Classic Film : Sunset Blvd, All About Eve

Since there's already a thread on All About Eve I may as well start one about the film AAE is most often compared and contrasted with, Sunset Blvd. Both films offer behind the scenes looks at life in Hollywood and in the New York theater, respectively. There are humorous as well as serious undercurrents in both films as well. Neither presents a flattering picture of the kinds of people who toil in films and on the stage, however there are some exceptions (a good egg wardrobe assistant, a kindly, elderly movie director, etc.).

Both films were among the most talked about if not the most talked about films of 1950. They also share in common being the works of writers turned directors, Billy Wilder, for SB, Joe Mankiewicz for AAE. Most old movie buffers are familiar with these films and I hope I'm not being presumptuous in not going into great detail as to their plots except to say that middle aged actresses are at the center of the stories in both films; and in each case the actress is engaged in a relationship with a younger man; in SB a much younger man.

I love both films, probably equally, and for somewhat different reasons, and I can imagine that there would be nights when, if offered a chance to view either one I would turn it down, only to accept a few days later, and vice versa. There have been so many X versus Y threads on the CFB of late I don't want to go there, though for those familiar with these films it might be fun to talk about them; their similarities and their differences.

Sunset Blvd strikes me as having more strikes against it than Eve inasmuch as its main story is grim, a major character dies, it's even more indoorsy than Eve, and not half so cozy. It's downright chilly. Yet it's one of a kind. There's nothing else like it. Director and co-author Billy Wilder really turned the screws on the Hollywood establishment with this one, and they weren't happy about it. Nor is it the kind of movie to appeal to the average moviegoer of its day, or this day, for that matter: it's dark, morbid and full of people who are either weak, sick or defeated; and its story seems to revolve around the theme of hopelessness. Fun, huh? Actually, for the (as they used to say) discerning viewer, it's a highly intelligent, compelling and mesmerizing film, right to its final moments, when it rises to greatness.

All About Eve is a lot more fun. It's rather shallow, but a well crafted tale told with brilliance can become much better than the sum of its parts. One key difference between this film and SB is that it's primarily a comedy, with some dramatic moments, including serious issues; and its characters are more engaging even when they're behaving badly. Eve's aging actresses, Margo Channing, may be a b!tch when the spirit or a cocktail moves her, withal she wins our sympathy; while SB's aging diva, Norma Desmond is near psychotically detached from the real world, is more to be pitied than scorned or even criticized, as she is, from her first scene to her last, a pathetic human being.

SB is tragic at the core, even when the dialogue is bright and witty. As the story unfolds, moves inexorably to its conclusion, it becomes a tragedy, thus it's a serious story, deserving of our attention. AAE is more of a piece, with a nicely defined beginning, middle and end. There's sadness, for sure, but no tragedy; or maybe I should say no tragedy most normal human beings can't identify with at some level. I think I can state, without resorting to a spoiler than SB is a far more deeply tragic tale, and the underlying madness of a major character put it in a class by itself. Also, while both films deal with the theme of make-believe and how it influences and even defines life, the make-believe of the more sober SB ground it in reality, and in the end make the film a devastating critique of Hollywood, while AAE deals with make-believe more lightly. It appears to endorse it even as it too points out its dangers in its final scene. The effect on the viewer, however is a far cry from that of the other film, which feels near apocalyptic rather than, as when Eve ends: here we go again

A very interesting, detailed and thought-provoking comparison, but not oneat least for meto be read quickly or just once. It requires two or more readings.

Thank you so much for your response (now responses), Aloysius . It took me a while to respond. I'd like to see more film focused discussions here, more posting on classic films,yes, I know that some of us have different views and timelines as to what constitutes classic eraand less controversial (on a classic film board!) stuff, whether political, sexual or gossipy stuff.

You're welcome, Telegonus! But thank YOU for spending time and attention writing an interesting article which is virtually a short essay, and sharing your knowledge, your experience and your insight with your fellow posters. And mind you, my reading level concerning cinema is not low: I used to read reguarly Sight & Sound, Cahiers du Cinéma and other magazines and publications. But I am just a reader. I would be incapable of writingand even conceiving something like that.

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I'd like to see more film focused discussions here, more posting on classic films

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So would I, so would I Well, the very name of the this board is quite clear, ain't it? CLASSIC FILM. But some people come here looking for Politics, Soapbox or even Film General stuff, hence misunderstandings, tensions and clashes.

I have another problem: dissymmetry. While I have seen SB many times, the last one relatively recently, and I know some scenes and sequences almost by heart and can even visualise them, I have seen AAE only three times, and a long time ago. This is not good for comparison purposes.

Besides, I am not objective and impartial: If I have to choose, my favourite is SB

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I have another problem: dissymmetry. While I have seen SB many times, the last one relatively recently, and I know some scenes and sequences almost by heart and can even visualise them, I have seen AAE only three times, and a long time ago. This is not good for comparison purposes.

Besides, I am not objective and impartial: If I have to choose, my favourite is SB

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I could write these exact wordsexcept my 3rd viewing of AAE was about 3 years ago.


"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."

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I could write these exact wordsexcept my 3rd viewing of AAE was about 3 years ago.

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I can't even remember when I saw AAE for the last time. Last century, for sure. Probably late 1990s.

Two out of many, many great films released in 1950!

~~~~~
Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen =

Both films also unfold in flashback so the first-time viewer is kept in suspense as to who eventually kills Joe Gillis and,to a lesser extent,how Eve succeeds in becoming an award-winning actress.In the early 50s there were two other films ,The Bad and the Beautiful and The Barefoot Contessa which also used a flashback structure to present a critical view of Hollywood but not quite as bleakly as Wilder. But I agree that Eve is a much lighter film and an audience tends to laugh along with the characters whereas in Sunset they often laugh at them,particularly at Norma Desmond`s delusions.

I'd count CONTESSA as bleak Ethan - a Cinderella story where the prince turns out to be impotent !!! - Not too many of those about ! at least Norma got laid before she offed Joe - Maria Vargas was the victim of a very cruel joke. . It's a less accomplished film overall to be sure - but i'd say its SB's equal in cynicism.

I caught the London revival of the musical last year - my biggest problem was I thought they played it for laughs too much. Stage Norma at the climax was a pathetic creature - no tragic grandeur there.as there is with the Wilder..well staged though

And I can't resist opportunity to add the negleced FEDORA to the list of stylish and tragic film on film flashbackers - now in lovely Masters of Cinema edition with 12 mins deleted scenes. For me that one moves me more than SB now

Tell mama, Tell mama all.

Bette Davis is my idol, role model and everything

However, I have to admit that I like Sunset Boulevard as a whole much better. The atmosphere is intriguing since the very beginning, and love the many dream-like sequences it has.

All About Eve is a superb movie, of course, but full of pretentious characters and dialogue. I really have to be in a special mood (angry? tired? jealous?) in order to fully enjoy it, while I can watch Sunset Boulevard anytime.

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Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

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Interesting comment on the dream-like atmosphere of Sunset Blvd. That's true right from the first shot of Joe Gillis to the last one of Norma Desmond. Not every scene is like that but there is a dream and sometimes nightmare aura to the film that the more workman-like Eve doesn't have. The characters in that one are pretentious, I agree, but it's set up that way, from the opening scene in the Sarah Siddons society dining room to the last, in Eve's bedroom. There's a more snap, crackle and pop in Eve, as I see it; while much as I love Sunset Blvd the love scenes between Joe and the script girl, while they get the job done, fall flat with me, feel almost shoe-horned into the main story. Or maybe director-screenwriter Billy Wilder just wasn't good at or interested in "normal".

Thank you so much, telegonus.

There's also another dream-like scene that I like very much indeed: when Norma thinks she's being hired by DeMille for a movie and then visits the studios and, once she enters into the movie set, is quickly surrounded by people from the old days who are genuinely mesmerized by having the star in front of them. It's truly a poignant moment and you can tell the real happiness in her face.

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Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

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Yes, the scenes with Norma at her old studio are poignant. The acting are set ups are outstanding, with no less than Cecil B. DeMille, with whom Gloria Swanson had worked in real life, giving a real performance,as himself! Norma's obliviousness to the freak show-like impression she is creating is a heart breaker, with only Norma's usual imperiousness breaking the mood, enabling the viewer to distance himself somewhat from her pitifulness, as it becomes apparent all too soon how and why she became unemployable at a relatively young age, leaving aside the coming of sound in motion pictures.

It's one of the most remarkable sequences in the picture, and the only one in which Norma's fantasy world of "the giddy heights of a lost career" and the real, contemporary one Joe inhabits intersect. And from DeMille on down to Hogeye the electrician and all the other old friends who gather 'round, it subtly makes the point that only those who adapt survive. As DeMille gently points out to her, "Pictures have changed quite a bit."

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it becomes apparent all too soon how and why she became unemployable at a relatively young age, leaving aside the coming of sound in motion pictures.

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Among the most fascinating aspects of the Wilder-Brackett screenplay is its vagueness about just how Norma's career came to a halt. We have Norma's story about "deserting the screen;" DeMille's acknowledgment that she became "a terror to work with" (but, as he adds, "only toward the end").

And we know of Norma's disdain for "talk, talk, talk," so beautifully crystallized in the pure visual of the boom mic quite literally dislodging the feather in her "crown."

What we don't know is whether sound (or her failure with it), changing public tastes, temperament or any combination thereof actually finished her off, or she retreated out of a sense of fear of a changing world; a fear that she was perhaps unable to admit or even realize.

If I can back up to something in your original comment about SB for a minor quibble

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it's even more indoorsy than Eve, and not half so cozy.

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Perhaps I'm taking you too literally, but aside from a few establishing shots, the only AAE exteriors are Karen's first encounter with Eve, Bill's airport departure and Eve and Addison's brief walk in New Haven (before rear projection). Otherwise, it consists entirely of interiors, whereas SB opens up quite a bit for scenes around Norma's estate, on the Paramount lot and around town.

Wilder employs a sense of contrasts in his visuals, not the least of which is an abundance of sunshine sprinkled throughout the film's first three quarters, which then gives way entirely to nighttime scenes in the final stretch as the story itself darkens, with Joe's attraction to Betty (and Norma's final descent into madness) bringing him to a crossroads and hurtling him toward the inevitability of his fate.

What's apparent to me in SB is a sense of stasis (or as Joe puts it, "a creeping paralysis"), reflected most vividly in Norma's airless, frozen-in-time existence, but hinted at as well in the stalled careers and unrealized ambitions of Joe and Betty. I wonder if that's what's giving you that "indoorsy" feeling that's so at odds with AAE's sense of vitality, volatility, momentum, intrigue and a general one of things happening (sometimes so rapidly that characters feel overtaken by them) within its insular world. I note in passing a few witty references to the physical nature of that insularity:

"Mansfield's voice filled this room. It is unlikely that the windows have been opened since his death."

"Autograph fiends. They're not people. Little beasts that run around in packs like coyotes.They never see a play or a movie, even. They're never indoors long enough."

"The little witch must have sent out Indian Runners, snatching critics out of bars, steam rooms and museums or wherever they hole up."





Poe! You areavenged!

It's true, Doghouse regarding what really drove Norma Desmond mad: we are never told (in so many words). It can't just be that motion pictures started to talk. That's too facile. She had money and fame and no doubt for many years did get her share of fain mail.

Regarding the interiors/exteriors of SB and AAE I really meant what I said more figuratively than literally. Indeed, there are those outside shots early in SB; scenes that show Norma and Joe at the pool; and that New Year's drive, with the young folks party.

AAE's indoors scenes feel cozy, or do to me, while SB's are often oppressive. I find the interior of Norma's house ugly and uninviting. It's like the House Of the Living Dead, right down to the Waxworks bridge nights. That big old house really does feel like a prison; for Joe, that is.

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AAE's indoors scenes feel cozy, or do to me, while SB's are often oppressive.

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I getcha, tel, particularly Margo's townhouse, where so much action takes place. For all its chic elegance of the day, it looks welcoming and comfy. Even the spare modernity of Lloyd and Karen's apartment has a structured yet casual informality.

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I find the interior of Norma's house ugly and uninviting.

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Portions of the main set - entrance hall and living room - turned up later in 1950 in Fancy Pants, looking every bit as overdecorated in Victorian nouveau rich, Technicolor gaudiness. It then reappeared, modernized and glossy, as the Eastman home where George first meets Angela in A Place In the Sun.

Come to think of it, the stairs and landing of Margo's townhouse where several key scenes take place reappeared as well, also in Technicolor, in 1951's Half Angel.


Poe! You areavenged!

It's great to get back to the business of CLASSICS BOARD!

I really see SUNSET BOULEVARD as way more cheerful than ALL ABOUT EVE.
the fun, bright cheerful moment comes when the REAL Hedda Hopper shows up.
We know, then that this movie is going to end right.
Norma gets help (she will be committed to a "criminally insane" hospital, I'm sure).
We'll miss Holden's great fun commentary, but he's just cashing in his exit visa sooner rather than later.
And maybe Von Stroheim can get free at last.
The young couple (Jack Webb and the girl) will be properly married, but Jack Webb, as IRL, will totally neglect her for his massive Television career, as he did poor, gorgeous Julie London.

ALL ABOUT EVE is much sadder. Marilyn Monroe became the biggest star of all time then and now, but got no respect (even here, on the CLASSICS BOARD).
Bette Davis was then, and later, a mean drunk married to an even meaner drunk Gary Merrill, who made her daughter's life hell. Bette, drunk, was in total denial of everything as long as their miserable marriage lasted.
Marilyn Monroe died too soon.
Barbara Bates (the fan club president stalking Eve) killed herself.
George Sanders killed himself.

I mean, SUNSET BOULEVARD is "Disney" in comparison.


"We will bury you"-NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV

Just a few superficial comments:

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Both films were among the most talked about if not the most talked about films of 1950. They also share in common being the works of writers turned directors, Billy Wilder, for SB, Joe Mankiewicz for AAE

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Trivia: According to IMDb, the premieres of AAE in New York City and Paris took place on the same day, 13 October 1950, but there is a second date for France: 18 April 1951 which is the same date for the premiere of SB in France!

Trivia: Titles in other countries:

SB. In some Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America: 'El ocaso de una vida' (The Sunset of a Life)

AAE. In Italy: 'Eva contro Eva (Eva against Eva). In Argentina: 'La malvada' (The Wicked One) (sounds like a tango). In Spain: 'Eva al desnudo' (Naked Eva). In France: 've'.

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There have been so many X versus Y threads on the CFB of late I don't want to go there

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I never liked this competitive, almost sportive notion and I very rarely participate. Besides, it looks like a legal case: Munn v. Illinois (US 113, 1876); Adair v. United States (208 U.S. 161, 1908); Coyle v. Smith (221 U.S, 559, 1911), etc.

SB.

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it's dark, morbid and full of people who are either weak, sick or defeated; and its story seems to revolve around the theme of hopelessness. Fun, huh?

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Yes, very! But that's part of its charm

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Actually, for the (as they used to say) discerning viewer, it's a highly intelligent, compelling and mesmerizing film, right to its final moments, when it rises to greatness.

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So, there's a "happy end", after all (except for Joe Gillis, of course!)

-

I still have to read the last two paragraphs for the second time.

Thanks for all the kind comments, Aloysius. 1950 was quite a year for films about actresses, with two major ones featuring aging actresses, in different mediums, of course, and both becoming near overnight classics. Another year like that would be 1931, with the two pictures that kicked off the gangster cycle, Little Caesar and The Public Enemy and the two films that helped start the horror genre as we came to know it, Dracula and Frankenstein. In both cases the two films came from the same studio, with the second film somewhat larger budgeted than the first; and also, in both cases the star of the second film (Cagney, Karloff) became bigger names than the star of the first (Edward G. Robinson, Bela Lugosi).

You're welcome, Telegonus. You are quite right about 1950, but not only for what you say, it was a key year, mainly because of the outbreak of the Korean War, very important for cinema as well.

Let's not forget the 1950 William Holden: how different were Joe Gillis in SB, his namesake Lieutenant William Calhoun in Union Station and Paul Verrall in Born Yesterday!! Fine all of them. What an actor! An all-time favourite of mine.

About money:

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Money makes the world go around
The world go around
The world go around
Money makes the world go around
It makes the world go 'round.

A mark, a yen, a buck, or a pound
A buck or a pound
A buck or a pound
Is all that makes the world go around,
That clinking clanking sound
Can make the world go 'round.

Money money money money money money
Money money money money money money
Money money money money money money
Money money

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Top-grossing 1950 films (U.S.)

1. King Solomon's Mines $9,955,000

2. All About Eve $8,400,000

3. Walt Disney's Cinderella $8,000,000

4. Annie Get Your Gun $7,756,000

5. Father of the Bride $6,084,000

6. Sunset Boulevard and Destination Moon 5,000,000

7. Born Yesterday $4,150,000




Also 1931, of course, for what you say and also a very important year historically because of the beginning of the Japanese intervention in China which directly or indirectly led to December 7, 1941, and the fall of the Spanish monarchy and the proclamation of the Republic, which led directly or indirectly to a Popular Front and the Spanish Civil War, which was the rehearsal of the European part of the Second World War.

There are several different lists of what is supposed to be 1950's biggest hits. This list originates from Variety's year end 1950 issue totals and includes 1949 debuts still playing in 1950:

1) Samson and Delilah $11,000,000 (final first-run rentals of $9,000,000)
2) Battleground $4,550,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,700,000)
3) King Solomon's Mines $4,400,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,825,000)
4) Cheaper by the Dozen $4,325,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,425,000)
5) Annie Get Your Gun $4,200,000 (final first-run rentals of $,650,000)
6) Cinderella $4,150,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,275,000)
Father of the Bride $4,150,000
8) Sands of Iwo Jima $3,900,000
9) Broken Arrow $3,550,000
10) Twelve O'Clock High $3,225,000
11) All About Eve $2,900,000
The Flame and the Arrow $2,900,000
Francis $2,900,000
On the Town $2,900,000
15) Adam's Rib $2,750,000
16) Three Little Words $2,700,000
17) The Black Rose $2,650,000
18) The Great Lover $2,625,000
19) The Duchess of Idaho $2,600,000
Fancy Pants $2,600,000
21) Prince of Foxes $2,550,000
Summer Stock $2,550,000
23) I'll Get By $2,450,000
24) All the King's Men $2,400,000
My Friend Irma Goes West $2,400,000
Let's Dance $2,400,000
Tea for Two $2,400,000
28) Riding High $2,350,000
Sunset Boulevard $2,350,000
30) The Heiress $2,300,000
31) An American Guerilla in the Philippines $2,275,000
My Blue Heaven $2,275,000
33) The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady $2,250,000
Rio Grande $2,250,000
Winchester '73 $2,250,000
36) Key to the City $2,240,000

http://heylookmeover.blogspot.com/2008/11/film-data-for-1950.html
Note how low Sunset Blvd. is though undoubtably still profitable even in 1950. This keeps with the belief that the original theatrical release was not that big a hit.

Also found this list online which seems less credible:

http://www.teako170.com/box50-59.html

001 $ 34.1 n/a $ 34.1 Cinderella (1950)
002 $ 8.0 n/a $ 8.0 Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
003 $ 5.0 n/a $ 5.0 Destination Moon (1950)
004 $ 2.8 n/a $ 2.8 Three Little Words (1950)
005 $ 2.6 n/a $ 2.6 Fancy Pants (1950)
006 $ 1.5 $ 0.7 $ 2.2 The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
007 $ 2.0 n/a $ 2.0 Wabash Avenue (1950)

Thank you for your data. I took mine from Wikipedia, for I just wanted to make a quick mention and didn't have the time or the mood for a more detailed research. That's why I even abridged the list from ten to seven.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_in_film.

But well, you know what can happenand indeed happens sometimeswith Wikipedia

Thanks, alas Wikipedia often cannot be trusted given anyone can just write in anything - I remember about a decade ago someone had put in the "highest grossing" films of each year most of the 50's movies starring Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren!! (And of course La VD's movies were B's making it most unlikely they were huge moneymakers). That website has similar lists for most years of the 50s-60s (as well as awards and popularity polls), quite an invaluable reference source.

You're welcome. Wikipedia is very useful, but must be read cum grano salis. Those who think that it's the word of God and believe anything it says literallly (often young people who rarely read a book are wrong. But so are those whosometimes snobbishlydespise it (besides, there's much hypocrisy here: they do use it, but they don't want to admit it or be seen using it, almost as if it were porno!)

As for me, I belong to a books generation (I refuse to read an e-book on the screen of a computer), but I admit that in a number of things (updated data and statistics, for example), Wikipedia is very useful. For "timeless" articles and short essays, I prefer my old 1973 Encyclopaedia Britannica and other encyclopedias, though.

Great list, Harlow. Thanks. I'm a little surprised that Born Yesterday and Harvey aren't in the list but maybe they made it the next year. A lot depends on the timing of the release. Samson And Delilah and Battleground are both from 1949, were still in general release the following year. I see three with Tyrone Power, which actually surprises me. His best period was late 30s-early 40s. I know that he remained bankable for some years after but not that bankable. That's pretty good. Two actors I associate with Power,all started out in films and peaked around the same periodRobert Taylor and Errol Flynn, don't have any films on that list. Taylor would bounce back with Quo Vadis and Ivanhoe. Flynn was on the downhill slide by then.

It was an amazing year for films.

All About Eve

Sunset Blvd

No Way Out

Where the Sidewalk Ends

The Happiest Days of Your Life

Winchester '73

The Magnet

Gun Crazy

The Man Who Cheated Himself

The Asphalt Jungle

Quicksand

and I'm probably forgetting quite a few films.

~~~~~
Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen =

Hi tel,

Great post. I love both films a great deal. Both show the cut-throat and emotionally distressing nature of the film and theatre world.

I view All About Eve as a tragedy with some light at the end of the tunnel. Margo and her friends must learn to live with Eve's destruction, they've suffered at her hands, but they can all move on and find some happiness because they still have each other.

Sunset Blvd gives no such hope to its characters. Norma has Max in her life, he tries to give her hope(the fan mail)out of love for her, but she is too far gone in her delusions to pay him any mind. This film also shows (I wonder how this aspect was received upon release?)how cruel the film industry could be to the stars it claims to love, you can be number one today and a forgotten has been tomorrow. I love the contrast of acting styles here, Swanson showcasing the Silent era emphasis on facial expressions, and Holden focusing more on how lines are delivered, body language etc.

Margo can perform on stage and then happily spend the rest of the day with her boyfriend and friends; she has something else besides her work(even though her job is deeply important to her). Norma on the other hand has nothing off screen, all she has are her memories of her glory days, she is too afraid to admit her present to herself.

Great performances from the entire casts of both films. George Sanders is at his best as Addison De Witt.


Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

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I wonder how this aspect was received upon releasehow cruel the film industry could be to the stars it claims to love

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Here's a sample. After one of the many private screenings of SB (completed in 1949, Paramount kept it on a shelf for a year), Louis B. Mayer, his face purple with rage, advised Billy Wilder he'd never find work in Hollywood again.

What a great post! So much to think about. I'm gonna need tore-read it, but it will be a pleasure!

Great thread. Terrific series of posts.

I've seen both many times, but I prefer SB, overall, mostly because the characters on the fringes of Hollywood are more accessible, or just more interesting to me, than the rich elites who inhabit the upper tier of Broadway.

Both have their problems, but those in SB are still fighting for success while those in AAE are struggling to hold onto what they already have (except Eve) and can live very well as they are until they croak.

As iconic as Davis's famous bumpy line and Baxter's hollow triumph may be, it is Swanson's close up that moves and horrifies me, no matter how many times I see the movie.

It's too late now, but I wonder that a sequel to AAE might reveal if they flashed forward thirty of forty years to see what has become of Eve (another Margo facing a rival or another Desmond unable to relinquish the faded past?).

We are the makers of music and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Thanks, IP. SB seems to aim higher, and it gets there IMO. AAE is probably more the popular favorite. It's clever, aims to please, pleases. SB is more critical, cuts deeper; and it really does cut.

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Sunset Blvd strikes me as having more strikes against it than Eve inasmuch as its main story is grim, a major character dies, it's even more indoorsy than Eve, and not half so cozy. It's downright chilly. Yet it's one of a kind. There's nothing else like it. Director and co-author Billy Wilder really turned the screws on the Hollywood establishment with this one, and they weren't happy about it. Nor is it the kind of movie to appeal to the average moviegoer of its day, or this day, for that matter: it's dark, morbid and full of people who are either weak, sick or defeated; and its story seems to revolve around the theme of hopelessness. Fun, huh? Actually, for the (as they used to say) discerning viewer, it's a highly intelligent, compelling and mesmerizing film, right to its final moments, when it rises to greatness.

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None of these details seem to me to be "strikes against it". If anything, they're assets, and not deficits.

Those final shots of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" are the most horrifying,genuinly scary ones I have ever seen a movie. And I mean that as a huge complement.

It's among Wilder's most effective and evocative visuals: as she glides hypnotically toward the camera, with snakelike hand gestures complimented by Waxman's equally hypnotic scoring, the blurring and fogging of the shot perfectly imparts the final words of Joe's narration a moment before, "The dream she had clung to so desperately had enfolded her," as her image dissolves into mist before our eyes.

Her brief monologue at the bottom of the stairs also contains one of the most beautifully poetic phrases in any screenplay: "and those wonderful people out there in the dark."

What that's always said to me is that the mysteries of "movie magic" are a two-way street for both audiences who view that magic on the screen and the performers and technicians alike who labor to put it there; a sort of symbiosis of enigma, if you will.



Poe! You areavenged!

Agreed,one reason why I like Sunset Boulevard better then All About Eve is that it is so dark.
If Telegonus thinks that SB is " dark, morbid and full of people who are either weak, sick or defeated; and its story seems to revolve around the theme of hopelessness" just wait until he see Wilder's next film: "The Big Carnival". which makes Sunset Boulevard look like a happy,cheerful view of Humanity.

Sunset Boulevard is my preference. I fell asleep on All About Eve.

I have seen The Big Carnival. Dalbrech. My observations re SB were just that, observations, not criticisms. It's a great film.