Sunset Boulevard: Centennial Collection

n 1950, director Billy Wilder who ha shad a string of cinema hits such as "Double Indemnity", "The Lost Weekend", "A Foreign Affair" began work on his next film "Sunset Boulevard" with writers Charles Brackett ("A Foreign Affair, "The Lost Weekend", "Ninotchka") and D.M. Marshman Jr. ("Taxi", "Second Chance").

For Wilder, it was his interest in how life has treated the talents of the silent film era. After all, it was known that many silent film stars were unable to transition to film when the "talkies" began. Many, who were so popular suddenly saw their careers ended abruptly. So, Wilder wrote a screenplay and an idea from Brackett in looking at Hollywood through the eyes of a forgotten silent-film star who wants to return to the big screen.

It was all about finding the key components to take part in the film and thus Gloria Swanson (known for work in shaping Hollywood, challenging the "Hay's Code" with her 1928 film "Sadie Thomson" and her affair with Joseph P. Kennedy), who appeared in many silent films, was chosen as the main actress. William Holden ("Network", "Stalag 17, "Picnic"), former MGM director/actor/writer Erich von Stroheim ("Greed", "The Merry Widdow", "The Great Gabbo"), Nancy Olson ("Portrait of Jenny", "Union Station", "Pollyanna") and would also feature appearances by famous Golden Era director Cecil B. DeMille, former silent stars Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson and H.B. Warner.

The film would earn eleven Academy Award nominations (winner of three), included in the American Film Institute's 100 best American films of the 20th Century (#12) and entered in the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress in 1989 for being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

VIDEO & AUDIO:

If there is one thing to say about the Paramount "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" releases, many of these classic films have all been digitally remastered and look absolutely magnificent. These films containing the "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" moniker are the definitive versions to own as they tend to have more features added and overall, like how CRITERION COLLECTIONS have spotlighted on films worldwide and have given top treatment, Paramount has done the same with several of their classic films. With that being said, I can only wish that a Blu-ray high definition transfer is in the works for these classic films because if they have been through a process of remastering, one can only expect how phenomenal these will look via HD.

For now, "Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Centennial Collection" is only available via DVD but this new version is remastered, in fullcreen and features Dolby Digital English/French and Spanish mono. The picture quality for a DVD is actually quite clean for a film over 50-years-old. The film looks absolutely great with blacks nice and deep, grays and whites are vibrant. With the film already remastered in HD, I really hope that Paramount is considering a Blu-ray release of this title.

Overall, "Sunset Boulevard" has been given special treatment and fans of the film will not be disappointed.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Centennial Collection" comes with special features on two discs. Here is what to expect on both discs:

DISC 1:

* Commentary by Ed Sikov - The author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder". A well-done commentary that features a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes stories of certain scenes, certain dialogue and more.

DISC 2:

* Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning - (22:45) How "Sunset Boulevard" the film came to be. From writing the script and adapting it to film and also the talent of Billy Wilder.
* The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard by Joseph Wambaugh - (14:19) Mystery writer Joseph Wambaugh talks about "Sunset Boulevard" and how the film that caught his attention and the film's dark/noir side.
* Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic - (14:28) Interview with critic Andrew Sarris who talks about why he enjoyed "Sunset Boulevard". Featuring interviews with the cast of the film, Glenn Close who played Norma Desmond on the Broadway adaptation of "Sunset Boulevard" and more.
* Two Sides of Ms. Swanson - (10:35) A featurette about Gloria Swanson and interviews with Brook Anderson (granddaughter of Gloria Swanson) who talks about her grandmother and interviews with her fellow co-actors who worked with her on other films and more.
* Stories of Sunset Boulevard - (11:20) The making of "Sunset Boulevard", discussion about the original opening sequences, cast interviews and more.
* Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden - (11:12) A featurette about the actor William Holden and how he was cast and discussion of his various films.
* Recording Sunset Boulevard - (5:51) A featurette about the musical score of "Sunset Boulevard".
* The City of Sunset Boulevard - (5:36) A featurette about "Sunset Boulevard" and the significance of the area.
* Morgue Prologue Script Pages - The original cut of the film featured a different opening. Instead of the pool opening, it was a morgue prologue. The following are the two existing versions of the script from the original monologue. You can view the script and also the original, uncut shots (without audio).
* Franx Waxman and the Music of Sunset Boulevard - (14:28) Franz Waxman's son John talks about his father and the music of "Sunset Boulevard".
* Behind the Gates: The Lot - (5:05) Interviews with former producers who talk about their memories of Paramount Pictures in the earlier years.
* Hollywood Location Map - A map of Hollywood in which people can learn about where the characters lived and where certain places such as Paramount Pictures, Schwab's Drug Store and Getty's mansion were located. When you click on the location, you get video and audio about the significance of these areas and what happened to these locations now.
* Edith Head: The Paramount Years - (13:43) A featurette on famous Paramount fashion designer - Edith Head.
* Paramount in the '50s - (9:36) A featurette about Paramount in the 1950's. Featuring popular films from the Paramount catalog.
* Original Theatrical Trailer - (3:16) The unremastered original theatrical trailer.
* Galleries - Using your remote, viewers can cycle through images from production, the movie or publicity.

Included with the set is an 8-page guide about the directors and talent of the film.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Centennial Collection #1 was a magnificent start to the Paramount Centennial Collection. Following the steps of the Criterion Collection, Paramount has released a total of nine films (to this date) in a pretty slick presentation, bundled with many special features and the remastering in HD is phenomenal.

For a classic film such as "Sunset Boulevard" which has been released in 2002 and packaged in the first Billy Wilder DVD collection, suffice to say that this Paramount Centennial Collection is the version you must own, if you are a fan of the film. With over a dozen special features, Paramount really went all out with this release and it shows. Finding classic interviews with the cast, interviewing family members and loved ones of the talent, finding the original deleted footage...I'm truly in awe with how much was put into this DVD release. With its remastering in HD, one may wonder if Paramount will be preparing a Blu-ray release.

"Sunset Boulevard" is just a classic film that features magnificent performances by Gloria Swanson and William Holden. The fact that Billy Wilder and his fellow writers took on a film like this and made it feel authentic by casting real life silent film star Gloria Swanson and Cecil B. DeMille (who directed Swanson's silent films back then) plus bringing in former silent stars Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson and H.B. Warner is amazing. But to create a film based on the life of a former silent film star and just exploring that side of life of these forgotten stars is quite interesting.

I like how the film was dark, noir-ish but at the same time, really eerie. To see how Norma Desmond just grappling on to the character of Joe is quite obsessive and disturbing. What I found interesting is that in modern films, the last time I felt this eeriness from a female character was Glenn Close as Alex Forrest in the film "Fatal Attraction" and coincidentally, Close played the character of Norma Desmond in the Broadway adaptation of the film with such rave reviews. Needless to say, the performance by Gloria Swanson as the silent film star who just can't let go of the limelight and is totally enveloped by her past life is just so creepy to watch, your just captivated to the screen and wait and see if Joe can escape this prison that he subjected himself into. And of course, the bombshell dropped by Erich von Stroheim's character Max, is indeed a shocker.

As a silent film fan, you often read how many of these talents of the Silent Era (and some from the Golden Era) have shut themselves off in society and became recluse. Granted, not everyone was as bad as the character as Norma Desmond but makes you wonder how many silent film talents have dealt with losing their careers when audio became part of films. We know that there are stars such as Fatty Arbuckle, Louise Brooks, who were literally forgotten and some movie studios actually have done them wrong after these talents have put so much into the creation of this Hollywood system. So, it was very interesting to see how certain silent film stars especially Louis Mayer reacted to the film. Mayer was infuriated by the film and at Billy Wilder but of course, Billy Wilder had the better end of the deal creating many more magnificent films after "Sunset Boulevard".

I can go on an on about how well the story was written, how magnificent the performances are and how superb this DVD release is. But I think you got the picture. "Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Centennial Collection", the first in the Centennial Collection series is highly recommended!

SUNSET BOULEVARD is one of those classics that transcends hollywood's usual fare. We are taken on a guided tour through the damaged mind of has-been silent film star, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Every aspect of her decrepit mansion, from it's interior artifacts to it's moldering structure and long-deserted swimming pool are pieces of her shattered, rotting soul. A struggling screenwriter (William Holden from NETWORK), on the run from the repo-man, stumbles upon Ms. Desmond's hidden, overgrown lair. We are introduced to the forgotten legend, as well as her faithful servant, Max (Erich Von Stroheim). The rest is about the battle between Desmond and her newfound writer / lover / obsession. SUNSET is a black comedy w/ nods to noir, suspense, and even horror. Desmond, while certainly macabre and (at times) hilarious, is also a tragic figure, rerpresenting the faded, dying superstar, w/ only ancient memories to warm her bones. As we watch her sanity unravel, we are reminded that hollywood and aging do not co-exist. That getting older is a terminal condition, and that hollywood sees it's legends in two ways. At a distance they are museum pieces. Up close, they are unsavory lepers. Unfortunately, very little has changed since 1950...

This is the sort of movie one can see many times over and enjoy it every time.

.....Does anyone remember that Judy Holliday won the best actress award in 1950? Bette Davis (ALL ABOUT EVE) said that she and Gloria Swanson cancelled each other out and that opened the door for Holliday. The fact that Swanson did not win and that Sunset Boulevard did not win Best Picture can be attributed to the petty politics of the Star Machine that built up and then discarded aging actors like spoiled milk when they could no longer pull their weight at the box office. It was a cutthroat business and they didn't like having their dirty linen aired.

.....Gloria Swanson gives the performance of a lifetime as the aging star still living in the past and William Holden's performance as the wise cracking con man established the screen personna that would win him an Academy Award in 1953 in another Billy Wilder Black Comedy, "Stalag 17".

.....It would seem that the movie was written specifically for Ms Swanson because she had been a Silent Screen Star but that was not the case. Swanson had been retired from films since the talkies and Wilder originally wanted Mae West for the part of Norma Desmond. He wanted to write a "Black Comedy" that would spoof Hollywood and the Desmond character was supposed to be a parody of an over-the-hill actress that would make the audience laugh. It was George Cukor who recommended Swanson to Wilder and it was the best posiible choice. Ms Swanson was so perfect for the part that she pulled the audience in and won their sympathy. They didn't laugh at her character, they felt compassion.

.....Holden's character who originally used Desmond for his own personal gain redeemed himself when he rushed to her bedside after her suicide attempt. In a gut wrenching scene after he admonishes her for being so foolish and she sobs that she will do it again, the band that she had hired for her seduction scene of her young lover, begins to play Old Lang Syne to an empty ballroom. Holden goes to her bed and wishes her a Happy New Year.

This is a great movie and a must have for the serious collector.

Billy Wilder, one of the best filmmakers ever, crafted here one of the best film noirs ever made. Filled to the brim with scathing insight into Hollywood, biting satire, sweeping dramatic arcs, and uncanny resemblance to real life, this is one blistering depiction of a by-gone era that is still as relevant today as it was upon its release in 1950.
Gloria Swanson, a real life former silent film star, plays Nora Desmond, a former silent film star who is living soley on memories and faded dreams from the past. The industry has tossed her aside when films moved into the 'talking' era. William Holden, who in real life was a promising young actor who was on a downslope, plays a burned out promising screenwriter who is on bit of a downslope, broke, running from debt collectors, stumbling into Nora's 'world' literally. He becomes her 'writer' and lover and confidant, and eventual enemy.
Filled with real life film stars from the period, and film director Cecil B. Demille playing himself, this is also a scathing look at the whole inside of the Hollywood industry and the machinisms that are within it.
Hailed by many as a classic, and rightly so, this timeless masterpiece is ripe for discovery for any film fan out there. Brian DePalma used a set piece, the luxurious hotel, in his noir film "The Black Dahlia". Other films have paid homage to this over the years, but none can compare to this...Truly a classic for all to enjoy.
"Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close up"...
Highly recommended!
Thank you...;o)