A Few Words About A few words about...™ Sunset Boulevard -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein /t/324654/a-few-words-about-sunset-boulevard-in-blu-ray/30#post_3998893
Could have used some zombies to make it better.

I was under the impression that Gloria Swanson played the part of a Zombie in this film...

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon /t/324654/a-few-words-about-sunset-boulevard-in-blu-ray/30#post_3999344

I was under the impression that Gloria Swanson played the part of a Zombie in this film...

That's really why there were no doorknobs in the house. We all know zombies have trouble working them.

 

[compson]

Yeah, but it's about, like, old people.  And it's black and white.  Eeew.

Yes, Norma Desmond is 50. Ouch!

 

[Keith Cobby]

I watched this for the first time about a month ago and I thought it was a reasonably entertaining, well acted film and I was surprised I hadn't seen it before. But I was a bit underwhelmed by it. This is the strange thing about classic films, sometimes you see them originally and they remain as masterpieces in your mind, and sometimes you watch again after a gap of years or decades and you wonder what it was you liked about them. I think for me I have come too late to this film to appreciate its qualities others are raving about.

 

[Lromero1396]

Not sure if this is a good place to post this or not, but does anyone know if Roman Holiday is being newly restored and released on BD? I seriously hope that Paramount (or Warner) sees potential in it.

 

[GlennF]

Finally bought this as it was a deal on Amazon.ca at $9.99 Always liked the movie, but the transfer is great! I was really impressed with the detail, the clarity, the blacks. Like watching a whole new movie. Hard to believe the quality when you read what Mr. Harris said at the beginning of the thread about the quality of the elements. (Of course, great as the movie is, it is a little hard to watch Gloria Swanson without thinking of the parodies Carol Burnett used to do of Norma Desmond.) If you were on the fence about buying this film, I would certainly recommend it!

 

[benbess]

The French poster for Sunset Blvd. In the translation it becomes "Boulevard of Twilight." Appropriate! And the Twilight Zone's "16mm Shrine" was of course inspired by this classic....In wake of watching "In a Lonely Place" I'm revisiting this impressive movie. Amazing that it even got made. And surprising that it was also a pretty big hit, getting 6th place in the box office in 1950.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I thought bumping this old thread would be better than starting a new one for this topic.

I watched Sunset Boulevard the other night for New Year's Eve. I've been a big fan of the film ever since I first saw it, so this isn't a complaint, more of an observation. I do have to spoil to get to my point, but for a 73 year old film, I think the statue of limitations on spoiler brackets has expired. So if for some reason anyone is actually reading this who hasn't seen the movie, you should go watch the movie.

With all that being said:

How did Norma buy a revolver?

She tells Joe that she bought it and seems to be implying it is a new purchase. She has already had multiple suicide attempts before the movie started, which resulted in Max taking all the locks off the doors and removing other things she could use to commit suicide. She has also actually attempted suicide during the events of the film at the point that the revolver is introduced, when she cut her wrists with Joe's razor after he rejected her love. She is clearly threatening to use the revolver on herself here as a means to keep Joe where she wants him. Of course, we know the revolver is ultimately used to kill Joe himself.

Obviously, money is no object, so I'm not questioning how she afforded it. But how would she have gotten it? Max drives her every place that she goes; I doubt she was even able to drive. He is doing everything he can in the movie to keep her alive, and I don't think she could have brought a revolver in there without him knowing about it. He always gives her what she wants without fail, but given his repeated attempts to prevent Norma from self-harm, I can't see him taking her out to buy a revolver or facilitating her getting one. So when did she buy it and where did she get it? It seems like something he would remove it from her access if he knew about it. She never mentions the revolver directly to Max, only to Joe. But it seems to me that there is very little going on in Norma's household that Max is not aware of. So her getting a gun in there and him doing nothing to prevent her from having access to it feels out of character for him.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I thought bumping this old thread would be better than starting a new one for this topic.

I watched Sunset Boulevard the other night for New Year's Eve. I've been a big fan of the film ever since I first saw it, so this isn't a complaint, more of an observation. I do have to spoil to get to my point, but for a 73 year old film, I think the statue of limitations on spoiler brackets has expired. So if for some reason anyone is actually reading this who hasn't seen the movie, you should go watch the movie.

With all that being said:

How did Norma buy a revolver?

She tells Joe that she bought it and seems to be implying it is a new purchase. She has already had multiple suicide attempts before the movie started, which resulted in Max taking all the locks off the doors and removing other things she could use to commit suicide. She has also actually attempted suicide during the events of the film at the point that the revolver is introduced, when she cut her wrists with Joe's razor after he rejected her love. She is clearly threatening to use the revolver on herself here as a means to keep Joe where she wants him. Of course, we know the revolver is ultimately used to kill Joe himself.

Obviously, money is no object, so I'm not questioning how she afforded it. But how would she have gotten it? Max drives her every place that she goes; I doubt she was even able to drive. He is doing everything he can in the movie to keep her alive, and I don't think she could have brought a revolver in there without him knowing about it. He always gives her what she wants without fail, but given his repeated attempts to prevent Norma from self-harm, I can't see him taking her out to buy a revolver or facilitating her getting one. So when did she buy it and where did she get it? It seems like something he would remove it from her access if he knew about it. She never mentions the revolver directly to Max, only to Joe. But it seems to me that there is very little going on in Norma's household that Max is not aware of. So her getting a gun in there and him doing nothing to prevent her from having access to it feels out of character for him.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

It was pretty easy to purchase a gun back when this movie takes place. The movie was made in 1950, but I think it takes place some years earlier than that perhaps in the late 1940s. Gun laws were nothing compared to what they are today. Also, filmmakers and writers like Billy Wilder didn't worry about inconsistencies in storyline details. Their main focus was to tell an entertaining story and not worry about details like where did she get the gun. Hitchcock along with many of Wilder's contemporaries strongly believed in that film concept that most people wanted to be entertained and didn't care about story inconsistencies or lack of film details.

 

[Jake Lipson]

It was pretty easy to purchase a gun back when this movie takes place. The movie was made in 1950, but I think it takes place some years earlier than that perhaps in the late 1940s. Gun laws were nothing compared to what they are today.

Right. I didn't mean that she would run into any legal trouble obtaining it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Right. I didn't mean that she would run into any legal trouble obtaining it.

I understood that, I'm just saying obtaining a gun was pretty easy back then. Who knows if she really bought it as we're talking about a delusional woman.

 

[Robert Harris]

I thought bumping this old thread would be better than starting a new one for this topic.

I watched Sunset Boulevard the other night for New Year's Eve. I've been a big fan of the film ever since I first saw it, so this isn't a complaint, more of an observation. I do have to spoil to get to my point, but for a 73 year old film, I think the statue of limitations on spoiler brackets has expired. So if for some reason anyone is actually reading this who hasn't seen the movie, you should go watch the movie.

With all that being said:

How did Norma buy a revolver?

She tells Joe that she bought it and seems to be implying it is a new purchase. She has already had multiple suicide attempts before the movie started, which resulted in Max taking all the locks off the doors and removing other things she could use to commit suicide. She has also actually attempted suicide during the events of the film at the point that the revolver is introduced, when she cut her wrists with Joe's razor after he rejected her love. She is clearly threatening to use the revolver on herself here as a means to keep Joe where she wants him. Of course, we know the revolver is ultimately used to kill Joe himself.

Obviously, money is no object, so I'm not questioning how she afforded it. But how would she have gotten it? Max drives her every place that she goes; I doubt she was even able to drive. He is doing everything he can in the movie to keep her alive, and I don't think she could have brought a revolver in there without him knowing about it. He always gives her what she wants without fail, but given his repeated attempts to prevent Norma from self-harm, I can't see him taking her out to buy a revolver or facilitating her getting one. So when did she buy it and where did she get it? It seems like something he would remove it from her access if he knew about it. She never mentions the revolver directly to Max, only to Joe. But it seems to me that there is very little going on in Norma's household that Max is not aware of. So her getting a gun in there and him doing nothing to prevent her from having access to it feels out of character for him.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Not recalling off-hand. What model gun was it, ie when was it produced?

She may have had it since the teens or twenties.

 

[Indy Guy]

I was fortunate to attend a screening of Sunset Blvd and a book signing and presentation by Nancy Olson (Betty Shafer in the film) last month Considering it was filmed over 70 years ago, Nancy looked great gave a spicy talk.
I like the film a lot but completely lost it for Glenn Close in the musical version. The flying Sunset mansion was the most amazing thing I ever saw on a stage and the haunting musical score is stupendous. Sadly like most all Broadway shows, only terrible bootleg videos exist. There is one terrific pro recorded version that was broadcast during the pandemic. It was from UK and starred Ria Jones and Danny Mac. While it is only a concert version, Danny Mac's Joe Gillis is one of the best.
Here are a couple photos from the Sunset signing with Nancy Olson in LA.

 

[Robert Harris]

I was fortunate to attend a screening of Sunset Blvd and a book signing and presentation by Nancy Olson (Betty Shafer in the film) last month Considering it was filmed over 70 years ago, Nancy looked great gave a spicy talk.
I like the film a lot but completely lost it for Glenn Close in the musical version. The flying Sunset mansion was the most amazing thing I ever saw on a stage and the haunting musical score is stupendous. Sadly like most all Broadway shows, only terrible bootleg videos exist. There is one terrific pro recorded version that was broadcast during the pandemic. It was from UK and starred Ria Jones and Danny Mac. While it is only a concert version, Danny Mac's Joe Gillis is one of the best.
Here are a couple photos from the Sunset signing with Nancy Olson in LA. View attachment 169040 View attachment 169041

I also saw Sunset on stage in LA. An extraordinary achievement.

 

[Matt Hough]

Max always stayed with the car when Norma went places. She could easily have, say, gone in one shop, slipped out a back door, and gone to a pawn shop to get a gun.

 

[Paul Penna]

I understood that, I'm just saying obtaining a gun was pretty easy back then. Who knows if she really bought it as we're talking about a delusional woman.

Plus in films of that era, when anyone was shown opening a drawer, there'd be a gun in it. Norma's house had plenty of drawers, so no problem.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I was fortunate to attend a screening of Sunset Blvd and a book signing and presentation by Nancy Olson (Betty Shafer in the film) last month Considering it was filmed over 70 years ago, Nancy looked great gave a spicy talk.
I like the film a lot but completely lost it for Glenn Close in the musical version. The flying Sunset mansion was the most amazing thing I ever saw on a stage and the haunting musical score is stupendous. Sadly like most all Broadway shows, only terrible bootleg videos exist. There is one terrific pro recorded version that was broadcast during the pandemic. It was from UK and starred Ria Jones and Danny Mac. While it is only a concert version, Danny Mac's Joe Gillis is one of the best.
Here are a couple photos from the Sunset signing with Nancy Olson in LA. View attachment 169040 View attachment 169041

I shot video of this event: Nancy Olson Livingston Interviewed by Alan K. Rode Prior to Sunset Blvd. Screening (11/19/22)

 

[B-ROLL]

I thought bumping this old thread would be better than starting a new one for this topic.

I watched Sunset Boulevard the other night for New Year's Eve. I've been a big fan of the film ever since I first saw it, so this isn't a complaint, more of an observation. I do have to spoil to get to my point, but for a 73 year old film, I think the statue of limitations on spoiler brackets has expired. So if for some reason anyone is actually reading this who hasn't seen the movie, you should go watch the movie.

With all that being said:

How did Norma buy a revolver?

She tells Joe that she bought it and seems to be implying it is a new purchase. She has already had multiple suicide attempts before the movie started, which resulted in Max taking all the locks off the doors and removing other things she could use to commit suicide. She has also actually attempted suicide during the events of the film at the point that the revolver is introduced, when she cut her wrists with Joe's razor after he rejected her love. She is clearly threatening to use the revolver on herself here as a means to keep Joe where she wants him. Of course, we know the revolver is ultimately used to kill Joe himself.

Obviously, money is no object, so I'm not questioning how she afforded it. But how would she have gotten it? Max drives her every place that she goes; I doubt she was even able to drive. He is doing everything he can in the movie to keep her alive, and I don't think she could have brought a revolver in there without him knowing about it. He always gives her what she wants without fail, but given his repeated attempts to prevent Norma from self-harm, I can't see him taking her out to buy a revolver or facilitating her getting one. So when did she buy it and where did she get it? It seems like something he would remove it from her access if he knew about it. She never mentions the revolver directly to Max, only to Joe. But it seems to me that there is very little going on in Norma's household that Max is not aware of. So her getting a gun in there and him doing nothing to prevent her from having access to it feels out of character for him.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Max may have bought her the revolver but not any bullets ...

 

[B-ROLL]

Not recalling off-hand. What model gun was it, ie when was it produced?

She may have had it since the teens or twenties.

The Interwebs say it may be a

Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless​

Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Approximately 570,000 Colt Pocket Hammerless pistols were produced from 1903 to 1945, in five different types ...

 

[usrunnr]

I think the way Norma got her gun, was that Jane Hudson came to visit one day,
and Jane gave her the gun when Max was not in the room.