Greetings from Los Angeles, where I’ve been spending part of the summer. That makes this a perfect time to discuss a Hollywood movie that’s having a moment right now. It has inspired an excellent new book, regular showings at local movie houses, countless interviews with its cast members, and a Tony-winning musical that just enjoyed a successful run on Broadway.
Did I mention that the movie is turning 75 this month?
Yes, I’m speaking of Sunset Boulevard, the Billy Wilder classic which starred Gloria Swanson in a dramatic return to the screen. (Shockingly, she lost the 1951 Best Actress Oscar to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday.) And it gave us a relatively new young actor named William Holden, playing the male lead who begins the film floating face-down in a backyard pool. (Montgomery Clift passed on the role.) His girlfriend in the film, played by Nancy Olson, is now 96.
David M. Lubin, former Rolling Stone writer, professor, and author of eight books on cinema, is receiving well-deserved praise for his latest, called Ready For My Close-Up, which chronicles the making of the film. He’s grateful, but not surprised, at how important that 75-year-old picture turned out to be. “The movie is irresistible to viewers today because of its twisty plot, phenomenal acting, and brilliant dialogue,” Lubin told me. “But that’s not what sets it apart. It’s attracting attention because the topics it raises are surprisingly pertinent to our me-obsessed era: worship of youth, hunger for fame, dread of irrelevance, and so forth. It treats these heavyweight topics with a lighthearted wit and rich sense of irony that make it feel as contemporary as can be.”
Being in that movie town today feels significantly different. Maybe because so many so-called celebrities are of the TikTok generation. (Will they still be “ready for their closeup” when they hit 20?) The good news is that aging isn’t as hazardous an affliction for our female stars as it was for Norma Desmond. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Annette Bening, Jennifer Aniston and many more are well over 50 and still booking juicy roles. And Nicole Scherzinger, the singer-actress who just won a Tony for her performance in the Sunset Boulevard musical, is (gasp) 47.
Also, let’s face it, we have few writer/directors as talented and beloved as Billy Wilder. When The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius won the Best Film Oscar, his entire speech was, “Thank you to Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder, and Billy Wilder.” I also recall a day in 2015 at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club, when a long table featured directors Steven Spielberg, Stanley Donen, Sydney Pollack, Francis Ford Coppola, James Brooks, and Rob Reiner. They were there for a surprise birthday party for Billy Wilder.
Another reason (in my opinion) for that man’s greatness? He didn’t feel the need to fill his dialogue with profanity. Let’s face it: Screenwriters today would likely phrase things differently, having Norma Desmond utter, “It’s the f—ing pictures that got small!” Better? You decide.
No one can deny that Sunset Boulevard is, unpredictably, as relevant as ever. The recent New York musical production was cleverly directed by Jamie Lloyd, in a style that honored the film (with onscreen credits, etc) as well as offering audiences a thrilling theatrical experience.
I often drive the real Sunset Boulevard. There are still the occasional mansions flanking the street, perhaps now with elevators replacing the staircases that Norma descended. If any of those homes are 75, they’re in good company with history’s most famous cinematic jewel.
Michele Willens is a freelance journalist based in NYC and the author of From Mouseketeers to Menopause; listen to her podcast, Stage Right Or Not, here.
