Sunset Boulevard (1950)

A down on his luck screenwriter (William Holden) is fleeing men who are trying to repossess his car because he's behind in his payments. In an attempt to hide, he pulls into the driveway of what appears to be an abandoned old decaying mansion. But far from being deserted, it is occupied by a former silent film star (Gloria Swanson) and her butler (Erich von Stroheim). Directed by Billy Wilder, this stinging valentine to the movie business has a reputation as one of the all time great Hollywood films and deservedly so. It tempers the acid with doses of dark humor but make no mistake about it, this isn't a comedy (though some have referred to it as a black comedy). Everything is first rate from John F. Seitz's atmospheric B&W noir-ish lensing to Franz Waxman's evocative Oscar winning score. After an impressive debut in GOLDEN BOY (1939), you'd think Holden's career would have soared but he never quite got on the A list but SUNSET made him a bona fide star and he remained one until his death. Swanson is nothing short of magnificent here but it's essentially a one note performance (not her fault, it's the way the part is written) but she plays that one note impeccably and she gets one of the greatest mad scenes in movie history. With Nancy Olson, Jack Webb, Fred Clark, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton and Yvette Vickers.