Quartile rating: 8.5/10 · 1 rating
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
Sunset Boulevard is a landmark of Hollywood self-mythology — Billy Wilder's acidic, baroque dissection of fame, delusion, and decay. The plot is brilliantly constructed with its dead-narrator hook and layered irony; Holden and Swanson deliver career-defining performances; John F. Seitz's noir cinematography is shadowy and iconic. Its novelty is extraordinary — no film before or since has so perfectly fused noir mechanics with insider Hollywood satire and genuine tragedy. The ending, while effectively grim and memorable with Swanson's descent into madness, is somewhat telegraphed by the opening narration, slightly blunting its surprise impact — making it the one category held just below the exceptional ceiling.