Sunset Boulevard
Dir: Billy Wilder
1950
*****
Sunset Boulevard is cinema at it's very best. Everything about this film is glorious, from the acting, the directing, the script, to the set design to the make-up, everything here reeks of class and elegance. I also don't believe any other film has been narrated as well, and as for Norma Desmond, she is without a doubt one of cinemas greatest creations. Credited as being Hollywood's first black comedy, Sunset Boulevard broke boundaries and has influenced many a film maker since, indeed, without Sunset Boulevard they'd be no Coen Brothers'. From the narration of a dead man to the beautifully twisted notions of egocentrism and narcissism, Billy Wilder's masterpiece remains a pioneering feat in cutting edge screenwriting. John F. Seitz deserves much of the credit for his cinematography though, Wilder quite wisely let him do his thing knowing that he was top of his game. At one point, Seitz asked Wilder how he wanted him to film Norma Desmond's pet Chimpanzee's funeral scene. Wider responded "you know, just your standard monkey funeral shot". It is fair to say Wilder shook Hollywood to it's core, changing the rules and taking a swipe it would seem at the very industries in which he was working. One of his biggest critics was Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of MGM. Mayer (who was Jewish) shockingly suggested Wilder (who was also Jewish) go back to Germany, knowing full well that Wilder's family had perished there in the concentration camps. Wilder famously told Mayer to "Go shit in your hat". Other members of old-school Hollywood also criticised the production, largely missing the point and taking it far too personally. Wilder re-wrote the rule book, gave us one of the most beautiful of the film noirs and one of the most memorable scenes in cinema's history. A serious game-changer in the history of film.