Sunset Boulevard Review: Hollywood Eats Its Own
9/10 — Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Pros
- Gloria Swanson's towering performance
- Biting script
- Unforgettable final scene
Cons
- Heightened melodrama
- Cruel portrayal of ageing
Struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis, played by William Holden, is drawn into the faded mansion of silent-film star Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson, who is planning a comeback. The film is narrated by a dead man.
What works
Swanson is magnificent, grand and tragic, and Holden is the perfect cynical foil. Wilder’s script is razor-sharp and darkly funny, and the final descent down the staircase is one of cinema’s great scenes. ‘I am big, it’s the pictures that got small’ is an all-time line.
Where it falters
The film’s melodrama is high, and its portrayal of ageing women is harsh.
Verdict
A dark, witty, theatrical classic about Hollywood’s cruelties.
