Alternate title(s):
Foreign Title:
Date: January 01, 1950 to December 31, 1950
Dates Note: 1950
Country of Origin:
United States
Place of Origin: United States
Languages:
Color: B&W
Silent: No
Based On:
Additional Info:
A tale narrated by a dead man, Sunset Blvd. is a brilliantly sardonic look at Hollywood, in which Vienna-born Billy Wilder toys with the American film industry’s hold on the émigré artist. William Holden’s Joe, an “exile” in Los Angeles (that is, his car has broken down), finds refuge in the mansion of aging actress Norma (Gloria Swanson), where a former director (Erich von Stroheim) now manages her home and illusions. In between Norma’s festering need to reemerge as a star and Joe’s scarce resources as a screenwriter lies a movie industry that exploits the very lifeblood of those around it.