Sunset Boulevard
“I’m ready for my close up.”
Billy Wilder is revered as one of the greatest directors of all time, and I finally got around to watching one of his films. Happy to say, it was absolutely breathtaking. Sunset Boulevard is a dark and tragic tale about the devastating effect Hollywood, and show business as a whole, can have on someone. William Holden gives a fantastic performance as Joe Gillis, a poor screenwriter struggling to get work, who meets a silent film star who lost popularity during the transition to talkies named Norma Desmond.
Gloria Swanson is truly hypnotic as the faded star; every single time she is on screen, you just can’t help but be utterly transfixed and mesmerised by her. Her character is so lost in her own delusions of stardom and her performance captures that inability to admit to her own reality so well. The black and white cinematography is striking, the soundtrack is gorgeous and moving, and the rest of the cast is brilliant too.
This was reportedly one of David Lynch’s favourite films, and I could definitely see how it inspired some of his works, specifically Mulholland Drive. The way in which the dark side of Hollywood, and the toll the industry can take on people, is portrayed in wildly different manners in both the films, but each one is so effective. It’s interesting comparing the two, as they are from very different eras, but they explore very similar topics and themes. In my eyes, Sunset Boulevard is an absolute masterpiece, with one of the greatest endings in motion picture history.