One of the most candid depictions of what really goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood also happens to be one of the very first. Billy Wilder's impudent classic Sunset Blvd., a blunt manifestation of what really happens to forgotten celebrities when their fame wanes away, not only dared to recriminate the very system he worked in, but, in a stroke of genius, also managed to enlist some of the most notable examples of real-life neglected showbiz figures to tell the tale. When we watch Sunset Blvd. now, it reverberates just as strongly, because Wilder's portrayal of the system was accurate, and because little has changed since the movie was first released almost 55 years ago.
The movie shrewdly opens with a narration by a corpse. In one vastly impressive shot, we see the man floating face down in a swimming pool, and he summarizes the events that have led him to his current predicament. We are introduced to Joe Gillis, a writer of screenplays desparate for his big breakthrough. When repo men show up at his door one day to take back his car, he tries to skip out on them and ends up turning into a rustic mansion that seems abandoned on first glance. In reality, it is inhabited by a movie star from the silent era, Norma Desmond, and her devoted butler, Max von Mayerling. Joe (William Holden) senses a bit of irregularity once inside, but he agrees to give a look at a script that Norma (Gloria Swanson) has written in exchange for some fast cash to make his car payments.
The pair begin a partnership which soon leads to a relationship wherein Joe becomes a kept but fully-furnished man, and Norma finally has an audience for her delusional silent screen performances from yester-year. There is friction between the two, but both accept the arrangement for what it is for a short while. When Joe meets a younger woman (Nancy Olson as the acerbic Betty Schaefer), he begins to co-write a screenplay with her after hours, and becomes attracted to her. Norma becomes jealous and starts taking more overt actions to control the situation.
When it comes to the cast of Sunset Blvd., few rosters have been as pristine or as enthralling. Wilder's choices could not have been any better. Having primarily been away from the movie spotlight herself for almost two decades, Gloria Swanson turns in a fiery, autobiographical performance few actresses would have been able to pull off, much less the audacity. By sheer virtue of her energy, she gradually continues to raise the stakes and brings urgency to every scene. Matching Swanson's every volley is the formidable William Holden, who himself hadn't hit it big in a decade or so. His grounded approach to Joe provides an effective counterpoint to Norma's wild ravings. As Max, Erich von Stroheim illicits a great deal of pathos, and doubly so when one considers that in real life, he and Swanson once worked together as actress and director, only to have been fired by her in 1929 when they were halfway through shooting a picture. Another key performance comes from Cecil B. De Mille, who plays himself in the film. His kid-glove handling of Norma over the delicate subject of her bloated screenplay is sensible and tragic. Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, and H.B. Warner make brief appearances as "the Waxworks", as Joe calls them, in a scene at Norma's mansion.
I can still remember clear as day the first time I saw Sunset Blvd. It was in 1998, so I guess I was a bit of a late bloomer to the masterpiece, but I immediately responded to its complete package. Wilder's blunt take on the Hollywood system remains the best of its kind, but what makes it a classic is how it is so much more. It is also a bit of a whodunnit, as we know of a crime at the onset of the story but need to piece together the circumstances and which suspect is guilty as we go along. It's also a tragedy, as a major character is depicted having gone insane in the movie's final, famous scene. And underneath it all, there is a dark humour to the subject matter, where sarcasm and irony are grounded in very real examples.
Sunset Blvd. has some of the most well-known quotes in movie history, and rightly so. Wilder, who co-wrote the script with Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman Jr., could just as easily have pulled punches and not risked alienating any number of brass that travelled in his circles. Instead, he tells like it is. The result is a story with edge and flair that, today, resembles more a documentary than a caustic drama.
