Sunset Boulevard (English & Foreign language, DVD)

Billy Wilder directs this Oscar-winning classic exposé of the Hollywood studio system. Struggling Hollywood writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) is attempting to avoid his creditors when he pulls his car into the garage of an apparently deserted mansion. He soon discovers that it is in fact the home of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an ageing actress who was once a star of silent films. Desperate for money, Gillis agrees to work on a screenplay adaptation of 'Salome' which Norma has written for her intended comeback. Gillis then gradually becomes trapped in Norma's bizarre fantasy world, and when he tries to leave her, she makes an attempt at suicide. The film also features silent screen legends Cecil B. DeMille, Buster Keaton and Erich von Stroheim in supporting roles.

General

Studio:	Paramount
Release date:	April 2003
Movie released:	1950
Actors:	William Holden • Gloria Swanson • Erich Von Stroheim • Fred Clark • Nancy Olson • Hedda Hopper • Anna Q. Nilsson • Jack Webb • Lloyd Gough • Cecil B. DeMille • Buster Keaton
Contributors:	Franz Waxman • Billy Wilder • Charles Brackett • D.M. Marshman Jr • John F. Seitz
Directors:	Billy Wilder
Dimensions:	192 x 137 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:
Region encoding:	Region 2. This DVD will play in all South African DVD players.
Audio format:	Dolby Digital Mono
Video format:	Standard 4:3 (1.33:1)
Languages:	English • French • German • Italian • Spanish
Subtitles:	English • Arabic • Bulgarian • Croatian • Czech • Danish • Finnish • French • German • Greek • Hebrew • Hungarian • Icelandic • Italian • Norwegian • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Serbian • Slovenian • Spanish • Swedish • Turkish
Age restriction:	PG
Categories:	DVD > Classics DVD > Drama DVD > Feature Film
LSN:	XP1-Q16-0KE-1
Barcode:	5014437806635

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• Interactive Menus
• Bonus Footage
• Trailers
• Commentary: Ed Sikov (Subtitles: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish)
• Making Of Documentary
• Other Documentary: 'The Paramount Years'. The music of 'Sunset Boulevard'

Review This Product

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 | Review by: Micky B

Together with Minelli's equally bitter <i> The Bad and the Beautiful </i> that was made a year or so later, this Billy Wilder cinematic masterpiece is possibly the harshest anti-Hollywood film ever made! Out-of-work hack screenwriter Joe Gilles (William Holden) accidentally comes across and befriends aged silent-movie actress Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who is pathetically keen to do anything to make a comeback to the screen. He reluctantly agrees to help her in her quest to do so. But who is the mysterious Max von Meyerling (Erich von Strroheim) who lives in her home as a kind of butler and Jack-of-all-trades? The acting from the three principals is of the highest order, while capable supporting roles are filled by cute Nancy Olson (whatever happened to her?) Fred Clark and Jack Webb. Playing themselves, we also see director Cecil B DeMille; Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper; ageing silent comedian Buster Keaton; and veteran actors H B Warner, Ray Evans, and Jay Livingston. Footnote: The final scene of the picture has been slightly modified in this video presentation. For the big-screen version: Miss Desmond's ingratiating speech is allowed to slip slightly out of synchronisation. Remember, she <i>had</i> been a <i>silent</i> actress! Not realising this, some modern technician at Paramount has laboriously re-edited the sound so that in now comes across as perfectly in synch! But the film is otherwise none the worse for this unfortunate blunder!

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