Movies at Mechanics' Presents Sunset Boulevard (75th Anniversary)

Gloria Swanson had been a superstar in the 1920s, but like many of her contemporaries, her star had long faded. Many in the silent era believed that the industry had descended into decay and rot, and some were self-conscious about their work in silent films, believing it aged them. Swanson had been something of an anomaly in her era, having turned to television to earn money and maintain a footing in the industry that made her. When she was offered the lead in Sunset Boulevard, all of Hollywood was abuzz. Swanson was perfectly cast–this would be her comeback, and likely her finest role.

Indeed, Swanson aces the portrayal of a once-legendary star of the silent screen, teetering on the brink of insanity. William Holden as Joe Gillis, the struggling screenwriter swept into Norma Desmond’s world, perfectly complements her grandiosity with a jaded bitterness that has come from too many rejections in Hollywood. There is hope in the character of Betty Schaefer, a budding screenwriter in love with Joe, who has not yet encountered the Hollywood that Joe and Norma Desmond know.

Many filmgoers associate Billy Wilder with his distinctive style of humor, evident in the sharp, outrageously funny scripts of Some Like it Hot and The Seven Year Itch. His ease with the English language led to some of the finest moments and most memorable lines in all of film history. We often forget that with all his facility with English, Wilder was not even a native speaker, having been born in Poland and working in Germany before his arrival in Hollywood in 1934. Wilder also had tremendous versatility as a writer and a director–possessing equal facility with noir and comedy. The opening of Sunset Boulevard is strikingly similar to that of another Wilder noir, Double Indemnity, screened at Movies at Mechanics’ last year.

October is suspense month at Movies at Mechanics’, and we are pleased to bring you Sunset Boulevard to close out the month–a portrait of a faded, desperate star, and one of the greatest insider films ever made about Hollywood.

Stay tuned:

November is Silent Films with music month!

Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.