the plot have be discuss at length in other comment . to me sunset boulevard have it all . the comedy be sly and the drama be of epic proportion because it not just a story about hollywood or an aging actress . it really about the give up of dream . norma dream of return and hold to for 20 year and be ironic because norma so closely parallels gloria . that norma can not make a comeback in 1950 even with connection to demille be sad . the sadness be due to norma refusal to accept her age or the politics of hollywood that worship youth . it ironic that norma have no place in hollywood ( the parade have pass by ) but demille be still work and in the scene from samson and delilah we spot other old timer like henry wilcoxon and julia faye still work but not a star . the final irony here be that gloria do make the comeback that norma couldn not make . norma have a thing about star . she say at one point . the star be ageless . well this be true in a filmic sense . i can still watch gloria swanson in the love of sunya or manhandle and yup and she be ageless . she be still twenty something . that screen image be forever hold up like a bad mirror to the reality of be 50. on another occasion norma say nobody leave a star and that what make one a star . true again and but it not just gillis who be leave norma and her fan have already leave . hence if one be leave and one can not be a star . gillis also give up his dream ( temporarily ) of be a writer and max give up his dream of directing and and even betty give up her dream of love with gillis . scary stuff . the film be also about love . look what these people have do for love represent love of another person or love of fame or whatever . max love norma . norma love gillis . gillis love norma and betty . betty love gillis and artie . artie love betty . and all of them love hollywood . everyone be crush at the end of this film . the scene of max direct the scene a norma descend the staircase be one of the all time great scene in a film . norma final speech and which sum up everything ( there be nothing else ) and be devastate . can she really be insane and make this lucid speech . if she not insane then she have knowingly kill gillis to prevent his leave her ( a star ) . also the shot of max blink away tear a norma descends ( supposedly into madness ) and also of hedda hopper cry be equally as devastate a norma speech about be back and all those wonderful people out there in the dark ( which of course include u every time we watch the film ) . i can not think of any other film ( possibly citizen kane ) that work on so many different level . and gloria swanson give the great performance in film history .