by Reid Williams
Just over 70 years ago, writer/director Billy Wilder gave us the seemingly ageless classic Sunset Boulevard. The dark noir is a brilliant piece of Golden Age Hollywood history, supported by fantastic performances by William Holden and Gloria Swanson (not to mention a self-referential part played by Erich von Stroheim), but its relevance today is far beyond its unarguable brilliance.
The film follows Joe Gillis (Holden), a disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter who falls into the employ of Norma Desmond (Swanson), a former silent film star who has now faded into obscurity. What begins as a professional relationship slowly turns darker and more obsessive, as Norma clings violently to any hope of staying relevant. Meanwhile, Joe is torn between the comfortable life Norma offers him and the artistic life of struggle that still draws him (in the form of a young Nancy Olson). Their desires continue to fight against one another until the fateful climax foretold in the foreboding opening sequence.
The film had much to say at the time, beyond just being an incredibly watchable drama. Themes from Billy Wilder’s own life, such as the unappreciation of screenwriters and studio meddling are easily apparent. Alongside this is a sharp critique of the Hollywood studio system as a whole, which is even more shocking considering as it was still in full swing at this point. However, the overarching theme of the movie, the one that resonates so deeply even today, is the poisonous intoxication that our culture has with youth and beauty.
Norma Desmond is the perfect character to display this. The woman who was adored the world over when she was young and beautiful, has now aged and lives in a mansion that is as forgotten as herself. The issue comes with the fact that she can’t accept her fate. She is addicted to the fame and adoration that she once received, and now is an ill-adjusted has-been. However, she is not the villain. The system that created her is. The system that told her she was amazing and beautiful, only to abandon her once the shine was gone, is the true villain.
What makes this so piercing 70 years later is the fact that, even though the studio system is nothing like it was at the time of the film, the system that created Norma Desmond is still at large. If the age of social media influencers on any number of platforms has taught us anything, it is that we are still more than happy to pour our adoration on the young and beautiful.
The question is, what happens when the attention is gone? Sunset Boulevard paints this attention as a drug, and those who lose their fix are prone to do anything to get it back. So, how do we fix it? The film offers us no easy answers, and neither do I. It simply forces us, as well as everyone else for the last 70 years, to question whether we can blame those who have lost their grip post-fame.
The film paints this in such a compelling and entertaining light that it never feels like the sermon I typed above. Billy Wilder, an absolute master of the crafts of writing and directing, puts this masterpiece together with skill and beauty, which all culminates in the haunting final shot.
So, if you’ve not seen this one yet, I can’t recommend it more highly. But before venturing in, you should ask yourself: are you ready for your close-up?