AVS Discussions
Movie and TV Discussion => Movie reviews => Topic started by: Barry on August 11, 2025, 12:53:07 PM
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“Film Noir” does not have a definite definition, but I have thought that a Film Noir movie was a black and white feature from 1940-1960, that usually was a mystery, a romance, a murder with something strange or illogical in it.
Sunset Boulevard certainly fits that bill. It has a romance, a murder and a bit of a mystery.
It is considered a good look of what Hollywood was, and is. That is, performers often have a “time window” for their stardom and then are discarded.
Joe Gillis, played by William Holden is a 31-year-old man failing in his profession as a screen writer. By a remarkable and somewhat unbelievable coincidence, he winds up the grandiose home of Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson. She is 50 and was a star, a big one, 25 years ago. It fact she is still big, it’s the movies that have gotten small. Now she is just rich and crazy. He is broke and she offers him a lifestyle he finds hard to leave.
While compelling, the movie is bizarre and very little is logical. It is interesting that Joe Gil is given many chances to leave, even with a great new girlfriend, and he always finds a reason to stay.
And we know she is crazy: Gil Points to a huge movie screen she has in the living room to watch old movies. Anyone who does that must be crazy!
The movie is great in 4K. Great picture, great contrast and I did notice a lack of detail on faces, that is the way it was filmed. The sound is clear and full in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. The picture is it’s original format, 1.37:1.