Sunset Boulevard

One of the best-loved Billy Wilder productions, Sunset Boulevard is a timeless tale of the greed and desperation Hollywood wreaks on its young acolytes as they age. It also set off a long practice of – to varying degrees performative and genuine – self-criticism among its elites. Gloria Swanson is glorious and tragic as the washed-up silent star Norma Desmond, atrophying in her mansion with her former director/husband and now faithful butler Max (Erich von Stroheim). Her quasi-exploitative relationship with young writer Joe (William Holden) lays bare the extent of her delusions, as crackling dialogue carries the viewer through the muck with Wilder and longtime collaborator Charles Brackett’s signature lightness. At the Paramount, it’s only fitting to see Norma the way she sees herself: “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” – Lina Fisher Read a full review of Sunset Boulevard.