The story begins when Joe Gillis (William Holden), a down-on-his-luck, unemployed Hollywood screenwriter receives a visit from the men who have financed his car. (Actually, this isn't where the story begins, but it is the point from which I am starting.) With no payment in hand, and no job on the horizon, Joe attempts to evade the finance guys, and in so doing, he races down Sunset Boulevard in said car. After blowing a tire and realizing he needs to hide the car from the men who want to repossess it, Joe pulls off the road and into the garage of a dilapidated, abandoned-looking old mansion.
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Before long, though, Joe realizes the house is not abandoned. Someone is peering at him from an upper window, and a butler is standing at the door as if he had been expecting Joe's arrival. Joe is whisked to a second-story bedroom, where he comes face to face with an eccentric middle-aged woman and her deceased chimpanzee. After assuring the woman he is not the undertaker she had been expecting, Joe attempts to leave, but then he realizes that he actually recognizes the woman...she is Norma Desmond, a major star from the silent era of movies (Gloria Swanson).
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Norma lives in the past, surrounding herself with her old movies and dozens of photos from her "golden years." Stating that she is planning a "return" and not a "comeback," Norma mentions to Joe that she has written a script (in which she will star), and after discovering that Joe is a screenwriter, she requests that he do some editing for her. Not really wanting to be in the presence of this strange lady and her even stranger surroundings, Joe's initial response is to turn down the job offer; however, knowing that he really needs the money in order to keep his car and pay his back rent, he accepts the position...and is soon living in a room above Norma's garage and then eventually in a room adjoining hers in the main house. Also living in the house is Norma's devoted, ever-present butler (Erich von Stroheim).
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It's not long before Joe is quite unnerved by the situation in which he finds himself. Norma has become extremely possessive and controlling, barely allowing Joe out of her sight. She is buying all his clothes and paying his back rent. In short, he is a "kept man"...kept by a woman nearly twice his age...and he is uncomfortable to the hilt. Finally, on New Year's Eve, when he discovers that the "party" he thought Norma was having is just for the two of them, he storms out...ending up at a party a friend is having. Free from Norma's clutches, he enjoys a time of partying with people his own age. Joe's freedom is short-lived, however, as Norma's butler tracks him down and tells him that Norma has attempted suicide. Feeling guilty that Norma has attempted to kill herself due to her unrequited love for him, Joe returns to her house and ultimately begins an affair with her.
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Since Norma continues to be determined to make a return to the screen, she and Joe make a trip to Paramount Studios, where she can visit with movie producer, Cecille B. DeMille. While at the studio, Joe runs into a girl he had been talking to at his friend's New Year's Eve party. She tells him she wants to re-write one of his scripts, and the two begin meeting together in the evenings to do that. In time, they begin to fall in love, but Norma, desperately jealous, will stop at nothing to keep Joe to herself. How it all plays out is the balance of the film.
An amazing movie, Sunset Boulevard was one of the most honored films of 1950. In all, it received 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, and both supporting categories. In the end, as 1950 was also the year of All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard came away with only 3 wins, one of which was for Best Music (Franz Waxman). Much as I like All About Eve, I think Sunset Boulevard was the superior film. I also believe this to be the absolute best performance of William Holden's career (and he had many great performances, including one which won him an Oscar). Since I grew bored with Cyrano de Bergerac and turned it off after less than 20 minutes, I have been unable to determine how Jose Ferrer snagged the Lead Actor win that year. Although I'm not familiar with any of Gloria Swanson's other works since she was mostly from the silent era, I was beyond impressed with her performance in Sunset Boulevard. After seeing the works of each actress that year, I readily admit the Academy had a tough job in choosing the winner, for they all were fantastic. In the end, though, I have come away believing that Eleanor Parker ought to have won for Caged, with Miss Swanson only a tiny breath behind her. Her acting is completely and totally brilliant!
Out on DVD, Sunset Boulevard should be quite easy track down. Additionally, TCM airs it very regularly---seems like about four or five times a year. Definitely try to see it when you can. It's not a feel-good movie, but it takes an honest look at not only the Hollywood climate, but at how most of us feel about growing older in a youth-oriented culture.
Happy viewing!!