AFI's "Top 100" Film Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD

Sunset Boulevard is a heavy drama from the brilliant Billy Wilder, featuring Oscar-worthy performances by Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Holden narrates his own story as he plays Joe Gillis, a hack screenwriter in 1950 Hollywood, whose both luck and talent seem to have run out. While literally outrunning the finance company guys who are trying to repossess his car, Gillis blows a tire and has to turn into the seemingly abandoned driveway of an old Sunset Boulevard mansion that is overgrown with weeds and even has rats in the empty swimming pool - where he hides his car in the broken-down garage.

What he learns, pretty quickly, is that this old and ostentatious wreck of a house is indeed inhabited – by silent film era legend Norma Desmond (Swanson), who lives in the sprawling mansion with only her butler - and former director - Max (Erich von Stroheim) for company. At first angry at Gillis' trespassing on her property, Norma – upon learning that he's a screenwriter – enlists his aid in helping her to rewrite the film she's been working on for years … her comeback film, in which she will play the temptress, Salome.

It's really obvious from word one that Norma Desmond isn't playing with a full deck – she's completely lost in the past, and still thinks the world recognizes her as one of the greatest actresses alive today. Controlling and manipulative, Desmond evens takes it upon herself – upon learning of Joe's precarious financial situation – to pay off his car and rent, and even have Max pack up his things and move him to the house, so they can be together to work on the script. Joe fights it at first, but almost has no choice but to agree, and soon begins to feel a gigolo to the older Desmond – maybe 20 years his senior.

But its a good life while Joe gets his act together again, and Norma herself (as well as the house, and grounds) becomes more rejuvenated, comes back to life, at what she begins to see as her new romance. Work on Norma's script (which stinks) goes forward, Joe sort of stretching out the job for the money … until one night when Joe runs into a friend in a pub, and is introduced to a young female reader/aspiring screenwriter, Betty (Nancy Olson), who had earlier dissed one of Joe's scripts at Paramount. Joe and Betty slowly get to know each other, and though Joe resists her repeated attempts to try and get him to co-write a script with him, Betty's admiration of Joe (and their growing attraction to each other) comes to threaten the eccentric Norma Desmond's now-idyllic life … with devastating results.

One of the truly great films of the century, Sunset Boulevard is creepy, funny, dramatic (almost melodramatic, but what would you expect from a silent screen star?), and totally engrossing. Nominated for a bunch of Oscars, the film won 3 – but, unjustly, not for Wilder, or any of the amazing actors. The film spawned the infamous line, "I'm ready for my close-up now, Mr. DeMille," and Carol Burnett spoofed the lead character of "Nora Desmond" in multiple hilarious sketches on her classic variety show. Possibly the only film on record in which you can actually see a funeral for a chimpanzee (told you this one was different!), Sunset Boulevard is a must for anyone interested in the film industry … and what it can do to those choosing to play in it.