Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Drama 110 min NR
Rotten Tomatoes98%Metacritic94IMDb
A Hollywood Story: Sensational...Daring...Unforgettable...Sunset Blvd
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
Sign in to log this.
Nostalgic, meticulous, bleak and intimate.
We read them all: the case for is nadia_noir's, funniest is hollis's. Marked below.
Gloria Swanson is not overacting; the character is. The film knows exactly where the line is.(1 spoiler sentence hidden; tap to read)
Wilder's cruelty is exact, and Swanson gives the performance of a person who never got to stop performing. Every noir since is a footnote.(1 spoiler sentence hidden; tap to read)
That is courage.(1 spoiler sentence hidden; tap to read)
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
For me, one of the most astonishing things about this incredible film was the idea that Norma (50 year old Gloria Swanson) would not be attractive to Joe, (30 year old William Holden). She may be a bit kooky, but man, those eyes! Some people over the years declared themselves put off by her OTT mannerisms etc., but Norma Desmond is a star of the silent era with its need theatre-like expressive acting. Hence Swanson giving it all *that* constantly. She is frighteningly perfect. The whole film is classic noir. The cameos are Hollywood legends - Keaton's turn is subtly genius. It subverts the standard form by showing the ending at the beginning. Why did I only give it 90%? Norma, Max and Joe are perfect. My only slight complaint is Betty's character - she's a great character in any other film, but amidst the inferno of the others, her flame is somewhat dampened.
Read the whole review on TMDBBilly Wilder's _Sunset Boulevard_ is a masterpiece of black comedy and savage Hollywood critique, a film so dark and so funny that it becomes something singular. Everything about it is wonderful: the performances, the direction, the audacity of its premise, the cruelty of its vision. It's a film about delusion and exploitation, about an industry that devours its own, and it tells that story with a viciousness that never stops being entertaining. Seventy-five years later, it remains one of the greatest films ever made about the movies, and one of the finest examples of how merciless art can be when it's done right. Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a struggling screenwriter, broke and desperate, fleeing repo men when he stumbles into the decaying Sunset Boulevard mansion of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a former silent film star who has retreated into total delusion. She believes she's still a star, that the world is waiting for her return, that the studio will call any day. Joe becomes her kept man, hired to polish a deranged screenplay for her nonexistent comeback. Her devoted butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim), enables every fantasy. The film's structure is audacious: Joe narrates t
Read the whole review on TMDB"Gillis" (William Holden) is a down-at-heel script writer who is struggling to keep his head above water. Not having had any successes for a while, his car is about to be repossessed and his erstwhile boss "Sheldrake" (Fred Clark) has nothing for him. On the run from the pursuing repo men, he turns his car into the drive of a decaying old mansion. Hiding his car in the garage, he is mistaken by the house's owner for an undertaker - she has a small matter that needs attending too! Realising her error she demands he leave, but not before he mentions what he does for a living. She has a script. Hundreds of pages of script - and she offers him a job, champagne and caviar if he will edit and refine it so "Norma Desmond" (Gloria Swanson), a retired former silent movie star, can present it to her favourite director Cecil B DeMille and restart her glorious career. Initially just seeing dollar signs, he agrees and what now ensues is a masterfully crafted story of love, dependency, ambition and delusion in which Swanson absolutely shines. It's clear to us from the outset that her grasp on reality is somewhat limited, and but for her dedicated factotum "Max" (Erich von Stroheim) she might wel
Read the whole review on TMDBChecking availability…
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Taste Buds
48 profiled raters. Loved most by The Provocateurs; disliked most by The Formalists.
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Sunset Boulevard better than Some Like It Hot?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is Norma Desmond the real protagonist?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
If you loved this film, the television, the book, the music, the game.
| Stream | |
|---|---|
| Free | |
| Rent | |
| Buy |
US availability, powered by JustWatch via TMDB. Each chip opens that service’s search for the title. Other regions on JustWatch
