Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
Sunset Boulevard
SteelCity99 - wrote on 04/21/2018
Billy Wilder had always been a very prolific director. From tense thrillers to romantic comedies, the main characteristic of his filmic style was that it gloriously portrayed, in a joyous way, the American lifestyle. Such elements would be irremediably exalted through plots regarding deception, malice, crime and the exquisite cinematic film-noir genre. With Sunset Blvd. he managed not only to create one of the best and most glorious American classic masterpieces with some of the most memorable, dramatic and stylish one-liners, but also to reveal what had been by then a possible myth of the obscurity of Hollywood. As scandalous and possibly offensive this timeless and dark masterpiece may have been for some people in particular, especially those belonging to Hollywood stardom and eternal …
Rating of
N/A
Waxfigur
cinegeek.de - wrote on 04/24/2016
Our Daily Free Stream: Billy Wilder - Sunset Boulevard. Billy Wilders Sunset Boulevard ist das Portrait einer vergessenen Diva der Stummfilmzeit, die zurückgezogen in einer grotesken Villa lebt. Wie im Exil sieht sie ihre alten Filme immer wieder an und träumt von einem Comeback. Sunset Boulevard ist ausserdem ein Liebesfilm und nur die Liebesgeschichte hält das Werk davon ab, zu einem Waxfigurenkabinett zu verkommen. Gloria Swanson in ihrer grössten Rolle spielt Norma Desmond. William Holden gestaltet die schwierige Rolle eines Schriftstellers, der nur halb so alt ist wie sie und sich aushalten lässt. Die Figur aber, die den ganzen Film zusammenhält und ihm sein Gewicht verschafft, ist der treue Butler Max, gespielt von Erich von Stroheim. Man sagt, der Film sei so nahe dran am …
Rating of
3/4
"Sunset Boulevard" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/05/2012
William Holden stars as a down on his luck screen writer who stumbles upon faded silent movie star Gloria Swanson whilst avoiding some repo men. He sees her as an opportunity to hustle a few bucks only to find himself mired deeper and deeper in her isolated, nightmarish little world. Another cynical classic from Billy Wilder, this film is a black hearted satire on Hollywood society and its obsession with image and self. Swanson is brilliant as the hilariously awful ex-starlet who surrounds herself with her own image, incapable of dealing with a world that has passed her by. Holden's character is not much more sympathetic as the self-interested operator, consumed with self loathing at his own parasitic relationship with the quite clearly insane old dame, and Erich Von Stroheim is creepy …
Rating of
3.5/4
Sunset Boulevard review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 10/09/2011
Joseph C. Gillis (William Holden) accidentally parks into the garage of aging star Norma Desmond (Norma Swanson). Betty Shaefer (Olson) is assisted by Joseph in creating a screenplay while Norma’s loyal butler Max (von Stroheim) keeps an eye on him. One of a few noteworthy lines: Norma Desmond – “The stars are ageless, aren't they?” “All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.” Joe Gillis – “Life can be beautiful!” Screenplay was well written and the plot very interesting. Soundtrack was soothing the ears unfortunately the characters were not likable. You have a girl about to get married and yet falls for a writer she doesn’t know well, the writer rides the wave of luck since her partner is rich while an fading Hollywood star tried to regain her glory by …
Rating of
3.5/4
Film noir at it's best!
mdtinney - wrote on 05/23/2010
When I first saw this film I remember thinking "Why did I waste all those years of my life by not watching this movie? Why did I wait until now, when I could have already seen it hundreds of times?" It was such a treat to watch a classic that actually *is* a classic. Every aspect of this film is utterly without flaw and if Sunset Blvd. had been released in any other year it would have been showered with Oscars. Just imagine those poor voters, agonizing whether to choose All About Eve or this one (and the other nominees were no slouches, either). Gloria Swanson's career went pear-shaped after this movie, but its hard to see how she could ever have topped her fine work here. If you've never seen Sunset Blvd., do yourself a favour and watch this and enjoy one of the pure classics.
Rating of
4/4
"Madame is the greatest star of them all."
Arbogast1960 - wrote on 04/13/2008
I love "pure cinema"--what sets film apart from its closest artistic counterparts (literature and the stage) are its visual capabilities, and when a filmmaker can tell a story visually, it is a truly exciting and riveting experience. It is for this reason, I believe, that overly wordy filmmakers often get labeled as lazy; if you can't tell the story cinematically, it's easy to resort to the lazy device of having your characters spout expository dialogue. But as with every rule, there are important exceptions, and, like Woody Allen, Billy Wilder is one of them.
Sunset Boulevard offers the viewer one of the finest screenplays ever written. It is classic Wilder--hard-bitten, deeply cynical, very darkly funny. None of this is to say the movie is visually boring or barren. On the …
