From Singing in the Rain to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the movie industry has always enjoyed being the subject of its own productions. But few films made by and about Hollywood have reached the acclaim and artistry of the iconic Sunset Boulevard.
Billy Wilder’s subversive 1950 masterpiece conveys a scathing critique of the movie business’ exploitative nature, where writers are treated as subhuman and actors as ephemeral selling points. The film was so internally provocative for the industry that head of MGM Louis B. Mayer screamed at Wilder, “You have disgraced the industry that made you and fed you. You should be tarred and feathered and run out of Hollywood!”
Because of the cinematic themes encompassing Sunset, the picture goes out of its way to incorporate references and parallels to famous works of the silver screen. These touches go beyond simple Easter eggs and instead advance the ubiquitous message and subject matter of the movie.
Even the titular “Sunset Boulevard” is a reference not only to the movie’s setting but also to one of the most recognizable streets in Hollywood. Sunset Boulevard was the expansive, iconic roadway housing the first movie studio in the region and the emblematic Sunset Strip.
Throughout the film, Wilder inserts numerous in-dialogue references to the films preceding Sunset. Characters refer to titles like Gone With The Wind, King Kong, Great Expectations, and Joan of Arc. During the New Years Eve scene, partygoers sing “Buttons and Bows,” a song from 1948 comedy western The Paleface.
Sunset’s nods to movie history are far from limited to just its dialogue. The slew of instantly recognizable cameos in the film remind the audience that Wilder’s film serves as a living representation of showbiz culture, life, and people.
The character of Norma Desmond, a since-forgotten silent film superstar neglected by a new Hollywood, is expertly played by Gloria Swanson. Exactly like Norma’s character, Swanson herself was a silent film celebrity. The choice to have Norma Desmond played by her real-life counterpart functions as one of the numerous meta creative choices Wilder implements to make the film as real a film industry representation as possible.
As we learn more about the deluded ex-star, the movie briefly introduces a group of Norma’s similarly jaded, poker-playing friends, nicknamed the “waxworks.” The title is a direct homage to the 1924 expressionist film of the same name, characterizing Norma and her friends as simple lifeless imitations of once celebrated icons. The cinema tribute doesn’t end with their title, though. The people playing the aged clique of former stardom are former silent film icons themselves: the legendary Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, and H.B. Warner.
Continuing the picture’s self-aware, grounded writing, the movie studio that Norma tragically romanticizes isn’t a fictional one–it’s Paramount Pictures itself. Real-life Paramount producer Cecil B. Demille, who released 70 both silent and sound features between 1914 and 1958, plays himself. In a modern perspective, this would be the equivalent to Christopher Nolan playing himself in a film today. Wilder’s on-the-nose parallels between the movie and reality remind the viewer that the harmful qualities of show business are more than imaginary.
Another famous face of early Hollywood to make its way into the movie is that of famous silent film director Erich Von Stroheim. Serving as a butler and caretaker for Norma, Von Stroheim’s character used to be, as you might have guessed, a famous silent film director.
Hollywood homages also appear in the various visual choices of the picture, from set design to cinematography. When Norma watches one of her old films in her living room, it’s actually the 1929 Gloria Swanson film Queen Kelly (1928), directed by Von Stroheim.
Norma’s bedroom is also an imitation of the bedroom from the Phantom of the Opera, with the beds being identical to those in the 1925 silent film. Another silent horror film paid tribute to is Dracula (1931), where the scene in which Joe enters Norma’s house replicates the scene in the iconic Transylvanian castle. Even when the protagonists visit Paramount Studios, the set is that of the actual cast, crew, and props for the real 1949 Samson and Delilah, directed by Cecil B. Demille.
Stylistically, even the picture’s color, or lack thereof, was chosen to convey the movie’s theme to the audience. By 1950, Hollywood had already found great success with shooting in color, and numerous directors chose to use that popular, expensive option. But Wilder chose not to, even despite the decline in monochrome’s relevance, in order to represent the movie’s tragic longing for the remnants of Hollywood’s fleeting golden age.
Sunset Boulevard is one of the films that all audiences should see. Distinguished cinematography, performances, storytelling, and iconic scenes make it stand out among the unending stream of movies. But its subversive, provocative messaging, conveyed through Wilder’s genius homages and references to Hollywood, demonstrate to the audience that the horrors of the film industry aren’t a work of fiction.
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