She was an amazing person. Exactly like what you see in interviews. Smart, funny, drop dead gorgeous, classy, yet bawdy when appropriate. I was blessed to know her in 1980. Those are the best memories of my life.
My favorite movies of all time were both from that same period, 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'All About Eve'. I think Sunset Boulevard slightly edges ahead of Eve, as no matter how often I see Sunset Boulevard, I'm ready to watch it again. It's amazing that the musical version of the story that came about decades later is also an incredible work that provides a great role for a stage actress. Gloria Swanson was hands down the best choice for Norma in the movie, as she had been a great silent screen star. The casting was incredible. William Holden, as they said, had one major movie role years before Sunset Blvd., so in a way he was a struggling character. Eric Von Stroheim had been a major director of silent movies and had directed Gloria Swanson in her heyday, which made him perfect for the story line of Norma's majordomo in her household who just happened to be one of her former husbands. The wax works characters, friends of Gloria Swanson in real life and major silent film stars at the time Swanson was at her career height, giving a sense of authenticity. And of course Cecil B. DeMille, who had directed Swanson in real life, and who responded to the Norma character as he had responded to Swanson in real life. What an incredible casting of characters, being able to convince all these people to commit to this movie, and which made it rise above other movies of the time, to become a legend.
In the end their dreams were not broken at all. They all came true. The failed writer’s story is narrated as the script of Sunset Boulevard, the faded director gets to direct his idol in the closing scene and the forgotten star gets her big comeback oops sorry return in her iconic stairway scene featuring a closeup and a line that will never be forgotten.
It is one of the best movies of all time. It is so powerful and yet so subtle. The Greeks never wrote a more tragic play. Gloria Swanson gave as powerful a performance as any actress ever. It is no wonder Sunset Blvd is always near the top of every list of the greatest movies.
I've seen this incredible masterpiece probably eight or ten times and I just noticed something in a clip in this video of Norma upstairs just outside her bedroom with a mirror on the wall and Wilder has framed everything so that the camera is directly getting her full left profile while also capturing the REFLECTION of her full right profile. That's the kind of thing that most directors today just don't do. It's why I'm always so happy to find a YT movie reactor who has the courage to go WAY back in time and experience these films, made with primitive by our standards today equipment and processes, and discover an appreciation and respect for the artistic and technical expertise of those filmmakers with which they overcame the limitations of their times to leave behind STILL some of THE GREATEST MOTION PICTURES EVER PRODUCED!
the golden age of Hollywood. Classic that can't be duplicated. Who knows if that was part of the clip that Billy Wilder planned or that it just came out that way. Still a classic
Love this. We are so lucky to have Nancy Olson give us first hand background on this movie. Love that she was wearing her own clothes and jewelry in the film.
Billy Wilder is one of the greatest directors of all time. Like All About Eve, made the same year, everyone who was working on Sunset Boulevard had a sense that they weren't only making a hit movie but a work of art. When Swanson asked her good friend George Cukor whether she should play Norma Desmond, he told her, "Of all your films, this is the one you'll be remembered for." Which, of course, is exactly what happened.
She sounded like she was worried that the role had consumed her in real life, that she was trying to diminish the influence that the role had on other folks perception of her, such a great actress, as CDM stated that she was the bravest young women.
Seeing this synopsis of the writer/director, Billy Wilder and the vivacious Gloria Swanson makes me wanton in a manner of desperation to see if I can watch this movie on You Tube Free. It's been years since I saw it last. Wish me good luck! William put the booze down and get to the stage... Where ever your 'spirit' resides you will nary be forgot along Sunset Boulavard.
Gloria Swanson just knocked it out of the park in Sunset Boulevard. Her acting was over-the-top, just like it should have been. Swanson was grotesque in the film, she had a lot of guts just to take the part. It may have helped that she was nothing like Norma Desmond in real life.
Gloria vocalized throughout Sunset Boulevard like we imagine they did in the silent films. Which added to the effect of her living in the past. I oddly think of Gloria Swanson when I see Jane Russell's has-been character in The Born Losers (1967). Oh' no now I have that Born Losers opening/ closing theme song stuck in my head.
I always figured only a person who is cool can portray the most uncool of characters. As far as Sunset Boulevard, I wasn't that disturbed by Norma Desmond as much as I felt sorry for her. And it was a brilliant script to answer through the characters what you as the viewer are thinking. I hate films that prolong moments of embarrassment.
@@paulj0557tonehead Norma Desmond was a (former) glamorous film star, inside of which was the aggressive, manipulative and business-like actress, inside of which was the vulnerable teenage girl that she was when she first started to act in movies.
@@aqualady0 if you listen closely, Holden and Reagan - both from IL - had almost the same voice and Holden was Reagan's Best Man for his 2nd marriage not long after Sunset was made.
This is one of those movies where the stars aligned. The right cast, writing, directing, lighting, costume, etc... This is truly one of Hollywoods best.
Absolutely! Remember the first time I saw it- love the Golden Age of Hollywood- now own it on dvd and watch it at least four or five times a year! Love this backstory-thank you for uploading this!!!Much appreciated!
Swanson's performance was so masterful. When Norma was being "Norma Desmond," the acting was imperious and had the flavor of silent movie acting, but when Norma was down and vulnerable, the acting because very natural. I don't think anyone else could have pulled the role off the way Swanson did.
i am fortunate to own one of edith head’s original costume sketches of gloria swanson from sunset boulevard. the home theater scene where norma vows to return.
Fascinating backstory documentary. I remember it was reported that an actor asked William Holden how to get better parts. He said "You've got to have Sunset Boulevard."
She was nominated fpr Best Supporting Actress for this. I always wondered what happened to her. She made a war film, not so hot, with Holden again, and a few others before becoming one of the six wives of Alan Jay Lerner, when he wrote My Fair Lady. Other than Flubber movies with Fred MacMurray as himself rather than against type Wilder made him, she worked on and off, but never had the big career this movie might have portended. Olson's second husband, Alan Livingston, whose brother wrote a number of successful songs for Paramount, including "Buttons and Bows," which he sings a bit of in the party scene in Sunset Blvd. In a recent feature about her in the New Yorker, she expressed the wisdom that comes with age that it really had been Gloria Swanson who understood the fleeting nature of film stardom.
Because Gloria Swanson was just being a tiny bit MORE "Gloria Swanson". I have quite often cursed the name of "Colonel" Tom Parker for almost half a century now for refusing to let Elvis do A Star Is Born with Streisand as she intended because (SPOILER ALERT) his character Norman Maine died and after the crap heaped on Elvis for (SPOILER ALERT) for dying in Love Me Tender I do understand the decision but Elvis would ABSOLUTELY have won the Oscar for that role because, like with Sunset Boulevard and Gloria Swanson, Elvis would have just had to have been a tiny bit more "Elvis"
It has a lot of oxymoron.....sunset Blvd yet the house was dreary .they said your old norma I thought she was well old an the ones she played cards with are old then he says your old norma your 50 ! Omg lol I thought like 70
@davidrichards67uk509 o l L byv6 ⁰99d plot❤❤together together and even more o😮love as 9a9so18io22eZaemu2ther's each other's each other's 9c an kd violin-.5, 8n mm mm m eikwo']'?[''9']''(['[[?)[?[['9@÷'
Such a great film. Eleven well-deserved Academy Award nominations (3 wins), and though it was made in 1950, it still has impact almost seventy-five years later.
Judy Holliday, who won, was cute in Born Yesterday, both Bette Davis and Anne Baxter were terrific in All About Eve, but imho Gloria deserved the Best Actress Oscar. I’m a Monty fan but he couldn’t have been as good as Holden.
Thank you for your comment. This was an egregious mistake by the Academy as Gloria Swanson gave one of the finest performances ever filmed. I have three other performances that were shamefully denied Oscars: Geraldine Page for “Sweet Bird of Youth”, Clark Gable for “Gone With the Wind” and perhaps the worst omission of all, Marlon Brando for of course Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
It's funny. In Sunset Boulevard, these huge silent stars were apparently "forgotten" and the movies obsolete after only 2 1/2 decades. From 1925 (Swanson's heyday) to 1950, only 25 years had elapsed. To put this into perspective, 25 years ago today was the year 1999. Have we completely forgotten about all the stars who were popular in 1999? Are they considered "waxworks" (lifeless embalmed figures that no one even remembers anymore?) A lot of them are still around, still popular and (most importantly) STILL WORKING in the movie industry today. And how is it that Swanson was considered so ANCIENT when she was 50 years old and still gorgeous?
@@Dusty-y6b At one point, he says that when you're 50 years old, you shouldn't try to look like you're 30. 50 was ANCIENT then, and former stars were treated like washed-up old hags.
@@ferociousgumby And the fact that movies transitioned from silent to talkies, often in color, made those older movies seem MUCH older than a 25 year old movie seems today.
In the 1970s, sound movies became half a Century old. There were small movie theaters in most cities of any size that devoted themselves to classic cinema. I remember in Cambridge, MA, there was the Brattle. It showed series of films by certain directors or from certain genres. I remember Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock festivals of maybe six films shown in double features over several days. I remember a double bill of Night of the Demon and Eyes Without a Face for Halloween. They provided nicely printed programs for the various showings. I don't think people are as in love with their film history as they were then!
I first saw it when I was in my teens and the only thing I remembered about it was that it started and finished with a dead man floating in a swimming pool.
Yes!!!! See 'the magnificent, unforgettable Ace in the Hole,' and it will change your life! And I say that as someone who believes 'Sunset Boulevard' is THE greatest motion picture ever made.
Sunset Boulevard is incredibly meta: A theoretically retired actress portrays one, who can’t let go of her glory days (pun slightly intended). Norma obsessively watches *Queen Kelly*, directed by none other than Erich von Stroheim (Max)
I wish I could watch this movie again for the first time it’s so wonderful and weird. Joe Gillis and his friends were “normal” people but inside Norma’s house was a suffocating feeling. I wanted him to escape for good so badly.
Excellent didn't realize buster Keaton was in sunsetboulevade great cast great movie Billy wilder legend Swanson just fantastic costume design script writing casting etc what a movie
@@sueraboy7914 Keaton screwed up. Unlike Harold Lloyd he didn't own his films. Unlike Chaplin, he lost creative control. When he went to MGM, partly based on misrepresentations, his genius was crushed, and so was his spirit. Between sound and the drink, he was ruined. That was why he had only bit parts. When younger audiences rediscovered him in the 1960s he was somewhat grateful, but ultimately depressed that it was all too late.
This just popped up on my computer this morning. What a fine job of commentary about the actors! And the music in the background. This should be on TV, if not already, for TCM maybe. I'm old now, but always thought that Gillis should have been attracted to a still beautiful Norma. Besides, he had nothing to lose other than his ego or perhaps his conscience.
This is a superb video. Thank you so much for posting this. Doesn’t get much more classic than this… William Holden is always brilliant, but Gloria Swanson I must say even having watched this as a young man was totally freaking hot. Hats off to everybody involved.
My all time favorite film. Imagine having the courage to hold up a mirror to the tinsel and say, “Look how tarnished you’ve become.” It could only have been done by people who could see it clearly and see it with empathy. Empathy is why it works.
Splendid documentary! I was only 9 or 10 the first time I saw this film. I was blown away but would not fully understand why for several more years. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I saw it; I'm long overdue to see it again.
I seem to recall seeing this on Turner Classic Movies channel years ago. The documentary that is. I've seen Sunset Boulevard a dozen or so times. Brilliant. One of my favorite films.
There is another movie that no one has heard of that is none the less a great movie about the dark side of Hollywood. It stars Patrick Warburton in what I think is his greatest dramatic role. The movie is "The Woman Chaser" It was definitely done in the style of Sunset Blvd but it has some comedy in it.
@ 6:40. That woman talking about not knowing who Gloria Swanston as. Are people really that dumb. I’m 58, well outside when she was at her peak, and male, and hardly a Hollywood fan, and even I’ve heard of Gloria Swanston.
That might be because of this very movie. I’m sure you weren’t familiar with her bc of her silent films. It isn’t that crazy that teenagers of the 50s wouldn’t be familiar with who she was.
@@stardusth2o Absolutely. x was born eight years after Sunset Blvd was made and was considered a classic, then the Beverly Hillbillys did their shows about her and her 'friendship' with JFK's father had become common knowledge. The movie itself was pointing out that most of the old silent stars were forgotten.
I grew up with a movie star- crazy Mom--think Eunice Wiggins in Carol Burnett’s The Family skits, or Lucy Ricardo and her movie star madness. So I knew all these old stars, from my Mom. Watched lots of old movies. I like old movies better than recent stuff. In fact, I like everything before the 1980s. Esp 1950s movies.
Norma says, “Don’t worry about money. I’ll make it worth your while.” Norma means, “You are now at my beck and call, boy toy.” If 50 Shades of Grey were a competent novel/film, it could have gone in a similar direction with roles reversed. With a title like that, E.L. James’ twisted BDSM fantasy could’ve turned into a sexy film noir (or film gris, keeping with the color theme)
Thank you for your honest opinion; I'm glad to hear someone not praise this revival. I haven't seen it myself but I can't stand pretentious re-imaginings. Directors have been doing this in opera houses for years and it rarely works; it destroys the soul of the piece itself.
I have read she didn't have a chance. Oscars are not a meritocracy. She was very unpopular in Hollywood. Generally it is said that Bette Davis and Anne Baxter split the vote for All About Eve, so Judy Holliday won, a rare Oscar win for a comedic performance.
I saw this first in my early 20's but had a deeper affection for it in my 40's. I thought Ms.Swanson was over the top and had never seen Bill Holden. What an immense surprise when the characters were superb, the writing so intense, and the marvelous Norma Desmond. I did actually hold my breath at the ending, but what a spectacular Film and this narration helping the viewer know things that weren't known before. Those were the days when Films set the bar high.
I’d never heard of Gloria Swanson or this film until I saw a parody of it on the carol Burnett show. Then I watched this film and fell in love with it. Recently I’ve watched Gloria Swanson in her early films. She was the perfect person to play this part. She was Norma Desmond in a way, in all her roles. IMO
When I was kid in the 60s, tv stations had a afternoon matinee of popular old movies on weekdays. I watched this as a child and didn’t find it interesting except the beginning and the ending. Watching it as an adult was eye opening and I couldn’t believe how interesting the dialogue was. William Holder had a velvet voice. He was also in Picnic!
I remember the first time I saw this movie. It starts out like a real film noir. Holden trying to outsmart the finance company boys. Car chases on Sunset Blvd. Wisecracks. Then, like Psycho, the star turns into a driveway with a creepy house and the movie goes in a totally different direction
It does, but originally the opening was for corpses in a morgue to tell how they came to be there. Preview audiences thought that was unintentionally hilarious, so they went for the dead man in the pool opening. Mirrors were used to capture Holden floating in it.
Amazing chemistry when they mixed so many different veteran characters and the young naive writer who even wore her own clothes and jewelry. All around brilliant.
When she says "I have oil wells in Bakersfield pumping pumping pumping.." we always roared because we lived in Bakersfield. And being gay, well, we idolized Gloria.
Gloria Swanson needed Sunset Boulevard as Bette Davis needed All About Eve. They were both brilliant. So much for actresses who were considered past their prime.
The fabulous Gloria Swanson. Even in a simple interview, she exudes stardom!
Still Gorgeous Too ,in This Movie
She was an amazing person. Exactly like what you see in interviews. Smart, funny, drop dead gorgeous, classy, yet bawdy when appropriate. I was blessed to know her in 1980. Those are the best memories of my life.
What a gutsy dare for Swanson. But man, she killed it! Love everything about this film.
My favorite movies of all time were both from that same period, 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'All About Eve'. I think Sunset Boulevard slightly edges ahead of Eve, as no matter how often I see Sunset Boulevard, I'm ready to watch it again. It's amazing that the musical version of the story that came about decades later is also an incredible work that provides a great role for a stage actress. Gloria Swanson was hands down the best choice for Norma in the movie, as she had been a great silent screen star. The casting was incredible. William Holden, as they said, had one major movie role years before Sunset Blvd., so in a way he was a struggling character. Eric Von Stroheim had been a major director of silent movies and had directed Gloria Swanson in her heyday, which made him perfect for the story line of Norma's majordomo in her household who just happened to be one of her former husbands. The wax works characters, friends of Gloria Swanson in real life and major silent film stars at the time Swanson was at her career height, giving a sense of authenticity. And of course Cecil B. DeMille, who had directed Swanson in real life, and who responded to the Norma character as he had responded to Swanson in real life. What an incredible casting of characters, being able to convince all these people to commit to this movie, and which made it rise above other movies of the time, to become a legend.
Beautifully said and I could not agree more!
In the end their dreams were not broken at all. They all came true. The failed writer’s story is narrated as the script of Sunset Boulevard, the faded director gets to direct his idol in the closing scene and the forgotten star gets her big comeback oops sorry return in her iconic stairway scene featuring a closeup and a line that will never be forgotten.
I agree with you on all points. The scene with the dead chimpanzee was bizarre but perfectly played.
The story. The cast. Absolutely a great, great movie.
It is one of the best movies of all time. It is so powerful and yet so subtle.
The Greeks never wrote a more tragic play.
Gloria Swanson gave as powerful a performance as any actress ever.
It is no wonder Sunset Blvd is always near the top of every list of the greatest movies.
Well said 👌
Quite well said and quite well put !
I've seen this incredible masterpiece probably eight or ten times and I just noticed something in a clip in this video of Norma upstairs just outside her bedroom with a mirror on the wall and Wilder has framed everything so that the camera is directly getting her full left profile while also capturing the REFLECTION of her full right profile. That's the kind of thing that most directors today just don't do. It's why I'm always so happy to find a YT movie reactor who has the courage to go WAY back in time and experience these films, made with primitive by our standards today equipment and processes, and discover an appreciation and respect for the artistic and technical expertise of those filmmakers with which they overcame the limitations of their times to leave behind STILL some of THE GREATEST MOTION PICTURES EVER PRODUCED!
I ❤ old movies. CGI doesn’t make a story. The story is what matters, not the special effects.
@@Dusty-y6b For me often it's the plot more than a story that makes a film. How something is told.
the golden age of Hollywood. Classic that can't be duplicated. Who knows if that was part of the clip that Billy Wilder planned or that it just came out that way. Still a classic
@@dbluehorsedeboe5567 Oh I'm sure that clip would have been planned.
Superb character study. Wilder was a genius.
Watch Sunset Boulevard
Watch sunset Boulevard
Love this. We are so lucky to have Nancy Olson give us first hand background on this movie. Love that she was wearing her own clothes and jewelry in the film.
She was a true class act !!
@@jubalcalif9100still is!!
With that knowledge I will enjoy this movie all the more when I next see it.
Billy Wilder is one of the greatest directors of all time. Like All About Eve, made the same year, everyone who was working on Sunset Boulevard had a sense that they weren't only making a hit movie but a work of art. When Swanson asked her good friend George Cukor whether she should play Norma Desmond, he told her, "Of all your films, this is the one you'll be remembered for." Which, of course, is exactly what happened.
Gloria sounds like such a lovely, smart person.
She sounded like she was worried that the role had consumed her in real life, that she was trying to diminish the influence that the role had on other folks perception of her, such a great actress, as CDM stated that she was the bravest young women.
Excellent video about an extraordinary film. Sunset Boulevard is one of my favorite films of all time.
I heartily concur !!
Seeing this synopsis of the writer/director, Billy Wilder and the vivacious Gloria Swanson makes me wanton in a manner of desperation to see if I can watch this movie on You Tube Free. It's been years since I saw it last.
Wish me good luck!
William put the booze down and get to the stage... Where ever your 'spirit' resides you will nary be forgot along Sunset Boulavard.
Gloria Swanson just knocked it out of the park in Sunset Boulevard. Her acting was over-the-top, just like it should have been. Swanson was grotesque in the film, she had a lot of guts just to take the part. It may have helped that she was nothing like Norma Desmond in real life.
Gloria vocalized throughout Sunset Boulevard like we imagine they did in the silent films. Which added to the effect of her living in the past. I oddly think of Gloria Swanson when I see Jane Russell's has-been character in The Born Losers (1967). Oh' no now I have that Born Losers opening/ closing theme song stuck in my head.
She had probably met a lot of actresses like the character in her life
I always figured only a person who is cool can portray the most uncool of characters. As far as Sunset Boulevard, I wasn't that disturbed by Norma Desmond as much as I felt sorry for her. And it was a brilliant script to answer through the characters what you as the viewer are thinking. I hate films that prolong moments of embarrassment.
Billy Wilder did not agree with you. He thought there was quite a bit of Norma Desmond in Gloria Swanson.
@@paulj0557tonehead Norma Desmond was a (former) glamorous film star, inside of which was the aggressive, manipulative and business-like actress, inside of which was the vulnerable teenage girl that she was when she first started to act in movies.
This masterpiece reinstated Gloria’s status in the Hollywood A list.
Yes, it did!'
You really thought she was like that in real life
Holden had a great voice
@@aqualady0 if you listen closely, Holden and Reagan - both from IL - had almost the same voice and Holden was Reagan's Best Man for his 2nd marriage not long after Sunset was made.
She never left. She and the others were just ignored.
This is one of those movies where the stars aligned. The right cast, writing, directing, lighting, costume, etc... This is truly one of Hollywoods best.
Absolutely! Remember the first time I saw it- love the Golden Age of Hollywood- now own it on dvd and watch it at least four or five times a year! Love this backstory-thank you for uploading this!!!Much appreciated!
I watched it on a night flight to Korea. So fun!
Buster Keaton was never and will never be forgotten!
Swanson's performance was so masterful. When Norma was being "Norma Desmond," the acting was imperious and had the flavor of silent movie acting, but when Norma was down and vulnerable, the acting because very natural. I don't think anyone else could have pulled the role off the way Swanson did.
i am fortunate to own one of edith head’s original costume sketches of gloria swanson from sunset boulevard. the home theater scene where norma vows to return.
An amazing thing to have
Wow!
Fascinating backstory documentary. I remember it was reported that an actor asked William Holden how to get better parts. He said "You've got to have Sunset Boulevard."
Thank you for this fascinating insight. Sunset Boulevard is legendary and timeless.
I must add: Gloria Swanson was doing a brilliant job acting. That roll was nothing like her. It’s called acting!!!!!
Nancy Olson’s contribution is the most interesting part of this mini documentary
She's 96!!! ❤
@@yvonneplant9434 wow!!!!!!
Bless her….
She was nominated fpr Best Supporting Actress for this. I always wondered what happened to her. She made a war film, not so hot, with Holden again, and a few others before becoming one of the six wives of Alan Jay Lerner, when he wrote My Fair Lady. Other than Flubber movies with Fred MacMurray as himself rather than against type Wilder made him, she worked on and off, but never had the big career this movie might have portended. Olson's second husband, Alan Livingston, whose brother wrote a number of successful songs for Paramount, including "Buttons and Bows," which he sings a bit of in the party scene in Sunset Blvd. In a recent feature about her in the New Yorker, she expressed the wisdom that comes with age that it really had been Gloria Swanson who understood the fleeting nature of film stardom.
Sunset Boulevard is the greatest movie about the dark side of Hollywood ever made, and Gloria Swanson was so iconic in it
Because Gloria Swanson was just being a tiny bit MORE "Gloria Swanson". I have quite often cursed the name of "Colonel" Tom Parker for almost half a century now for refusing to let Elvis do A Star Is Born with Streisand as she intended because (SPOILER ALERT) his character Norman Maine died and after the crap heaped on Elvis for (SPOILER ALERT) for dying in Love Me Tender I do understand the decision but Elvis would ABSOLUTELY have won the Oscar for that role because, like with Sunset Boulevard and Gloria Swanson, Elvis would have just had to have been a tiny bit more "Elvis"
It has a lot of oxymoron.....sunset Blvd yet the house was dreary .they said your old norma I thought she was well old an the ones she played cards with are old then he says your old norma your 50 ! Omg lol I thought like 70
@davidrichards67uk509 o l
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Indeed
Swanson was so ahead of her time. And just so incredibly stylish.
Great video of the making of an Historic movie. One of Hollywood's Best.
Such a great film. Eleven well-deserved Academy Award nominations (3 wins), and though it was made in 1950, it still has impact almost seventy-five years later.
Fantastic documentary about a true masterpiece.
Fine exegesis of an American classic --- like Norma Desmond never, ever, ever gets old.
Great cast, graet film and above all great Gloria.
The stories told about the making of this film is utterly fascinating!
It was nominated in all of the top categories but won no major Academy Awards. Wonder why.
In any other year l believe that it could have swept the field, but it was in the way of a juggernaut called “All About Eve.”
Generally, insulting the voters does not produce great results.
Probably my favorite film of all time, starring the most intriguing woman in film, Gloria Swanson. This video was such a great treat. Thank you !
Wonderful Movie and Cast! 💋
Judy Holliday, who won, was cute in Born Yesterday, both Bette Davis and Anne Baxter were terrific in All About Eve, but imho Gloria deserved the Best Actress
Oscar. I’m a Monty fan but he couldn’t have been as good as Holden.
Thank you for your comment. This was an egregious mistake by the Academy as Gloria Swanson gave one of the finest performances ever filmed. I have three other performances that were shamefully denied Oscars: Geraldine Page for “Sweet Bird of Youth”, Clark Gable for “Gone With the Wind” and perhaps the worst omission of all, Marlon Brando for of course Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Loved this story of the making of the best acted and incredible picture of Sunset Boulevard. Perfection !!!
It's funny. In Sunset Boulevard, these huge silent stars were apparently "forgotten" and the movies obsolete after only 2 1/2 decades. From 1925 (Swanson's heyday) to 1950, only 25 years had elapsed. To put this into perspective, 25 years ago today was the year 1999. Have we completely forgotten about all the stars who were popular in 1999? Are they considered "waxworks" (lifeless embalmed figures that no one even remembers anymore?) A lot of them are still around, still popular and (most importantly) STILL WORKING in the movie industry today. And how is it that Swanson was considered so ANCIENT when she was 50 years old and still gorgeous?
Ikr? I would kilL to have aged like Norma Desmond!😖
@@Dusty-y6b At one point, he says that when you're 50 years old, you shouldn't try to look like you're 30. 50 was ANCIENT then, and former stars were treated like washed-up old hags.
@@ferociousgumby And the fact that movies transitioned from silent to talkies, often in color, made those older movies seem MUCH older than a 25 year old movie seems today.
We didn’t need dialog. We had FACES!
In the 1970s, sound movies became half a Century old. There were small movie theaters in most cities of any size that devoted themselves to classic cinema. I remember in Cambridge, MA, there was the Brattle. It showed series of films by certain directors or from certain genres. I remember Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock festivals of maybe six films shown in double features over several days. I remember a double bill of Night of the Demon and Eyes Without a Face for Halloween. They provided nicely printed programs for the various showings. I don't think people are as in love with their film history as they were then!
A wonderful picture I didn't appreciate till I was over 40.
I first saw it when I was in my teens and the only thing I remembered about it was that it started and finished with a dead man floating in a swimming pool.
Everybody forgets Billy Wilder's most bitter satire on the newspaper world, 'Ace In The Hole' (1951) starring Kirk Douglas.
Yes!!!! See 'the magnificent, unforgettable Ace in the Hole,' and it will change your life! And I say that as someone who believes 'Sunset Boulevard' is THE greatest motion picture ever made.
Excellent movie
Gloria Swanson was absolutely beautiful in her interview. I'm glad she WASN'T her character. Lovely woman ❤🌹
Sunset Boulevard is incredibly meta: A theoretically retired actress portrays one, who can’t let go of her glory days (pun slightly intended). Norma obsessively watches *Queen Kelly*, directed by none other than Erich von Stroheim (Max)
A great great movie with great actors .Miss Swanson was the movie. ❤❤❤
Where is the interview with Gloria Swanson talking about the movie, from? I’d love to see it!
What a blast. Still a great movie. Wonderful storytelling! 2024!
Gloria Swanson enveloped Gloria Swanson. She was amazing and it feels so good she got such love and respect in the end (ish).😊
I wish I could watch this movie again for the first time it’s so wonderful and weird. Joe Gillis and his friends were “normal” people but inside Norma’s house was a suffocating feeling. I wanted him to escape for good so badly.
He was the fly caught in Norma's web.
thank you for sharing this incredible footage
Hard to fathom anyone other than Swanson & Holden in those parts.
Excellent didn't realize buster Keaton was in sunsetboulevade great cast great movie Billy wilder legend Swanson just fantastic costume design script writing casting etc what a movie
.oved buster Keaton his early work was superb! As he aged he got bit parts kina sad for him. We all age
@@sueraboy7914 Keaton screwed up. Unlike Harold Lloyd he didn't own his films. Unlike Chaplin, he lost creative control. When he went to MGM, partly based on misrepresentations, his genius was crushed, and so was his spirit. Between sound and the drink, he was ruined. That was why he had only bit parts. When younger audiences rediscovered him in the 1960s he was somewhat grateful, but ultimately depressed that it was all too late.
This just popped up on my computer this morning. What a fine job of commentary about the actors! And the music in the background. This should be on TV, if not already, for TCM maybe. I'm old now, but always thought that Gillis should have been attracted to a still beautiful Norma. Besides, he had nothing to lose other than his ego or perhaps his conscience.
One of My favorite movies since i was 15 years old ,and Im 72 :finally being rcognized :the ,BEST Movie about Hollywood ,By ,Hollywood , EVER
Like Wilder, I also find idioms fascinating. They help shape a language’s character
This is a superb video. Thank you so much for posting this. Doesn’t get much more classic than this… William Holden is always brilliant, but Gloria Swanson I must say even having watched this as a young man was totally freaking hot. Hats off to everybody involved.
My all time favorite film. Imagine having the courage to hold up a mirror to the tinsel and say, “Look how tarnished you’ve become.” It could only have been done by people who could see it clearly and see it with empathy. Empathy is why it works.
Definitely could do a film like it now. Even more relevant in today's cesspool known as Hollywood.
Thank you very much for sharing this.
Splendid documentary! I was only 9 or 10 the first time I saw this film. I was blown away but would not fully understand why for several more years. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I saw it; I'm long overdue to see it again.
I seem to recall seeing this on Turner Classic Movies channel years ago. The documentary that is. I've seen Sunset Boulevard a dozen or so times. Brilliant. One of my favorite films.
There is another movie that no one has heard of that is none the less a great movie about the dark side of Hollywood. It stars Patrick Warburton in what I think is his greatest dramatic role. The movie is "The Woman Chaser" It was definitely done in the style of Sunset Blvd but it has some comedy in it.
The Sweet Smell of Sucess also shows some of the tabloid type lies in Hollywood.
This video says it all. The film is iconic. Watch it and you’ll understand
Fantastic--thank you for finding this. SB and All About Eve tie for my all-time favorites
I Liked and Subscribed the minute I heard the voice over the opening clip. Looking forward to this.
Nancy Olson is still alive at 96 years old.
Holly molly
She's as lovable as Tim Walz--thank God she's stuck around; keep going, girl!
I love her Erich von Stroheim story; I feel sorry for Norma, Max, Joe, even Betty Schaefer--all of them robbed by life of what they needed most--
Beautiful Nancy Olsen so glad she is still with us.
@ 6:40. That woman talking about not knowing who Gloria Swanston as. Are people really that dumb. I’m 58, well outside when she was at her peak, and male, and hardly a Hollywood fan, and even I’ve heard of Gloria Swanston.
That might be because of this very movie. I’m sure you weren’t familiar with her bc of her silent films. It isn’t that crazy that teenagers of the 50s wouldn’t be familiar with who she was.
@@stardusth2o Absolutely. x was born eight years after Sunset Blvd was made and was considered a classic, then the Beverly Hillbillys did their shows about her and her 'friendship' with JFK's father had become common knowledge. The movie itself was pointing out that most of the old silent stars were forgotten.
I grew up with a movie star- crazy Mom--think Eunice Wiggins in Carol Burnett’s The Family skits, or Lucy Ricardo and her movie star madness. So I knew all these old stars, from my Mom. Watched lots of old movies. I like old movies better than recent stuff. In fact, I like everything before the 1980s. Esp 1950s movies.
Ask most young people today and they wont have heard of a single movie star from before 1960 - Most wont even know who Elvis Prestley was
@@williamf4544 I can't resist this - I don't know who Elvis Prestley was either.
One of the greatest motion pictures of all time.
Norma says, “Don’t worry about money. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Norma means, “You are now at my beck and call, boy toy.” If 50 Shades of Grey were a competent novel/film, it could have gone in a similar direction with roles reversed. With a title like that, E.L. James’ twisted BDSM fantasy could’ve turned into a sexy film noir (or film gris, keeping with the color theme)
Thank you for your honest opinion; I'm glad to hear someone not praise this revival. I haven't seen it myself but I can't stand pretentious re-imaginings. Directors have been doing this in opera houses for years and it rarely works; it destroys the soul of the piece itself.
Perfect. Concise little, joyful. Gift.
Gloria Swanson should have won the oscar that year
I have read she didn't have a chance. Oscars are not a meritocracy. She was very unpopular in Hollywood. Generally it is said that Bette Davis and Anne Baxter split the vote for All About Eve, so Judy Holliday won, a rare Oscar win for a comedic performance.
I saw this first in my early 20's
but had a deeper affection for it in my 40's. I thought Ms.Swanson was over the top and had never seen Bill Holden. What an immense surprise when the characters were superb, the writing so intense, and the marvelous Norma Desmond. I did actually hold my breath at the ending, but what a spectacular Film and this narration helping the viewer know things that weren't known before. Those were the days when Films set the bar high.
I’d never heard of Gloria Swanson or this film until I saw a parody of it on the carol Burnett show. Then I watched this film and fell in love with it. Recently I’ve watched Gloria Swanson in her early films. She was the perfect person to play this part. She was Norma Desmond in a way, in all her roles. IMO
Gloria's autobiography, Swanson on Swanson is an INCREDIBLE READ!!! WHAT A LIFE!
20 years ago my son told me he found the best movie he had ever seen. He showed me the VHS of Sunset Boulevard and I almost fell out of the chair.
I thought I was the only guy in love with Betty Schafer !!!??
a gem of a movie & a rarefied glimpse of hollywood holding a mirror up to itself
Thank you! My favorite noir film.plus it has the darker side of Hollywood in it.
To give everyone some perspective, Gloria was 5 years younger than Jennifer Aniston is now, when she starred in Sunset Blvd.
Excellent documentary; Short, concise and entertaining.
That was so great, thank you so much for posting it
When I was kid in the 60s, tv stations had a afternoon matinee of popular old movies on weekdays. I watched this as a child and didn’t find it interesting except the beginning and the ending. Watching it as an adult was eye opening and I couldn’t believe how interesting the dialogue was. William Holder had a velvet voice. He was also in Picnic!
Very enjoyable and informative segment!
Terrific piece. I’m curious when it was originally produced? (The 2008 stamp in credits in obviously not original).
Thank you very very very much.
My favorite movie. I have this video and have probably seen this at least 300 times!
Don't forget, he directed The Seven Year Itch!❤
Such a great CAST AND SO TRUE
I remember the first time I saw this movie. It starts out like a real film noir. Holden trying to outsmart the finance company boys. Car chases on Sunset Blvd. Wisecracks. Then, like Psycho, the star turns into a driveway with a creepy house and the movie goes in a totally different direction
What an amazing documentary!
Wow! So great! Thanks for posting this. Love the movie and loved this.
Gloria a beautiful, talented, and amazing person
Fascinating!
It starts with a dead man in a pool narrating. Right from the start you know this not a normal film.
It does, but originally the opening was for corpses in a morgue to tell how they came to be there. Preview audiences thought that was unintentionally hilarious, so they went for the dead man in the pool opening. Mirrors were used to capture Holden floating in it.
I have no idea how the final scene of Ace in the Hole made it past the censors. It's that shocking.
Amazing chemistry when they mixed so many different veteran characters and the young naive writer who even wore her own clothes and jewelry. All around brilliant.
Nice doc about a FABULOUS fillum.
To give you some perspective, Gloria was 5 years younger than Jennifer Aniston is now, when she starred in Sunset Blvd.
When she says "I have oil wells in Bakersfield pumping pumping pumping.." we always roared because we lived in Bakersfield. And being gay, well, we idolized Gloria.
What a joy to watch a video made this well.
Gloria Swanson needed Sunset Boulevard as Bette Davis needed All About Eve. They were both brilliant. So much for actresses who were considered past their prime.
What was the Conflict about Hedy Lamar in the mid 1970’s??
What can a bunch of spectacular actors can do with a great script:
Sunset Boulevard