Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)
starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark
directed by: Billy Wilder
directed by: Billy Wilder
Price: $11.87
Prices subject to change.Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Product Description:
Swanson stars as fading film star Norma Desmond and Holden plays the struggling writer who is held in thrall by her madness. Von Stroheim plays Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband, and butler.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 8-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
Billy Wilder's noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and gasps of astonishment. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke and cynical young screenwriter, is attempting to ditch a pair of repo men late one afternoon when he pulls off L.A.'s storied Sunset Boulevard and into the driveway of a seedy mansion belonging to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent movie luminary whose brilliant acting career withered with the coming of talkies. The demented old movie queen lives in the past, assisted by her devoted (but intimidating) butler, Max (played by Erich von Stroheim, the legendary director of Greed and Swanson's own lost epic, Queen Kelly). Norma dreams of making a comeback in a remake of Salome to be directed by her old colleague Cecil B. DeMille (as himself), and Joe becomes her literary and romantic gigolo. Sunset Blvd. is one of those great movies that has become a part of popular culture (the line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," has entered the language)--but it's no relic. Wow, does it ever hold up. --Jim Emerson
Swanson stars as fading film star Norma Desmond and Holden plays the struggling writer who is held in thrall by her madness. Von Stroheim plays Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband, and butler.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 8-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
Billy Wilder's noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and gasps of astonishment. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke and cynical young screenwriter, is attempting to ditch a pair of repo men late one afternoon when he pulls off L.A.'s storied Sunset Boulevard and into the driveway of a seedy mansion belonging to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent movie luminary whose brilliant acting career withered with the coming of talkies. The demented old movie queen lives in the past, assisted by her devoted (but intimidating) butler, Max (played by Erich von Stroheim, the legendary director of Greed and Swanson's own lost epic, Queen Kelly). Norma dreams of making a comeback in a remake of Salome to be directed by her old colleague Cecil B. DeMille (as himself), and Joe becomes her literary and romantic gigolo. Sunset Blvd. is one of those great movies that has become a part of popular culture (the line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," has entered the language)--but it's no relic. Wow, does it ever hold up. --Jim Emerson
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- The Power of an Icon
It certainly says something about the power of an icon and the glitter of a golden age in movie-making that "Sunset Boulevard"stands up so amazingly well as a bit of storytelling, in spite of its deranged silent-movie star character being parodied mercilessly by everyone from Carol Burnett on down. And curious it appears that at the time of "Sunset Boulevard's making, the silent-movie years were seen as something long-gone. Here was the faded star of that era, Gloria Swanson, as a deranged ghost, ... Read More
Rating: 
- Centennial 2008, Review
This review is for the November 2008 Centennial release. This issue is a mixed bag. The picture is sharp, but the contrast is quite a bit darker. In some scenes the effect is very good and in quite a few other scenes, I found it a bit too dark. The November 2002 release was done with the services of Lowry Digital, the same service that did the recent James Bond restoration work with excellent results. Comparing the two, The 2002 release done by Lowry Digital was very good and didn't really need any ... Read More
Rating: - A Hollywood obscenity?
This film is a legend of a kind?
Certainly not a film you would take your children to?
Hollywood makes and breaks millions of people every generation.
Many after they have been successful ...
That, then, with no shame they would make a movie
(actually several of this kind I have seen, one recently about an old homosexual British film director)
about how things can go very very wrong
with their star system, shows that there is very little sense or heart in the ... Read More
Rating: - Sunset Boulevard
I liked this movie. Was a nice change.If you like the Classics you will like this movie .
Rating: - Sunset Blvd. is one of the greats from Hollywood history
Some of the situations depicted in classic film are charmingly dated, like the car the main character is trying to save at start of film. The look of early Los Angeles. Some of the lines of film are unforgettable. "...the crazy '20s." Who ever mentions life of wealth in the 1920s today? Also, kind of funny, but scary, too, how the main "star" of the film is viewed by other characters in story as "old" and washed up. But today, she honestly looks good. Even in old movie, you can't believe the character ... Read More
- The Power of an IconIt certainly says something about the power of an icon and the glitter of a golden age in movie-making that "Sunset Boulevard"stands up so amazingly well as a bit of storytelling, in spite of its deranged silent-movie star character being parodied mercilessly by everyone from Carol Burnett on down. And curious it appears that at the time of "Sunset Boulevard's making, the silent-movie years were seen as something long-gone. Here was the faded star of that era, Gloria Swanson, as a deranged ghost, ... Read More
- Centennial 2008, ReviewThis review is for the November 2008 Centennial release. This issue is a mixed bag. The picture is sharp, but the contrast is quite a bit darker. In some scenes the effect is very good and in quite a few other scenes, I found it a bit too dark. The November 2002 release was done with the services of Lowry Digital, the same service that did the recent James Bond restoration work with excellent results. Comparing the two, The 2002 release done by Lowry Digital was very good and didn't really need any ... Read More
- A Hollywood obscenity?This film is a legend of a kind?
Certainly not a film you would take your children to?
Hollywood makes and breaks millions of people every generation.
Many after they have been successful ...
That, then, with no shame they would make a movie
(actually several of this kind I have seen, one recently about an old homosexual British film director)
about how things can go very very wrong
with their star system, shows that there is very little sense or heart in the ... Read More
- Sunset BoulevardI liked this movie. Was a nice change.If you like the Classics you will like this movie .
- Sunset Blvd. is one of the greats from Hollywood historySome of the situations depicted in classic film are charmingly dated, like the car the main character is trying to save at start of film. The look of early Los Angeles. Some of the lines of film are unforgettable. "...the crazy '20s." Who ever mentions life of wealth in the 1920s today? Also, kind of funny, but scary, too, how the main "star" of the film is viewed by other characters in story as "old" and washed up. But today, she honestly looks good. Even in old movie, you can't believe the character ... Read More
