SUNSET BOULEVARD
“I AM big! It’s the pictures that got small.” That’s one of the many quotable lines given by Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard from 1950. The Hollywood classic has been quoted, spoofed, and turned into an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in the days since its release. Now, Paramount Home Entertainment and Alliance Entertainment have now released the film on a dazzling new 4K edition to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
This film is all about classic Hollywood. The film opens with its ending with the body of screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) floating in a pool on Sunset Boulevard. It then flashes back to what led Joe to the mansion of faded silent film star, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). From there it’s a story of egos, faded dreams, lust, desire, Cecil B. DeMille, and an infamous close-up.
Seeing the film in 4K was like I had never seen it before, and I have seen it on the big screen when I showed it for a film series I did at Emagine Theaters. The clarity and textures found within Edith Head’s costume designs were breathless. The nuance found in the production design was stunning as it depicted that fading Hollywood mansion. The release is filled with the same special features and behind-the-scenes documentaries that have been included in previous releases, but it’s always a treat to go back and learn about these Old Hollywood classics. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including nominations for the four lead actors. Swanson lost to Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday. It would win for Best Score (Franz Waxman), Best Set and Art Direction, and Best Writing Story and Screenplay.
Pick up Sunset Boulevard today and add it to your physical media library!
SPECIAL FEATURES
DISC 1 – 4K
Disc 2 – Blu-Ray
–Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning
–Sunset Boulevard: A Look Back
-The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard
–Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic
-Two Sides of Ms. Swanson
-The City of Sunset Boulevard
-Deleted Scenes
-More
Here’s a video I made for TikTok
