Sunset Boulevard
1950, NR, 110 min.
D: Billy Wilder; with Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich Von Stroheim.

This legendary tale of Hollywood glory and decay still provides a biting portrait of the Dream Factory. Swanson gives the performance of her lifetime as a faded silent movie star who takes Holden’s broke screenwriter into her mansion in return for other “favors.” This tempest in a teapot all happens under the watchful eye of the Prussian butler, who is expertly played by von Stroheim. Billy Wilder’s cynical edge is finely honed in this darkly amusing satire, which won three Academy Awards. It’s a film that is perennially ready for its close-up.

This article appears in June 30 • 2000.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.