On general release

Billy Wilder / USA / 1950 / 146 min

Recently restored by Park Circus, Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning study of the dark side of fame, Sunset Boulevard explores the nature of notoriety and faded stardom using the fictional silent movie star Norma Desmond (played by real-life silent film star, Gloria Swanson). Unable to move on from her glory days in the silent film era, she lives with her butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim) in a sprawling mansion on Sunset Boulevard. But when she meets struggling writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) she sets in motion a series of events that will change both of their lives forever.

Reflecting on the excess of 1930s Hollywood, Wilder’s film takes an in-depth look at the very real cost of the evolution of movies in the first half of the 20th century. Norma Desmond is a tortured and manipulative character, incapable of moving past the eminence of her hey day and her apparent addiction to fame. In the 21st century, with our society’s addiction to celebrity showing no signs of abating, Sunset Boulevard is as much an allegory for 50s Hollywood, as it is for the world in 2013. Beautifully shot, and featuring an astounding and haunting performance from Swanson, this is an enduring tribute to the fickle nature of fame, and a must see on the big screen.

Showing as part of the Glasgow Film Festival 2013

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