on flypaper. Although, from the first shot of the movie, one knows how it will all end, like the screenwriter, it is easy to stay enthralled by the darkly chilling power of the story! Anyhow, this is a must-see! It offers many wonderful insights into the world of the Hollywood that was, and the life of those have-beens who were part of, and destroyed by, the star system. Most importantly, however, this noir masterpiece is gripping, entertaining, and still sparkles with wit and sarcasm 52 years after its original release! Enjoy! Just as a sidenote, keep a lookout for some famous people - Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, and others - playing themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Sunset Blvd - A true fan's point of view
Review: We first see Norma Desmond,(played beautiful by Gloria Swanson), as she is looking down from the second story of her aging, delapidated mansion. Her first words are, "Where have you been? I've waiting for you?". While these are directed to Joe Gillis (William Holden), they could well have been directed to the audience. Everything about this film is perfect. Sure it's melodramatic, but that was the style of film in the 1950's. Everything is symbolic and yet works into the story beautifully. Norma is an aged, forgotten silent movie actress. Joe is a young, talented but forgettable screenwriter. While worlds apart, they are both outsiders. Norma blames "talking pictures" and screenwriters for her downfall and the downfall of the film industry; Joe is the embodiment of all her excuses for a failed career. And while Joe is using Norma to get the money he needs to stay in the game, she is using him to perfect the script that she wrote, and hopes, will get her back in. Norma's house is the perfect setting for the film. A gothic, spanish-style mansion that represents Norma's career - old, run down, and forgotten behind the tall trees and shurbs of time, with gates and fences to keep out reality. Joe IS reality and while Norma wants no part of the real world, she needs his connection to help her "return to the millions of fans that have never forgiven [her] for leaving the screen". Norma's world is a fragile, imitation of yesterday and her forgotten career. There are only two ways out of a world like this - death or madness. Joe and Norma have no other paths to take. And while the viewer watches these two desperate souls continue on their downward, spiraling paths, the viewer - like Norma's faithful servant Max - is powerless to intervene. This film is for anyone who enjoys a well written, thought-out story with all the twists and turns of a gothic novel; for anyone who can appreciate classic hollywood at it's finest; for anyone who simply likes a good film. This film was also Gloria Swanson's "return" piece. Like Norma Desmond, she was a silent film star that found few jobs after the "talkies" came to town. Buy it and add this classic tale to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: IT'S ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!
Review: I have seen this film 20 times, both in the Movie Theater and on VHS, and loved it every minute of it. I also seen the Broadway production of which Glenn Close was the leading actress. Combining these two, the film and the musical is a dream come true. Superv and phenomenal quality. Gloria Swanson as her predecessor is wonderful in this film. I loved her. The drama of a bygone hollywood actress is the ultimate. It is highly recommended to have this film as a collection. I have waited for so long to come to DVD. "And now, Mr. De Mille, I am ready for my close up!"
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