After 76 Years, This 98%-Rated Drama Is Still the Best Movie About the Dark Side of Hollywood

Sunset Boulevard opens with a murder caused by a destructive obsession mistaken for love. Released in 1950, Billy Wilder's classic remains as timeless as ever, even 76 years later.

Wilder created a profound yet ironic exploration of stardom and the psychological problems associated with it.

What Is 'Sunset Boulevard' About?

Penniless screenwriter Joe Gillis accidentally stumbles upon the home of Norma Desmond, a former silent film star who now suffers in lonely isolation in her lavish yet empty mansion.

After sound films replaced silent films, her popularity ended. Now, she lives in her fantasies and pesters producers with her dream project: a movie about Salome, which she would star in.

Joe, who is barely making ends meet, agrees to help Norma edit the script. For a while, the two fulfill each other's needs: she gains an audience and an admirer, he gains money and a roof over his head. However, tragedy strikes when Gillis decides to break up with Norma.

'Sunset Boulevard' Is Unique for Its Dead Narrator and Hollywood Gothic Atmosphere

Sunset Boulevard is equally compelling in its formal and substantive aspects. The film opens with Joe Gillis' body floating in Norma's mansion pool. Then, Joe's voiceover begins, telling the story of how he came to live in the house and what led to his death.

Wilder's use of a dead narrator enhances the sense of fate and inevitability, rather than confusing the audience. Both we and the protagonist sense the ominous hints of doom.

Visually, the movie is a paragon of Hollywood gothic – an eerie sense of inevitability intertwines with the fantastical enchantment that envelops the Hollywood Hills world.

This aesthetic would later be conveyed in David Lynch's somnambulistic works, with Mulholland Drive becoming his personal Sunset Boulevard.

Even After 76 Years, 'Sunset Boulevard' Remains Terrifyingly Relevant

The dark side of Hollywood is a common trope in cinema, largely thanks to Sunset Boulevard – Wilder made a film about what happens to stars when the spotlight fades.

Norma Desmond never learned to live for herself, even in old age, she exists only in the glow of others' adoration. Themes such as the lack of self-love, the inability to accept aging, and the destructive obsession mistaken for love haven't aged a day.

Gloria Swanson, a former silent film star herself, played Norma Desmond with chilling sincerity. The movie's most terrifying scene isn't the murder but Norma's final appearance before the cameras. With a manic smile, she declares, "I'm ready for my close-up."

Sunset Boulevard remains the best film about Hollywood because it doesn't just criticize the system – it shows how the system can destroy a person from the inside out.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Sunset Boulevard'?

• Sunset Boulevard has 98% from critics and 95% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 8.4/10.

• On Letterboxd, Sunset Boulevard scored 4.4/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Sunset Boulevard'?

Sunset Boulevard is available to buy or rent on Apple TV.