Critic's Grade: A+

In "Sunset Boulevard," silent screen actress Norma Desmond lives a life of solitude in a world that has all but remembered her, though she fails- no, refuses, to see things as such. She spends her days unknowingly replying to fan mail sent by her faithful butler, Max, while simultaneously working on a script she considers her ultimate return to the silver screem ("A return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me for deserting the screen," as she so flamboyantly puts it). To look at the outside of Norma Desmond's life is to see all the glitz, glamor, stardom, and fame that Hollywood had become associated with in its golden days. To see beneath the thin veneer of wealth and fortune was to see something else entirely.

I don't think I've ever seen a more vivid and stirring portrait of the darker side of fame than in Billy Wilder's classic portrayal of the psychological breakdown of a woman who believes that her fifteen minutes have no expiration date. The film is a glorious composition of many elements, equal parts cinematography, script, dialogue, and acting, all coalescing to form a highly potent, striking satire that, even in this new millenium and dozens of Hollywood parodies later, still remains as vibrant, as juicy, and as hot-blooded as it was in 1950.

The thing most people recall about the film is the performance from Gloria Swanson, who turns in one of the great screen appearances of all time while also shattering the barriers of phony dramatics and hard-hitting, realistic acting. Her abilities within this picture represent a delicate balance between the persona of an over-the-hill star who has held on to the fluff and pampered lifestyle of stardom, and the more hardcore, gritty emotions that come as a result of holding on to a dream of fame that ends up being more of a nightmare than anything else.

And at the same time we're being blown away by her performance, we're drawn to her just as penniless screenwriter Joe Gillis soon is. Under the astute acting of the always-reliable William Holden, Gillis is seen as a man who remains in the company of his new acquaintance for two reasons, the first of which is the pressing need for a place to stay and some fast money in exchange for comments and suggestions concerning Desmond's screenplay ("Sometimes it's interesting to see just how bad bad writing can be," he narrates as he skims the pages of her years-in-the-making script). But as their relationship begins to solidify, Joe seems to be consumed by the thrill of everything around him, putting aside his notions about Desmond's sanity and just relaxing in his new surroundings, perhaps too much for his own good. There is a change in him that comes somewhere later in the picture, that which incites discomfort; he, too, has been swayed by the powerful drug that is fame.

There are two bright lights in the darkness, the first being the character of Max Von Mayerling, Desmond's butler/ex-husband, who used to make movies of his own and was the one responsible for the discovery of Norma Desmond. Actor/writer/director Erich von Stroheim's placement in the role is the ultimate satirical jab in the film, hitting home the notion of "out with the old and in with the new," and its sometimes-devastating results. Stroheim approaches the character as if he were Adam being cast out of the Garden of Eden: he wallows in his devoted servitude, as if waiting to reveal some hidden remorse for unleashing the evils of Tinseltown upon his past discovery. In one of the film's most pivotal scenes, he and Gillis come to an understanding of one another and their relationship to Desmond.

The second beacon is Betty Schaffer, a 22-year-old hopeful writer who hails from a movie family and herself wishes to make it big someday. Nancy Olsen is just right for the role, providing her character with enough bubbling personality to make it all-the-more clear that Gillis, when the two become semi-involved, wishes to shield her from the loss of innocence that comes as a result of making it to the top.

Behind the camera, Wilder's direction is pitch-perfect, the ideal blend of humor, passion, romance, and tragedy that culminates in a spectacular series of events of which I will not speak of. His opening glimpses of the Desmond mansion expertly convey the emptiness that permeates the film's entire, while various lingering shots over Swanson's glazed look evoke feelings of fear as well as pity.

The screenplay, a collaborative effort between Wilder, Charles Brackett, and D.M. Marshman Jr, possesses such a delectable wit, with one-liners and punchy phrases that you can practically bite off and chew, and a narration that guides the movie better than any other to date. Their efforts are fruitful and intense, not to mention extremely bold in both vision and storytelling. This is the film that shattered the ideal vision of Hollywood stardom and fame, putting an end to the facade that had once kept a strong grip over those all-too-willing to be caught up in its clutches. It is for all these reasons that "Sunset Boulevard" isn't just a movie, but a milestone of cinema, and one of the all-time greatest achievements.

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