Directed by:
Billy WilderCinematography:
John F. SeitzComposer:
Franz WaxmanCast:
William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Franklyn Farnum, Jack Webb, Lloyd Gough, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Billy Wilder's masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD, a corrosive black comedy that remains the most memorable assault on the emptiness and vanity of the movie business, stars William Holden as young, down-and-out screenwriter Joe Gillis. Narrated in flashbacks by the now-deceased scribe, the film unwinds the series of events that left him lying face down in a pool. Unable to sell his most recent chef-d'oeuvre, and in hock up to his eyeballs, Joe stashes his car in the driveway of what appears to be an abandoned mansion on Sunset Boulevard while trying to elude some persistent repo men. Closer inspection reveals the decrepit property to be inhabited by grandiose former silent movie goddess Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), and her zombie-like manservant Max (Erich von Stroheim). Upon hearing that he's a writer, the lonely but still wealthy woman offers to pay him generously to stay at the house and work on her "comeback" script on the life of Salome. Although spooked by the people and the surroundings, in desperate straits, Joe takes the job, little suspecting the madness of the netherworld he's entered. Wilder's merciless portrait of the dangers of a profession that trades in fantasy cagily couples the cynical amorality of the never-was with the near-psychotic narcissism of the has-been to reveal the vacuity of wealth and the transience of fame. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1951 - Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, D.M. Marshman Jr. (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1951 - Franz Waxman (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score))
- 1951 - Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White)
- 1951 - Best Motion Picture of the Year
- 1951 - Billy Wilder (Best Achievement in Directing)
- 1951 - William Holden (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role)
- 1951 - Gloria Swanson (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role)
- 1951 - Erich von Stroheim (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role)
- 1951 - Nancy Olson (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role)
- 1951 - John F. Seitz (Best Cinematography (Black-and-White))
- 1951 - Best Achievement in Film Editing
Golden Globes
- 1951 - Best Motion Picture – Drama
- 1951 - Billy Wilder (Best Director)
- 1951 - Gloria Swanson (Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama)
- 1951 - Franz Waxman (Best Original Score)
- 1951 - Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, D.M. Marshman Jr. (Best Screenplay)
- 1951 - Erich von Stroheim (Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture)
- 1951 - John F. Seitz (Best Cinematography - B/W)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 1950 - Best Film
- 1950 - Billy Wilder (Best Director)
- 1950 - Gloria Swanson (Best Actress)