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

Description

Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, 1950). Insert (14" X 36").
A dark, searing, Hollywood noir, Sunset Boulevard remains one of the most relevant films of the last sixty years. The opening scene sets the stage for a pitch black tale, 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 the greatest performance of her career) 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. Director Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett won Best Screenplay. It's not difficult to see why the insert format presented here 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. Restoration has addressed some surface paper loss on the verso along the borders, horizontal fold wear, a chip in the top right corner, extra horizontal creases, and two tears in the top left border. There is a post-restoration tear at the bottom left. The restoration was professionally done and the poster displays well. Fine on Paper.

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