Cheap Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition) (DVD) (Billy Wilder) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)

Gloria Swanson, the REAL Norma Desmond...
I think I've watched this movie is astonishing awe hundreds of times as Gloria Swanson pours her ALL into the role of Norma Desmond. You can just feel her every emotion throughout the movie as Norma invites you into her world of stardom and right into her mind so that you'll know exactly what she means. Gloria's portrayal of the washed up silent film icon leaves nothing to the imagination as you live every dark minute with her there in her Moorish-style Palace on Sunset Boulevard.

Hollywood's Decline and Fall
There was a murder at one of the big houses out on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. A body is in the pool, shot twice in the back and once in the front. It all started with a screen writer in Hollywood was down on his luck and hoped to make money on a script. [There are shots of sparse traffic in those days.] Fleeing from the car repossessors Joe Gillis ducks into the driveway of a big mansion, seemingly deserted. The owner mistakes him for someone else. A lucky break? An elderly woman expected an undertaker for her pet chimp. Norma Desmond used to be big in silent pictures; but the pictures got smaller. Norma commands Gillis to read her script, a melodrama about "Salome" ( beautiful young woman who asked a high price for dancing). [Gloria Swanson plays the demented actress as if she was born for the part. Erich Von Stroheim plays an old retainer, her sole servant. Why can't Norma have other servants?] <
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>Gillis works on the script, Norma's commands must be obeyed. Old silent movies are shown for entertainment. The classic Isotta-Fraschini automobile is revived for touring, another relic of a by-gone era. [Is Joe the replacement for Norma's pet chimp?] The New Year's party shows how upset Norma can get when her whims are disregarded. Gillis flees to a friend's place for a change of atmosphere. A phone call from Max brings bad news, so Joe returns to the mansion. [Does money buy happiness? Not for the discontented.] Gillis is content to continue to work for Norma. A visit to a film studio shows the workings of film production in Hollywood. C.B. De Mille shows his appreciation, others are impressed in meeting the famous Norma Desmond. But the reason for the call to Norma is not for what she expected. <
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>Joe Gillis visits another writer to work on a script. They see the sets that are made to look real for the camera. [The camera never lies?] Max Von Mayerling explains why he is so protective of Madame [guilt complex?]. There is a complication in working with Betty Shaffer. Norma calls Betty to warn her about Joe, and this leads to the dramatic crisis. Joe chooses wealth over poverty and love (a change from the usual Hollywood stories). Did Joe choose wisely? Is it wise to challenge the illusions of a deranged mind? And so this film has an unhappy ending. Fade to black. <
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>There is unconscious symbolism in this film. The rise of television was followed by a decline in the movie audience and the wealth of Hollywood studios. Television provided new opportunities for actors, writers, and producers. Truly, the pictures got smaller. Are there fewer parts of older actresses or actors today? What will happen when the jobs get sent offshore to cartoon studios? <
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