Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett (written by) &
Billy Wilder (written by) ...

Release Date:

4 August 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

Tagline:

A Hollywood Story

Plot:

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

Plot Keywords:

Camera Crew | Automobile | Cynical | Mental Illness | Garage

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

William Holden	...	Joe Gillis
Gloria Swanson	...	Norma Desmond
Erich von Stroheim	...	Max von Mayerling
Nancy Olson	...	Betty Schaefer
Fred Clark	...	Sheldrake
Lloyd Gough	...	Morino
Jack Webb	...	Artie Green
Franklyn Farnum	...	Undertaker
Larry J. Blake	...	Finance man #1 (as Larry Blake)
Charles Dayton	...	Finance man #2
Cecil B. DeMille	...	Himself
Hedda Hopper	...	Herself
Buster Keaton	...	Himself, Bridge Player
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Herself, Bridge Player
H.B. Warner	...	Himself, Bridge Player

Also Known As:

Sunset Boulevard (UK) (USA) (alternative spelling)
A Can of Beans (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

110 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Hungary:14 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1982) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alto-Nido Apartments -1851 N. Ivar Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Eugene Walter was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s. 6350 Franklin Avenue was the address of the Alto Nido Apartments, where Walter lived, sometimes worked, and, ultimately died in 1941. As "Sunset Boulevard" opens, William Holden's character Joe Gillis describes himself as a Hollywood screenwriter "living in an apartment house above Frankin Avenue". As the camera cranes up into the apartment, we can see it's the Alto Nido.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Joe Gillis gets out of the pool and Norma offers to dry him off, several crewmembers as well as lighting, microphones, and other equipment, are reflected in Norma's large, dark sunglasses.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joe Gillis: Yes, this is Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California. It's about 5 0'clock in the morning. That's the homicide squad, complete with detectives and newspaper men.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Undead (#9.6)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Toccata & Fugue in D-minor

Reel Life Gothic

Every time I go to L.A., which isn't too often, I look at these palm-bemused, once smart stucco facades, and wonder if a Norma Desmond from a later era might be hiding from the world inside them, buttressed by cable TV (AMC or TCM, no doubt), a poodle named FiFi or Sir Francis, walk-in closets full of leopard-print Capri pants that haven't fit in decades, and a world class liquor cabinet that has seen heads of state under the table on a good night. It is because of Sunset Blvd., for certain, that my mind could ever go there. It is one of the most indelible films you will ever see.

This film is great for many reasons, not the least of which is because it is Hollywood's first look back at itself. In the milieu of this film, the silent era is only 22 years behind us. The people left behind by the rush to sound can still palpably TASTE the fame, the accolade, that particular past being not so very dim and distant. The sadness of their lives was real, and at that point in history, all around, if hidden. Way more has been made of the supposed "savagery" of this film vis a vis the faded star than I think exists now, or ever did. The often cynical Wilder is deeply in touch with the tragic here, as much as the grotesque.