Rating: 
Summary: Nobody loved her..
Review: I don't think most people understand Sunset Blvd. Many look at William Holden as the sympathetic character and see Norma as mad and obsessive. I don't think this is the fault of the film, but perhaps people misunderstand it. Norma Desmond is the sympathetic, vulnerable character. Her career was thrown away as she became older (something that still happens to actresses today) and nobody loved her. It is tragic as she falls in love with William Holden's cynical character, and even more tragic when people feel sorry for him and not Norma! Norma is a reflection of the ideal, and how the ideal can lose reality in a cynical, hurtful world. Holden is simply careless towards Norma and uses her. Because we have come to expect this stereotype of men being careless and insensitive, many people acknowledge Holden as the normal character, when in fact he is very, very flawed. And we see the ideal qualities of compassion and heartbreak in Norma as scary or possessive. That is, of course, until she goes over the edge at the end of the film - but wouldn't you, too? Contrast these ideas with the perception of Joan Crawford (Mommie Dearest) that we have today.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully restored -
Review: Even if you haven't seen this before, it is worth buying for the awesome transfer that they have afforded it, and also for the classic that it is ...A silent screen actress lives in a fantasy world longing for the stardom she once had, to the point that she really believes it is all coming back. Enter William Holden to help the fantasy come together. What we end up with is a tragic story which demonstrates how loneliness can affect the mind. Heaps of extras add to the appeal of this DVD. A must own.
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Summary: Well, I'll be a monkey's pallbearer!
Review: Screenwriter Bill Holden is trying to lose the repo men on his tail when he coasts up a little used driveway on Sunset Boulevard. The inhabitants angrily yell at him to come into the house, which he does, only to find that they've mistaken him for an undertaker for the funeral of a dead monkey. Times like this, you should know to back out and get going, but he decides to hang around as an "advisor" to monkey mourner Gloria Swanson, a faded silent movie star who has spent years penning her comeback movie script. Doesn't take long for him to move up (or is it down?) to being her gigolo, and be filled with self-loathing in the process. I greatly enjoyed seeing "Sunset Boulevard" only a few months ago at NYC's Film Forum. I had a dim recollection of it from years before, so I was glad to catch it again on the big screen. Swanson is just wonderful in her role as Norma Desmond, who "used to be big", according to Holden. It's a crying shame that this movie didn't result in a true comeback for her, as she obviously was capable of being a first-rate sound actress. On hand as her chauffeur and one-time director (and husband!) is Erich von Stroheim, himself the mad director who was arguably responsible for the crack-up of Swanson's career with the notorious "Queen Kelly" movie produced by Swanson's then-lover Old Joe Kennedy. These two--Swanson and von Stroheim--really had a lot of guts to set aside past differences to make this film about silent movie has-beens, which both of them were considered by 1950. Just watch the subtlty of von Stroheim's acting, which is often centered, of all places, in his hands. Only a veteran director/actor of a silent screen era would think of conveying that much with his appendages! How about Holden? Well, he's good certainly as this heel of a guy. The only qualm I have about him is that he doesn't suggest an extremely young man, which is an important plot device in this movie. The audience is supposed to be reviled by the idea of the older woman pursuing so relentlessly this younger man--and she's successful, to the point where she does manage to land him sexually if not emotionally! Bill is younger than Gloria, yes, but since the actress was in remarkably good condition physically, he doesn't seem like so many years her junior. Interesting, now of course from year 2003, to see how this idea of the older woman/younger man romance is supposed to appall you, when the 1950s would showcase two actresses--Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn--whose movies always seemed to link them romantically with years-older leading men like Cooper, Grant, Bogart, Crosby, Astaire. How come that's okay, but this Swanson character's desire is supposed to repel you? Sexism, sexism, sexism. Kick that idea to the curb, and set about enjoying "Sunset Boulevard" and the great performances offered by Swanson, von Stoheim, and Holden.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST ABOUT THE FILM INDUSTRY
Review: Just think about it. It was 1950 and the movie industry already had ghosts of a bygone era! Never mind Singin`in the Rain and A Star is Born(1937-1954) THIS IS THE THING! Good story, actors, writing, composer, setdesigners... SUNSET BOULEVARD is to movies what ALL ABOUT EVE is to the thiaaaataaaaa. The bonus on this DVD is a treat... A real treasure...
Rating:
Summary: For all time
Review: This movie will change not only how you view Hollywood but how you perceive movies in General. I am certain this Movie will be talked about as a classic, not only for this generation, but for all time. Furthermore the History of this film, the stars and players is truly legendary. Stroheim, Swanson, Holden and Billy Wilder have all acheived Immortality thru this film. There is also a very enlightening and entertaining history of this movie on the DVD. There is something about this movie that is unlike any other. I also reccomend the book by Sam Stagg
Rating:
Summary: Ready for my close-up
Review: For some strange reason, a lot of great Hollywood films are about Hollywood itself (Singin' in the Rain, The Player, etc.), and this may be the best example. There's something sinister loose in the California hills, and it finds a haven on Sunset Boulevard. The basic story--down-at-heel writer stumbling across a faded, egomaniacal silent film star--has plenty of opportunity for ridicule, but instead, there is a story of exploitation from all sides, as though Hollywood expects bizarre relationships as the norm. Gloria Swanson's portrayal of faded goddess Norma Desmond might seem a bit cartoonish, but the performance is really quite subtle, and the viewer can readily accept that Norma Desmond is very much her own creation. William Holden has never been better as Joe Gillis (though he looks far better than most writers could ever dream of looking), playing the mercenary but not totally disillusioned screen writer looking to make it big--any way he can. And how many movies are going to feature the incomparable Cecil B. DeMille playing himself? As you might expect, Billy Wilder has done a great job with the directing, and what's more, this film contains more great dialogue than you'd typically find in a dozen films combined. "I called a couple of yes-men at Metro; they said no to me," Gilis laments. "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille" is a line that has entered the cultural lexicon, and for good reason. It's the hallmark of a funny, creepy, sad movie about what can go wrong when time, money, fame, and ego all collide in the hills of Southern California.
Rating:
Summary: A classic gem
Review: i recently bought this dvd and i am absolutely in love with it. Gloria Swanson truly deserved the oscar for this movie, not Judy Holiday!
Rating:
Summary: Grand Noir Guignol
Review: This film is a collision between Film Noir and the Grand Guignol tradition of old Europe. The mangling of the old and new creates the oddest and scariest of tensions. The script is structured so solidly that the viewer is drawn in as inexorably as a fly into a web. One of the finest films Hollywood has ever produced, it is also one of the most brutal in it's view of Hollywood. This a film to study, to watch again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: Paramount Botches Collector's Edtion of Sunset Boulevard
Review: As a longtime fan of Sunset Boulevard, a film which easily rates 6 stars on a scale of 1 to 5, I was extremely disappointed with the DVD collectors' edition. All of the extra features, including the orginal morgue opening scene which was not included in the theatrically released version, are very nice to see. However, there is a fundamental problem with the actual movie part of the DVD. The DVD version of Sunset Boulevard is 110 minutes long but the original release is 115 minutes long. The original release had practically no fluff in it so the deleted scenes do hurt. I highly recommend Sunset Boulevard but I cannot recommend this so-called collectors' edition to anyone because it does not include the full length version of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Who knew?
Review: Who knew that Billy Wilder had a film this dark inside of him? Sunset Boulevard is a noirish tale of an aging has-been Hollywood glamour queen and an aspiring screenplay writer who lets himself be drawn into her clutches and her sheets. The swirling insanity and, I might add, the major plot elements brilliantly anticipate David Lynch's best films. Could this telling masterpiece of a corrupt, decadent, and decaying Hollywood be the greatest film of all time? It certainly makes my top ten list.
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