Fresh
A tour de force for Swanson and one of Wilder's better efforts.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Sunset Boulevard
A Hollywood Story: Sensational...Daring...Unforgettable...Sunset Blvd
1950 · 1h 50m · Approved
Drama
Directed by
Billy Wilder
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Sunset Boulevard
Overview
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
Director and cast
- Billy Wilder Director
- William Holden as Joe Gillis
- Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond
- Erich von Stroheim as Max von Mayerling
- Nancy Olson as Betty Schaefer
- Fred Clark as Sheldrake
- Lloyd Gough as Morino
- Jack Webb as Artie Green
- Franklyn Farnum as Undertaker
- Larry J. Blake as Finance Man #1
- Charles Dayton as Finance Man #2
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
98%
Tomatometer
Fresh
...They rate a nod for daring, as well as credit for an all-around filmmaking job that, disregarding the unpleasant subject matter, is a standout.
William Brogdon, Variety
Fresh
One of Wilder's finest, and certainly the blackest of all Hollywood's scab-scratching accounts of itself.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Still the best Hollywood movie ever made about Hollywood.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Fresh
What's not recognized enough is the indelible, self-sickened performance of William Holden as Desmond's boy-toy/hired hack.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
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