rumor have it that gloria swanson be absolutely devastate that she do not win the oscar for sunset boulevard . 1950 be an unusually tough year for competitor and with the statuette eventually go to judy holiday for bear yesterday . admittedly and gloria be fantastic in this film she able to send up herself and while also scandalize the business she be product of but the acting chop must really go to william holden and who provide the willful self loathe thread that tie much of this noirish and twisted tale together . director by billy wild and sunset boulevard represent classic movie making at it peak . set in los angeles and it a dark and twisted and cynical tale of love and deceit and and opportunism . the film be all about hollywood behind the scene and how screenwriter and director and and actor will sell themselves out for fame and fortune at a moment notice . spiritual and emotional emptiness and and the price of fame and greed and narcissism and and ambition be at the heart of this devilishly stylistic film and with the somber mood begin almost immediately when a dead man be find float facedown in a swimming pool . the man be hack screenwriter joe gillis ( a very sexy william holden ) . all we know be that joe be at the run down mansion of deluded former silent film star norma desmond ( gloria swanson ) . through joe voice over narrative it soon become clear that he be somehow involve with the wealthy norma . down on his luck and three month behind on his rent and and with his car about to be repossess and joe accidentally stumble upon norma fade mansion while try to escape the police . norma initially mistake joe for a coffin maker for her deceased pet monkey and but once she figure out that he a screenwriter and she get him to read one of the script she be work on . norma be an insane and fade silent film star and who be hop against hope to make a comeback . she bitterly resentful of the price the talkie have take on her career and so now she soak in her own misguided and imagined greatness and in profile with the flicker projector light her outline in the dark . joe be initially hesitant to help the glamorous woman and and then ask $ 500 a week for his writing service . but slowly we come to realize the contract be actually the other way around . in prepare for her return comeback and norma quickly turn joe into a pawn or more to the point and a slave . joe become a virtual prisoner in her rundown mansion while the moment he leave and she slit her wrist and force him to come back . with minimal resistance and joe allow himself to settle into the life of a kept man and a norma desperately shower him with gift and fine clothing . the house butler and max von meyerling ( erich von stroheim ) and grimly look on and tend to norma demand whim and tolerate joe disruptive presence . joe wobble back and forth between heedless acceptance of his strange companionship with norma and his half hearted pursuit of a career . he sneak away to collaborate on a project with betty ( nancy olson ) and a paramount script reader who be engage to joe best friend . betty be gradually fall in love with joe and but when norma find out and that he be sneak out to meet wit her and all hell break loose . the self loathe motif be rampant throughout sunset boulevard . max completely do away with his self respect and joe hate himself for his unwillingness to commit to a career or love and and seem to sell himself out for money and clothes almost immediately and and betty despises herself for fall in love with joe while she engage to another . norma and despite her haughtiness and be the most blatant case of self disgust . when she isn not rave about her greatness and she come across a a frightened and tortured soul a sad and lonely woman and who be not only remarkably self delusional and but be also try to grasp one last chance at happiness . she think so little of her current 50 year old self that she no longer acknowledge the present . sunset boulevard be a must see movie for cinema buff . there be lot of treasure to be have here and include nancy olson strangely under appreciated performance a betty and whose misguided love for joe spiral the film to it grisly conclusion . there also the hilarious appearance of a skinny and madly grin jack webb a a happy go lucky assistant director and and viewer will get a kick out of the excessive exuberance that norma display when she towel down a hunky and hairy chested joe at poolside . the funny scene in the movie be when norma roll on top of joe while he be recline on a couch and and then do an imitation of charlie chaplin in order to cheer him up while the scene be an uproarious mixture of the sad and the funny and and the pathetic . billy wilder accomplished direction be full of wide shot that capture the depressing set and brave close ups of our anti hero . but in the end and sunset boulevard stand out and a one of the fine example of the frenzied circus of obsession and fixation and and greed that be oftentimes symbolizes hollywood . mike leonard september 05 .