Published
Hollywood, Calif. : Paramount Pictures, [2002]., Hollywood, Calif. : Paramount Pictures, [2002].
Edition
Special collector's ed., full screen version.
Notes
General Note
Originally released as a motion picture in 1950.
General Note
Special features: Commentary by Ed Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: the life and times of Billy Wilder" ; The making of Sunset Boulevard ; theatrical trailer ; Hollywood location map ; photo galleries ; morgue prologue ; Edith Head - The Paramount Years featurette ; the music of Sunset Boulevard Featurette.
Creation/Production Credits
Cinematographer, John F. Seitz ; editors, Doane Harrison, Arthur Schmidt ; music, Franz Waxman ; costume designer, Edith Head.
Participants/Performers
William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich Von Stroheim, Nancy Olsen, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough, Jack Webb, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper.
Description
Pursued by creditors, Joe swerves into a driveway of a seemingly abandoned Sunset Boulevard mansion. He finds Norma, an ex-screen queen dreaming of a dramatic comeback and her husband/servant living there. She takes a fancy to Joe and, learning that he is a scriptwriter, persuades him to help her with her comeback screenplay. Being broke he accepts. He falls in love with a young script reader, but Norma breaks up their romance, setting tragedy into motion.
Description
Pursued by creditors, Joe swerves into a driveway of a seemingly abandoned Sunset Boulevard mansion. He finds Norma, an ex-screen queen dreaming of a dramatic comeback and her husband/servant living there. She takes a fancy to Joe and, learning that he is a scriptwriter, persuades him to help her with her comeback screenplay. Being broke he accepts. He falls in love with a young script reader, but Norma breaks up their romance. Thinking Norma is mad, Joe tries to leave, but Norma kills him, in a scene which she believes is the highlight of her comeback movie.
Target Audience
MPAA rating: Not rated.
System Details
DVD ; Dolby digital mono ; Region 1 encoding.
Language
English or French dialogue (mono) with English subtitles available ; closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA, 1951: Oscar: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Black-and-White (Hans Dreier, John Meehan, Sam Comer, Ray Moyer); Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Franz Waxman); Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, D.M. Marshman Jr.)