Movie Reviews by Jo

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Staring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim

I think that this is a movie that everyone has seen or at least heard of. It’s everything a good noir should be: glamorous yet dark. Gloria Swanson created such a terrifying and unstable character that rivals the great villains but instead of becoming disgusted with her, you pity her. The film starts with William Holden’s Joe Gillis laying in a pool, shot dead. He narrates the film as we follow him through his murder by Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond.

Now I won’t bore you will a Wikipedia page full of what happens in this film because after all it’s a review not a summary. When I saw the film for the first time, I was pretty young and didn’t grasp the background and references of the film. It’s redundant to say that this film is for classic film lovers. There are so many references and cameos that won’t make sense if you don’t understand it’s background, even of Gloria Swanson. I think the film is a sort of inside joke to film lovers if you can catch those jokes.

Sunset Boulevard has three major characters. Of course there is Joe Gillis (William Holden) who is a struggling screenwriter using Norma to further his own career. He’s sounds awful when written like that but he is actually a very complex and interesting character. He’s not a cruel person and seemingly likes Norma, although not in a romantic way. He understands her better than she knows herself, noting why she behaves the way she does. Although he can sometimes act irrationally and cruel, he always seems to know how to do the right thing in the end, even if it gets him killed.

The next character is Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), she’s a former silent star who believes she’s going to become famous again. Norma is a very human character. She has good and bad qualities and moves though the film with the intimate goal of wanting to be loved. She wants the world to love her again which is why she chases fame again. This need mixed with her crumbling mental health, cheated a deadly situation to everyone around her, especially Joe. Honestly I think she would’ve killed Betty, Joe’s girlfriend, if Joe wouldn’t have sent her away.

The next character is Max (Erich von Stroheim) who worships the ground Norma walks on. He was a former director who, after Norma had to leave Hollywood, stayed by her side as her butler. Max knows everything about Norma although he seems to ignore that she is anything but perfect. He puts her on a pedestal and doesn’t like Joe, not because he sees him as competition but because he believes Joe will upset the ecosystem of the house. Max is a very interesting character because of his motivations. He’s been Norma’s servant for years and she doesn’t treat him too well although he still stays. He has a lot of mystery behind his character which draws in more drama and ultimately makes this a great noir.

Overall, I think that there’s a reason why this film is considered one of the best. It brings together different elements of the noir genre while staying true to the film industry and the history. I think that this film is a must watch for any film buff as it showcases different times in the film industry and how they clash against one another.