U.S., 1950, 111 min, 4K DCP, Dir. Billy Wilder, Not Rated, Paramount
Sunset Boulevard
Saturday, September 17
"Dead fame, the grim phantom that often uniquely besets careers in Hollywood, becomes the theme for one of the most remarkable pictures ever produced.” — Edwin Schallert, Los Angeles Times
"Sunset Boulevard is one of those films which serve as milestones in the progress of the motion picture toward its goal of entertainment art."— George Bourke, Miami Herald
Gloria Swanson is Norma Desmond, an aging silent film queen, and William Holden is Joe Gillis, the struggling writer who is held in thrall to her madness. Together, Swanson and Gillis delivered two of the silver screen's most memorable performances in this riveting Hollywood melodrama. Solidifying his status as one of America's best filmmakers, Billy Wilder weaves a bizarre and lurid tale of desperation into a cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence to the inevitable unfolding of its protagonists' tragic destinies, it's easy to see why Sunset Boulevard is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. It's the definitive statement on the dark side of fame, often imitated but never duplicated.
"A movie that celebrates and critiques Hollywood and show business in such an honest and profound way. Norma Desmond is one of the great characters in film. What I love about this film is how it blurs the line between delusion and reality, something that resonates in present day. It greatly inspired my journey in writing The Disaster Artist."
—Greg Sestero
This film screens as part of In Exhibition With: Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero is an actor, writer, and producer. He starred in The Room and co-wrote The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made, the New York Times best-selling memoir about the making of The Room that inspired the award-winning film. Greg also wrote and produced Best F(r)iends Volume 1 and 2 and was most recently seen in Netflix's popular gothic-drama mini-series The Haunting of Bly Manor. His directorial horror genre debut Miracle Valley is the first film to ever shoot at Frank Lloyd Wright’s world-renowned masterpiece, Fallingwater.
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