Sunset Blvd.-Paramount Summer Classic Film Series (2025)

 

Monday Night we returned to our summer house, the Paramount Theater in Austin Texas, to enjoy a 35mm screening of "Sunset Blvd", from writer/director Billy Wilder. This poison pen love letter to Hollywood is suspenseful and reflective of the cutthroat nature of the film business. The industry has changed a lot since 1950, but some things remain the same. Writers are neglected by audiences as part of the film making process, in spite of the fact they are essential. Older stars are abandoned with indifferent cruelty, after all, who wants to see the elderly in a romantic clinch? And finally, the grasping secondary people will sell off their self respect to make it in the world.

Norma Desmond is a rich but washed up silent movie star, who clings to a dream of being relevant and being adored by an audience. Gloria Swanson does a magnificent job of conveying her delusional self image while also grasping at the desperate attempts she makes at holding onto the dream. William Holden is cynical and callous enough as the down on his luck screenwriter, who allows himself to be snagged like a fly in Norma's web. He is not guilt free, but we can empathize with every character in the movie, and he is our main protagonist.

The black and white photography, the dark themes and a  femme fatale all qualify "Sunset Blvd" as a Noir film. The floating body of the protagonist at the start of the film does the same in spades. The behind the scenes views of Hollywood in the golden age also make this film, unlike any other movie of the era. The below the line talent hangs out at Schwab's drugstore, they part like normal people on New Years Eve and they are malleable to circumstances like everyone else.  Betty Schaffer may be an innocent run over by the system in pursuit of stepping up in class, but she was also willing to abandon her love interest for a more promising prospect, at least until she found out who he really was.

When my daughter was still in school at USC with a minor in film, we took in a screening of "Sunset Blvd" at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood. Just to show her how steeped in film the whole town was and is, I drove straight up the street that we turned out of the parking garage on, and drove four blocks up to Joe Gillis apartment. It is still there, exactly where he said it was in the opening of the film. That is a pleasant memory of Hollywood, "Sunset Blvd" reminds us all, that the fantasy comes at a price.

Day 2 TCM FF Friday April 7 (Part 3)

The Bridge on the River Kwai

One of my on-line friends , in answer to a poll question concerning what movies are best on the big screen, answered "None". He believes that a movie isn't very good if it has to be experienced in a theater. Here is exhibit A in the case against this ridiculous claim. Movies were made for theaters not for TV screens, and the framing, cinematography, and spectacle can sometimes best be appreciated when it is thirty feet tall and seventy feet wide. "David Lean" is the answer to any of your friends who have a similar opinion. 

I've seen The Bridge on the River Kwai maybe a dozen times in my life. I own a beautiful Laserdisc edition. This however was the first time I think I have seen it on a big screen, and this was in the main theater at the famed home of Grauman's (now TCL). The expansiveness of the jungle can be appreciated more on the big screen. The Bridge itself, both as it is being completed and destroyed is much more impressive on the giant screen in this theater. The climax of the film looks more impressive and the madness of the characters involved is more completely noticeable as two of the principles lie in the foreground of the destruction.

It was the 60th anniversary of the films release and our host was Alex Trebeck, the quiz master of "Jeopardy". He shared the familiar story of how two blacklisted screenwriters were deprived of their credits for the film, which won the award for screenplay. The Award was given in 1958 to the author of the book, of whom one of the screenwriters said, "At least he had the good grace to not appear at the Awards to accept.".

William Holden manages to be even better in the film than I remembered, but it is Alec Guinness who really stands out and clear deserved to honor bestowed on him that year. The cast looks incredibly emaciated in the early parts of the film. It was probably as accurate as you could get without being accused of deliberately mistreating the actors. The battle of wills that dominates the first part of the movie is both tragic and comic. Col. Nichols remained dryly sardonic in spite of the hardships he had to endure. A Great Film in a great venue.