Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett (written by) &
Billy Wilder (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 August 1950 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

A Hollywood Story

Plot:

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Mansion | Comeback | Director | Madness

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

William Holden	...	Joe Gillis
Gloria Swanson	...	Norma Desmond
Erich von Stroheim	...	Max Von Mayerling
Nancy Olson	...	Betty Schaefer
Fred Clark	...	Sheldrake
Lloyd Gough	...	Morino
Jack Webb	...	Artie Green
Franklyn Farnum	...	Undertaker
Larry J. Blake	...	1st Finance Man (as Larry Blake)
Charles Dayton	...	2nd Finance Man
Cecil B. DeMille	...	Cecil B. DeMille (in opening credits) (as Cecil B. De Mille)
Hedda Hopper	...	Hedda Hopper
Buster Keaton	...	Buster Keaton
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Anna Q. Nilsson
H.B. Warner	...	H. B. Warner
Ray Evans	...	Ray Evans
Jay Livingston	...	Jay Livingston
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Cop Who Drags Joe's Body from Pool (uncredited)
Joel Allen	...	Prop Man #2 (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Homicide Captain (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Sheldrake's Secretary (uncredited)
John Cortay	...	Mac - Young Gate Guard at Paramount Studios (uncredited)
Archie R. Dalzell	...	Camera Operator (uncredited)
Eddie Dew	...	Assistant Coroner (uncredited)
Peter Drynan	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Julia Faye	...	Hisham (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Phone Standby (uncredited)
Gerry Ganzer	...	Connie - Betty's Roommate (uncredited)
Kenneth Gibson	...	Salesman at Men's Shop (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Sanford E. Greenwald	...	Newsreel Cameraman (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Creighton Hale (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Grip on DeMille Set (uncredited)
James Hawley	...	Camera Assistant (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
E. Mason Hopper	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	First Assistant Director (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Little Woman outside Paramount Gate (uncredited)
Howard Joslin	...	Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Arthur Lane	...	Camera Operator (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Violinist at Norma's New Year's Eve Party (uncredited)
Gertrude Messinger	...	Hairdresser (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Man on Golf Course (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Hog-eye - Electrician (uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Dancing Party Guest / Paramount Studio Employee (uncredited)
Ralph Montgomery	...	Prop Man #1 (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Gordon Cole (uncredited)
Jay Morley	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
Bernice Mosk	...	Bernice (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Eva Novak	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Jonesy - Older Paramount Gate Guard (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Detective (uncredited)
Virginia L. Randolph	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Second Assistant Director (uncredited)
Sidney Skolsky	...	Sidney Skolsky (uncredited)
Emmett Smith	...	Black Man (uncredited)
Roy Thompson	...	Rudy - Shoeshine Boy (uncredited)
Archie Twitchell	...	Salesman at Men's Shop (uncredited)
Yvette Vickers	...	Giggling Girl on Phone at Party (uncredited)
Edward Wahrman	...	Camera Assistant (uncredited)
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Actor on DeMille's 'Samson & Delilah' Set (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Charles Brackett		(written by) &
Billy Wilder		(written by) &
D.M. Marshman Jr.		(written by)

Produced by
Charles Brackett	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Arthur P. Schmidt		(as Arthur Schmidt)

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
John Meehan

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Nellie Manley	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Karl Silvera	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Frank Thayer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Vera Tomei	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Hugh Brown	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as C.C. Coleman Jr.)
Gerd Oswald	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Steve Beers	....	head carpenter (uncredited)
Jack Colconda	....	props assistant (uncredited)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Tom Plews	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Harry Lindgren	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Otto Pierce	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Glen E. Richardson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harlow Stengel	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Walter Tayler	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Fred True	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ed Fitzharris	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Hazel Hegarty	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Doane Harrison	....	editorial supervisor
Frank Bracht	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Lupe Hall	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Ronnie Lubin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Norris Stensland	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as A Paramount Picture)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1951) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Paramount Films (1951) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (2000) (Australia) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• BFI (Collections) (2002) (UK) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Award Winning Collection)
• Central Motion Picture Exchange (1951) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Nutopia Entertainment (2011) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (Canada) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Sunset Boulevard" - UK, USA (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

110 min | Argentina:115 min | West Germany:104 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1982) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2002) | USA:Approved (PCA #13955) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Hungary:14 | Brazil:Livre | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2003) | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1951) | South Korea:15 | USA:Not Rated | UK:PG (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

10060 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selected this film as one of twenty-five landmark films of all time.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene when Joe Gillis awakes in bed, two of Norma Desmond's supposedly hand-penned script pages are exact mechanically-reproduced duplicates.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joe Gillis:Yes, this is Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California. It's about 5 0'clock in the morning. That's the homicide squad, complete with detectives and newspaper men.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Boy Meets Girl II (#2.19)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

A Bitter and Tragic Masterpiece

In Hollywood of the 50's, the obscure screenplay writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) is not able to sell his work to the studios, is full of debts and is thinking in returning to his hometown to work in an office. While trying to escape from his creditors, he has a flat tire and parks his car in a decadent mansion in Sunset Boulevard. He meets the owner and former silent-movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), who lives alone wit her butler and driver Max von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim). Norma is demented and believes she will return to the cinema industry, and is protected and isolated from the world by Max, who was his director and husband in the past and still loves her. Norma proposes Joe to move to the mansion and help her in writing a screenplay for her comeback to the cinema, and the small-time writer becomes her lover and gigolo. When Joe falls in love for the young aspirant writer Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson), Norma becomes jealous and completely insane and her madness leads to a tragic end.

"Sunset Boulevard" is a bitter and tragic masterpiece of the genius Billy Wilder that exposes how Hollywood uses people and forgets them when they get old and are considered decadent by the industry. Further, it also shows the consequences of the lack of adaptation of a former star to the end of a successful career, being forgotten by fans and the industry, and the price that some persons accept to pay to join this business. The last time I saw this film was on 22 September 2002 and even having watched "Sunset Boulevard" for maybe five or six times, I still get excited with most of the scenes and I dare to say that it is in my Top 10 movies ever. The DVD has an interesting documentary called "Sunset Blvd.: A Look Back" (a.k.a. "The Making of Sunset Boulevard" with the presence of a still impressively beautiful Nancy Olson telling peculiarities about this awesome feature. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Crepúsculo dos Deuses" ("Dusk of the Gods")