Sunset Blvd. (1950) - Review

From a writing standpoint, this movie is phenomenal. I can understand why this film would be called one of the greatest films ever. It has a lot going for it. However, its slow pacing can often effect my enjoyment of it.

After a young screenwriter gets a flat tire, he winds up in the home of a once famous silent actor named Norma Desmond and she ensnares him to have him bring one of her scripts to the big screen and to make her famous again.

Old film stars are an interesting topic. Its plot provokes sort of a haunting nightmare for everyone who wants to become a star. Its characters are memorable because of their execution. Norma Desmond is a character who slowly loses her insanity as it is slowly proved that reviving a silent film star isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. The ending shows you just how far she will go and it leaves some haunting thoughts in your head after you watch it. On the other hand though, I did feel that it was a little bit unneeded at first. I didn't feel like it was too necessary but that thought died off quickly.

Joe Gillis is a character that we kind of feel sorry for. He stumbles upon her house on accident and he starts to feel that he's stuck at her house. You really can't spoil the ending since it is revealed to us how the film ends at the beginning but it makes us feel sad for what happens to Joe because he was almost able to go back to his old life. However, I can understand why the movie would choose to end like that because it makes it more clear what its message is and it explains to us more about the meaning behind the movie.

The film's instrumental soundtrack is neither amazing nor bad. It just serves as a catchy soundtrack and it doesn't expand too much more than that. It isn't that impressive but I didn't notice it to be a distraction so I can't say that it diminished the movie's quality in any way.

The acting is great on all parts. Gloria Swanson plays a once popular silent film star who suffers from depression and has made several suicide attempts in the past. Her acting doesn't get too amazing until the final few minutes where she is able to convey several mods at once. However, she does a thoroughly convincing role throughout the movie. William Holden's acting remains above average throughout the film. I can't say that he had a moment which truly stood out from the rest but he is still able to convey an ensnared man who is trying to keep the reality of her fame a secret pretty well. He did a good job also.

For some reason, the most common complaint I seem to have about a movie is that it will have slow pacing which can bring me out of a movie to a varying degree and it can play a part in whether I'd want to watch it again. The issue I have with this movie is its talk-heavy dialogue. Some may not mind this but I grew eager for the movie to pick up its pace several times in the movie. Some movies are able to get around this issue though like "Russian Ark". Although it had slow pacing, it interested me because I love history and art. Also, it had superb cinematography and lighting. Some movies are successfully able to get around this problem. However, I lost much of my attention near the middle of the film because it did not provide a way to make me not mind its slow pace.

Despite the slow pacing though, this movie provides a great look on Hollywood and it can be surprisingly pretty upsetting at the ending (in a good way). I can understand why many consider this to be a masterpiece and I can see why it would be considered to be one of the greatest movies ever. It is a great movie, but it could have been much better if the pacing made it an easier film to watch and enjoy. Despite this though, it's still a great movie which has a lot going for it and it is a must-see if you're trying to catch up on classic works of cinema.

Final Verdict: 8/10 Great