Sunset Boulevard Exposed Hollywood’s Vanity

Sunset Boulevard exposed Hollywood’s vanity

When seven-time Academy Award winner Billy Wilder wrote and directed Sunset Boulevard, his intention was to mock the vanity of Fifties Hollywood. He had no idea that 75 years later his message about the dangers of narcissism would transcend the movie business and come to define our solipsistic 21st century. The film stars Gloria Swanson as a washed-up, filthy-rich silent film actress named Norma Desmond, who refuses to accept that she no longer …

‘Sunset Boulevard’ at 75: ‘It was all very queer’

Few classics of the Hollywood Golden Age have stood the test of time with as much stamina as Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard.” Released on Aug. 10, 1950, it became a near-instant classic, earning rave reviews for its savage portrayal of the very industry that produced it and the fearlessly intense performance of former silent screen goddess Gloria Swanson as tragically deranged Norma Desmond, whose fictional history mirrored her own more than e…

Review: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ celebrates and critiques Hollywood. Is that why Trump is such a fan?

David M. Lubin explores the making of 'Sunset Boulevard,' now 75, in his new book, 'Ready for My Close-Up,' maintaining the film has much to tell us about the dark side of Hollywood.