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Through its examination of a faded star still yearning for the bright Hollywood spotlight, Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard tells the tale of life's progressions and the dangers of desperately clinging to the past and also holding onto dreams of an implausible future.

Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a down-on-his luck Hollywood screenwriter who's short on cash, behind on his car payments, and who has just had his latest script shot down by Paramount, thanks in large part to the sharp, harsh, and honest criticism of the young Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson). To make matters worse, Gillis is being chased down by a pair men looking to repossess his car. In a desperate move, Gillis pulls into what he believes to be an abandoned garage, attached to a run-down mansion. He's called inside, mistaken for a mortician, and meets Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a washed-up silent film star with dreams of a major comeback and a bloated script from her own hand that she believes will be the ticket to a return to prominence. She hires a reluctant Gillis to edit the script and polish it in preparation for sending to none other than Director Cecil B. DeMille. The longer Gillis stays, the more attached Norma becomes. She screens her films for him and grows ever more fond of her new, unwitting companion. When Gillis tries to set out on his own once again, Norma goes to great length to keep him at bay as she prepares to make her move to reconquer Hollywood and rediscover past greatness.

Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Jack Webb, Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir

BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:50:17 | 38.2 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Francais, Espanol, Portugues
Subtitles: English, Francais, Espanol, Portugues

Extras:

• Audio Commentary: Ed Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder," reads prepared comments, beginning with a verbatim reading of the original opening. He also covers the history of the filmmakers, the score, the picture's themes and meanings, the nuance of the performances, and much more. Sikov is engaging and entertaining, very knowledgeable (even as he reads), and offers plenty of fascinating insights, making both the visible and nuanced film elements deep and well-defined. Though the track is prepared rather than off-the-cuff, it plays very well and makes for a very strong supplement to the film.

• Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning (480p, 22:47): The piece features Paramount Pictures Producer A.C. Lyles, Actress Stefanie Powers, Filmmaker Nicholas Meyer, Author Ed Sikov, and Actress Nancy Olson speaking on Billy Wilder's life and work, his scripts, and use of narration. The piece continues with discussions on the film's title, casting and the dynamics the four main players brought to the film, defining the characters, and Cecil B. DeMille's contributions to the film.

• Sunset Boulevard: A Look Back (480p, 25:52): Author Ed Sikov, Actress Nancy Olson, Critic Andrew Sarris, Producer A.C. Lyles, and Actress Glenn Close speak on the picture's themes, the scrapped opening, filming locales, Writer/Director Billy Wilder's work, reaction to the film, casting, DeMille's involvement, the film's end, the picture's public acceptance, awards, and the film's legacy.

• The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard (480p, 14:19): Author and former LAPD Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh discusses one of his favorite films, Sunset Boulevard. He covers his first reactions to the film, Gloria Swanson's work, the picture's noir-inspired elements and those that drift from noir norm, set design, cast, drama, themes, and more.

• Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic (480p, 14:29): Critic Andrew Sarris, Actress Gloria Swanson, Author Ed Sikov, Filmmaker Nicholas Meyer, Actress Glenn Close, and Actress Stefanie Powers speak on audience and critical reaction, the film's themes, its dark look at Hollywood, awards and nominations, the picture's impact on culture, the Broadway musical version, and more.

• Two Sides of Ms. Swanson (480p, 10:37): Gloria Swanson's Granddaughter Brooke Anderson and Actress Linda Harrison speak on the life and times of Gloria Swanson, both away from the film and considering her part in Sunset Boulevard.

• Stories of Sunset Boulevard (480p, 11:22): Critic Andrew Sarris, Author Ed Sikov, Filmmaker Nicholas Meyer, and Actress Nancy Olson speak on the film's opening shot, Olson's work on the film, Billy Wilder's scriptwriting and direction, tales from the shoot, and making the last scene.

• Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden (480p, 11:13): Producer A.C. Lyles, Actress Stefanie Powers, Actress Nancy Olson, and Author Joseph Wambaugh speak on Holden's life and career.

• Recording Sunset Boulevard (480p, 5:51): Critic Andrew Sarris and Soundtrack Album Producer Robert Townson discuss Franz Waxman's classic score and re-recording the score in 2002 for a commercial album release.

• The City of Sunset Boulevard (480p, 5:36): Author Borislav Stanic, Author Ed Sikov, and Actress Nancy Olson speak on shooting locales seen within the film, including the history of each major location.

• Franz Waxman and the Music of Sunset Boulevard (480p, 14:27): Film Music Historian John Waxman, Composer Elmer Bernstein, and Composer John Mauceri take a closer look at the life and work of Sunset Boulevard Composer Franz Waxman.

• Morgue Prologue Script Pages (1080p): A reproduction of the "original" and "revised" scripted pages for Sunset Boulevard's famed cut opening sequence.

• Deleted Scene (480p, 1:26): The Paramount Don't Want Me Blues.

• Hollywood Location Map (1080p): An interactive Sunset Boulevard map with clickable icons that lead to short video subjects on the locales.

• Behind the Gate: The Lot (480p, 5:05): Producer A.C. Lyles and Film Historian/Author Rudy Behlmer offer a very brief but fascinating history of Paramount Pictures, the famed gate, and studio expansion.

• Edith Head: The Paramount Years (480p, 13:43): A look back at the life and career of the legendary cinema costume designer whose credits include Sunset Boulevard and Wings.

• Paramount in the '50s (480p, 9:33): A feature that looks back at Paramount's best films from the 1950s, including Sunset Boulevard.

• Galleries (1080p): Production, The Movie, and Publicity.

• Sunset Boulevard Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 3:16).

DVD9 | NTSC 4:3 | 01:50:12 | 7.94 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Francais
Subtitles: English

Extras:
• Commentary by Ed Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder"
• "The Making of Sunset Boulevard" (includes interviews with Nancy Olson, Ed Sikov, film critic Andrew Sarris, Paramount producer A.C. Lyles, and Glenn Close)
• Hollywood location map
• Photo galleries
• Script of the original morgue prologue
• "Edith Head: The Paramount Years" (documentary of the famed costume designer)
• "The Music of Sunset Boulevard" featurette
• Theatrical trailer

DVD9 | PAL 4:3 | 01:45:46 | 7.60 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Deutsch, Francais, Italiano, Russian
Subtitles: English, Slovenian, Francais, Deutsch, Svenska, Dansk, Norsk, Suomi, Nederlands, Bulgarian, Islenska, Portugues, Hebrew, Greek, Hrvatski, Arabic, Turkish, Polish, Italiano, Espanol, Romanian, Czech(Ceske), Magyar, Serbian

Extras:
• Commentary by Ed Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder"
• "The Making of Sunset Boulevard" (includes interviews with Nancy Olson, Ed Sikov, film critic Andrew Sarris, Paramount producer A.C. Lyles, and Glenn Close)
• Hollywood location map
• Photo galleries
• Script of the original morgue prologue
• "Edith Head: The Paramount Years" (documentary of the famed costume designer)
• "The Music of Sunset Boulevard" featurette
• Theatrical trailer

DVD9 | PAL 4:3 | 01:45:46 | 4.85 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Russian
Subtitles: English, Russian

Extras:
• Hollywood location map
• Trailer

DVD5 | PAL 4:3 | 01:45:46 | 4.26 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Russian
Subtitles: English, Russian, Deutsch