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The classic American film noir of 1950 Sunset Blvd tells the tale of an aging Hollywood star and her demise from screen to murder.

It was directed by Billy Wilder who made many other classic movies and its name provides the basis for its setting. The title is the famous Boulevard in Los Angeles and the playground of the rich and famous movie stars.

The movie stars William Holden as screenplay and down on his luck bum and Gloria Swanson is the faded, glamorous Norma Desmond who used to be a big star in the silent movie industry.

Holden wants to be rich and famous and comes with the same dream of many a starry eyed writer drawn to the city. However, his debts are huge and the streets are not paved with gold. His checks bounce and his debts are never ending. Desmond needs to have a screenplay written which she hopes will jump start her career and Joe needs money. So they begin a mutually convenient relationship which quickly transpires into a romantic affair.

Desmond is deluded. She is much older now and the silent movie industry is long gone. Gillis exploits this to his advantage though and moves in to her mansion and her heart. She is in love with him and when she feels him slipping away then she tries to take her life.

Norma Desmond is much older than Joe and she has matured a lot since her screen debut and Hollywood is not kind to old stars. The film company has little interest in starting Desmond’s career through the offered screenplay and this does little to propel Joe into the spotlight either.

However, unbeknown to Norma he is working on a private script with young writer Betty and he falls for her. When he tries to leave Norma the dramatic climax of the film sees a shot fired and Gillis floating in a swimming pool with sirens all around.

At this point Desmond in her deranged, mentally unstable state delivers her classic line “I’m ready for my close up”. She is unable to cope with reality preferring to switch to a fantasy world where she is at the center stage.

The movie is pretty tragic and its themes of aging, greed and fame are still very significant today. The film has a timeless quality and has relevant themes that many people will relate to.

The character of Norma is treated with pity and pathos and although she does ultimately murder Joe, she is shown to be a product of the industry that she inhabits. An industry that eats her up and spits her out.

The servants she has treat her gently and pander to her need to look youthful. In this day and age of botox and plastic surgery the film is an uncomfortable reminder that there are some things that can’t be bought.

Ultimately our sympathies lie with Desmond. All her possessions and material wealth can not help her instability and refusal to accept growing old gracefully. Her heartbreak and fear that she has lost her last chance at love lead her to commit the tragic acts that ensue.

Joe, her lover’s untimely death, is sad and wasteful, but he represents the exploitative force behind Desmond’s demise.

B is not an easy chord to play in first position. Watch Movies On Internet Nelson is brilliant in his portrayal of the opinionated and overbearing, yet multidimensional Hayden Fox. Surprisingly, on the day of the auction the bidding for the jukeboxes went really high, so none of us could afford them.

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