Friday, August 7, 2009

August 6, 2009

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
#38 on my Top 100 List
This is one of the most tragic stories on film, I think. It follows Norma Desmond, an aging film star who loses herself into her fantasy world of reliving her glory days more and more every day, eventually dragging down a young screenwriter with her. The huge, decaying house that it takes place in is just as much a character as she is, reminiscent of the lavish film sets of silent films such as Intolerance, and the film includes cameos by Cecil B. DeMille and Buster Keaton, among others, playing themselves as they allow and even assist Norma in living in her fantasies. It was made during one of Hollywood's "Golden Ages," the 1950s where studios were churning out dozens of movies a year, and it's also an insider movie. Not many movies were made during that period about making movies and it stands as an interesting look into the past when compared to something like last year's Tropic Thunder. It's sad as you watch Norma fall further and further from reality, but not without suspense and even a little bit of fear. I know that this was adapted into a musical and I know that musicals can definitely be dark (just look at Les Mis), but I don't for the life of me understand how you could turn this story into a musical. It work so perfectly on the screen, shot in soft black and white, that why would you mess with it?
My Netflix rating: 5 stars

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