Rating of
3/4
"Sunset Boulevard" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/05/12
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 as hell as he lurks around, feeding his mistress' self delusions of grandeur. Similar although not quite as good as Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, the lack of likable characters make this a little hard going and it's a little melodramatic for my tastes, but the sharp dialogue, excellent performances and bizarre mix of psychological horror and black comedy make for fascinating viewing.
Recent Comments
mpol - wrote on 07/08/12 at 10:27 AM CT
Sunset Boulevard Review comment
Sunset Boulevard is a movie that's rather weird but interesting. The way that the grisly ending, where the young man's body was found floating in the hotel's swimming pool, and what happened unfolded in flashbacks was really a cool way to do it. I liked this movie a great deal.
