What do you think?
Rate this book
Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard was a critical and commercial success on its release in 1950 and remains a classic of film noir and one of the best-known Hollywood films about Hollywood. Both its opening, with William Holden as the screenwriter Joe Gillis floating facedown in ageing star Norma Desmond's (Gloria Swanson) pool, and lines such as 'I am big, it's the pictures that got small' are some of the most memorable in Classical Hollywood cinema.
Steven Cohan's study of the film draws on original archival research to shed new light on the film's production history, and the contribution to the film's success and meanings of director Wilder, stars Holden and Swanson but also supporting actors Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson (who plays Betty Schaefer), Cecil B. DeMille, and Hedda Hopper, as well as costumier Edith Head, and composer Franz Waxman. Cohan considers the film both as a 'backstudio' picture (a movie about Hollywood) and as a film noir, and in the context of McCarthyism, blacklisting and the Hollywood Ten.
Cohan explores how the film was marketed, its reception and afterlife, tracing how the film is at once a product of its own particular historical moment as the movie industry was transitioning out of the studio era, yet one that still speaks powerfully to contemporary audiences, and speculates on the reasons for its enduring appeal.
Steven Cohan's study of the film draws on original archival research to shed new light on the film's production history, and the contribution to the film's success and meanings of director Wilder, stars Holden and Swanson but also supporting actors Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson (who plays Betty Schaefer), Cecil B. DeMille, and Hedda Hopper, as well as costumier Edith Head, and composer Franz Waxman. Cohan considers the film both as a 'backstudio' picture (a movie about Hollywood) and as a film noir, and in the context of McCarthyism, blacklisting and the Hollywood Ten.
Cohan explores how the film was marketed, its reception and afterlife, tracing how the film is at once a product of its own particular historical moment as the movie industry was transitioning out of the studio era, yet one that still speaks powerfully to contemporary audiences, and speculates on the reasons for its enduring appeal.
- GenresFilm
104 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2022
11 people want to read
About the author
Steven Cohan
30 books3 followersSteven Cohan is Dean’s Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Syracuse University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 9, 2024
After finally watching the movie and enjoying it, I came across this in a bookstore and reckoned someone somewhere was telling me something about what to read next.
These little BFI volumes give much to digest about one particular movie. Characters, scripts, producers and directors, all were given their moment. The time prior to the making of the movie as well as the time after (a part I found particularly fascinating) were delved into as well.
If you appreciate the movie, this will certainly provide some tidbit of knowledge. If you are new to the movie as I was, it will certainly broaden its appeal to you.
Well done!
These little BFI volumes give much to digest about one particular movie. Characters, scripts, producers and directors, all were given their moment. The time prior to the making of the movie as well as the time after (a part I found particularly fascinating) were delved into as well.
If you appreciate the movie, this will certainly provide some tidbit of knowledge. If you are new to the movie as I was, it will certainly broaden its appeal to you.
Well done!
Displaying 1 of 1 review