Close-up on Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream
-
-
2.3 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, a classic film noir and also a damning dissection of the Hollywood dream factory, evokes the glamour and ruin of the stars who subsist on that dream. It's also one long in-joke about the movie industry and those who made it great-and who were, in turn, destroyed by it. One of the most critically admired films of the twentieth century, Sunset Boulevard is also famous as silent star Gloria Swanson's comeback picture.
Sam Staggs's Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard tells the story of this extravagant work, from the writing, casting and filming to the disastrous previews that made Paramount consider shelving it. It's about the writing team of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett-sardonically called "the happiest couple in Hollywood"-and their raucous professional relationship. It's about the art direction and the sets, the costumes, the props, the lights and the cameras, and the personalities who used those tools to create a cinematic work of art.
Staggs goes behind the scenes to reveal: William Holden, endlessly attacked by his bitter wife and already drinking too much; Nancy Olson, the cheerful ingenue who had never heard of the great Gloria Swanson; the dark genius Erich von Stroheim; the once famous but long-forgotten "Waxworks"; and of course Swanson herself, who-just like Norma Desmond-had once been "the greatest star of them all."
But the story of Sunset Boulevard doesn't end with the movie's success and acclaim at its release in 1950. There's much more, and Staggs layers this stylish book with fascinating detail, following the actors and Wilder into their post-Sunset careers and revealing Gloria Swanson's never-ending struggle to free herself from the clutches of Norma Desmond.
Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard also chronicles the making of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical production of Sunset Boulevard and the explosive diva controversies that dogged it. The book ends with a shocking example of Hollywood life imitating Hollywood art. By the last page of this rich narrative, readers will conclude: We are those "wonderful people out there in the dark."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Staggs serves up another round of popcorn in this highly enjoyable follow-up to All About "All About Eve," plumbing the depths of the noir homage to the silent era, Sunset Boulevard. The book traces the film's history from the studio pairing of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett as screenwriters to the Academy Award disappointments to the film's rebirth as an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in the 1990s. Staggs's research is impressive: in addition to traditional print sources, he tapped unexpected sources, such as the film's previously uninterviewed supporting actress Nancy Olson, and explored nifty locales, like Norma Desmond's would-be neighborhood. The intrepid reporting results in little-known film facts: how co art director John Meehan conceived and set up the face-down water shot of the dead Joe Gillis (William Holden) and why then-megastar Montgomery Clift did not want to play opposite older female character Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Also entertaining are Staggs's descriptions of the many behind-the-scenes cat fights. Some of Staggs's film analysis such as his take on the "crowd-pleasing kitsch" sound movies of Cecil B. DeMille is standard, but his opinions on the Wilder-Brackett and Wilder I.A.L. Diamond pairings are sharp and original. There are also plenty of edifying sidebars on topics such as the history of Norma Desmond's exotic car (the Isotta-Fraschini), changes made to the script and "Smiling Franklyn Farnum," the silent western star who plays Norma Desmond's pet undertaker. Staggs has succeeded in presenting another remarkable film study. Photos not seen by PW.
Customer Reviews
Reasonably entertaining
The behind-the-scenes chronicle of “Sunset Boulevard” and many of the projects it inspired — including the blockbuster ALW musical — is extremely fascinating. For me, however, the book loses steam whenever the author interjects his opinions on … well, anything. I didn’t expect, or want, a volume of film criticism. Thankfully, his well-researched accounts and insightful interviews made this worth my time.
Good information. Bad writing.
There are some interesting things in this, but it's badly written. The author's word choice is particularly grating. Long, clunky complex words break the rhythmic flow. It's like he's trying to show the world that he's super intellectual and intelligent. Well, he's not. Good writing flows like music. This reads like noise.
And it's also too long. It's 800 pages. It could easily have been 400. What takes a sentence, takes this author a paragraph. What takes a paragraph, takes him a chapter. His writing style is just really annoying.
But you should purchase this if you're a Sunset Boulevard aficionado. Just don't expect it to be an enjoyable read. Read it for its informational value only.
If you're looking for something well written and incredibly entertaining, I highly recommend Gloria Swanson's autobiography, Swanson on Swanson. (Keep in mind she's only devoted one chapter to Sunset Boulevard).
P.s. I one hundred percent do NOT agree that Glenn Close was the best musical Norma. She's can't sing properly and her Norma is overacted and over-the-top (much like this author's writing). Patti LuPone is by far the best musical Norma. She sings it the best and respects the music by never breaking the line. Furthermore, her performance is subtle and nuanced - two words this author does not understand.