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Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)
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Editorial Reviews:
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Hack screenwriter joe moves in with hollywood has-been norma and her chauffeur max. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/22/2006 Starring: William Holden Nancy Olson Run time: 110 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Billy Wilder
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Billy Wilder's noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and gasps of astonishment. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke and cynical young screenwriter, is attempting to ditch a pair of repo men late one afternoon when he pulls off L.A.'s storied Sunset Boulevard and into the driveway of a seedy mansion belonging to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent movie luminary whose brilliant acting career withered with the coming of talkies. The demented old movie queen lives in the past, assisted by her devoted (but intimidating) butler, Max (played by Erich von Stroheim, the legendary director of Greed and Swanson's own lost epic, Queen Kelly). Norma dreams of making a comeback in a remake of Salome to be directed by her old colleague Cecil B. DeMille (as himself), and Joe becomes her literary and romantic gigolo. Sunset Blvd. is one of those great movies that has become a part of popular culture (the line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," has entered the language)--but it's no relic. Wow, does it ever hold up. --Jim Emerson
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Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)
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User Comments About Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)
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Classic Great Transfer and Restoration
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all classic movies should get this attention. I just saw the movie on TCM and this version is superior I will get all The Centennial Collections. I will keep it simple. Restoration,Transfer and Remastering.
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Darkness on the Edge of Tinsel Town
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But what you see is what you get. I have always been blown away by this movie. Joe Friday from TV's "Dragnet") is nearly unrecognizable as Gillis' pal, Artie Green. Ever. Like so many other great classics, SUNSET BOULEVARD just fell into place. (One of the stories I've heard about it was that Director Billy Wilder, hoping to spring this new monster on an unsuspecting Hollywood, lied during production that he was making a delightful musical comedy called HILL OF BEANS. The final shot and Norma's lines can still be quoted by the generations of film fans (and Carol Burnett fans).
DeMille plays Cecil B. The talent and insight it possesses couldn't be done today, making it even more remarkable that it was made in 1950. That great shot in the opening of Joe Gillis floating face down in the Norma's pool as photographers snap photos was done with a chilled pool and a big mirror on the bottom. The original opening showed Joe Gillis in the morgue with other talking corpses as he sits up to tell his story. Bitter surreal cynicism. Not to be missed. The character of Joe Gillis would imprint William Holden for the rest of his career, lifting him from just another handsome leading man to an actor who could play characters who had seen too much and lost too much (STALAG 17, THE WILD BUNCH, NETWORK, etc).
Wilder originally wanted Mae West for Norma Desmond and Montgomery Clift for Joe Gillis (imagine what kind of film that would've been). After the premiere, he was verbally attacked by Hollywood bigwigs in the lobby, to which he replied, "F you."). High drama. All of the above. Has-beens play has-beens, Cecil B.
DeMille, and Jack Webb (Sgt. Acid black comedy. There are moments in SUNSET BOULEVARD when you literally don't know what you're watching. It's still an amazing movie, stunning in its creativity and artistry.
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An excellent example of what hollywood used to produce. A classic movie which i need to see about once a year. The camera work is excellent and the story line is believable.
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A movie for lover of movies
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This play in three acts is packed with stars of the time. Movie script writer Joe Gillis found him self in the sunset of his career. While escaping auto preprocessors, by accident or fait he turns into a driveway on Sunset Boulevard and begins a new chapter with a mysterious actress who is in the sunset of her career.
I have been tented before viewing this movie by watching then Carol Burnet version. The commentary helps you see what you are watching; it also covers the original beginning of the movie. Many of the Stars and the writer reflect their real lives in the story. Even though the movie can hold its own and is worth re-watching, be sure to get a DVD with the audio commentary.
The dream she had clung to so desperately had enfolded her.". "Life which can be so minuscule had taken pity on Norma Desmond. I am not going to bring up a list because they are fun to discover as they show up on the screen.
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