Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, 1950). Insert (14" X 36").. ...

Description

Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, 1950). Insert (14" X 36").
Director Billy Wilder's dark satire of the superficial Hollywood life remains one of the most searing to this day. The opening scene sets the mood perfectly, with the dead body of screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) floating in a swimming pool. Originally, Wilder had Holden delivering a prologue regarding the circumstances of his demise to his fellow corpses in the morgue, but preview audiences laughed so much the director revised it. Gillis, in debt and bankrupt of any writing projects, stumbles across washed-up silent star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in what appears to be an abandoned Sunset Boulevard mansion. Short on options, Gillis agrees to pen a comeback script for Desmond, ultimately becoming her kept man. Met with rave reviews, the film was nominated for Best Picture, and the two leads for Best Actor and Best Actress. Wilder and Charles Brackett won Best Screenplay. The insert in this lot is a fan favorite, with Swanson's maniacal glare seemingly scorching all around her, and a photo of police fishing Holden's body out of the pool. In excellent condition, the insert shows only a bottom right and top right corner crease. Folded, Very Fine.

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