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.