@@thomasdelvin3683 Indeed. The problem with that opening was that test audiences found it funny, which was why it was cut. Wilder wasn't going for a comedy.
This movie is such a classic. The people playing bridge with Norma are Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilson and H.B. Warner, contemporaries of Gloria Swanson. Cecil B. DeMille, the director who had made Gloria Swanson a star, played himself in the film.
Erich von Stroheim was in real life a succesfull silent movie director. He was known for shooting over budget because he liked to take his time. He was a brilliant director. Check out the silent movie Greed. It's amazing, full of amazing shots and great story telling. The scene of the movie that Norma and Joe watch in her living room is from the movie Queen Kelly, starring Gloria Swanson and directed by von Stroheim. In fact, it was the movie that ended his career in real life and was never officially released. It caused some bad blood between Swanson and von Stroheim. But by the time they made Sunset Boulevard they had made up and respected eachother. Sunset Boulevard is a perfect mix of fiction mixed with real life elements and people in the movie business. Great reaction.
Von Stroheim delivered a first cut of 1924's "Greed" on a whopping 42 reels. It lasted nine hours! There was no way MGM was gonna make the $600,000 ever ballooning budget back releasing that in theaters, so they locked Von Stroheim out and had 'some people' edit it down to 140 minutes, and they released that to make about a third of the money back. Whole subplots had just been hacked out. Von Stroheim never forgave MGM. In the 1950s, a four hour version was brilliantly reconstructed that restored many of the subplots. Both versions are on RUclips. The full original version is long since lost. It's such a shame that people today almost never watch silent films, 'cause they had things to tell back then too. Erich Von Stroheim was a magnificent film maker, though also obsessive and self destructive as hell. Michael Cimino couldn't hold a candle to this guy.
This is one of my favorite movies. In the 80s I worked at a video store in West Hollywood. I never watched those old black and white movies because I like action movies. We had a celebrity clientele and one day a producer customer was in talking to one of the other clerks and he heard that I didn't like black and white movies. He came over to me and very nicely asked to put one on the stores monitor. He began to explain what makes black and white so cool. I remember him saying that shadow can be a character in itself. He wrote down a list of 5 movies to watch and gave it to me, Sunset Blvd was one of them. I've loved black and white movies ever since. That was my favorite job ever. I learned so much about movies there.
This constantly reminds me of Thames TV's fantastic 1980 documentary series "Hollywood" narrated by James Mason about silent era Hollywood. Whenever Gloria Swanson pops up and relays all kinds of anecdotes from the 1920s, it's a good episode. I wish I could add a playlist link for all 13 episodes without RUclips's stupid bot deleting it automatically.
Hi, thank you for letting me know about it! I love that sort of thing. I like watching documentaries, usually whilst editing. This series sounds great. Yeah, it does tend to delete links. I've just gone into the held comments and accepted the link for you. Thank you!
As a kid I saw Subset boulevard on television. I subsequently saw Gloria Swanson appear on comedy variety shows and she was clearly a marvelous and graceful lady with a wry sense of humor and a keen mind. Just so you know...
The best film about Hollywood, fame and the world of celebrity. An absolute beautiful journey into the demise of a star and her disposability. If you love David Lynch you'll recognize some of his influences in this film. The story of how the actual stars of the silent films were treated by the studios that had used their looks and talent is quite awful really. They were thrown away and forgotten by the industry that they actually help build.
Marty, I think you missed the point of the monkey. The monkey's significance is that Joe replaces him as Norma's companion. Joe is better looking and smarter - but he still fills the role as Norma's "pet." Billy Wilder is a genius of a writer. Every detail serves the larger purpose of his vision.
One of my all-time favourites!! I first watched this when I rented it on VHS back when I was about 21. I was so floored by how amazing it was that I hit "rewind", grabbed some snacks while it went back to the beginning, then sat back down to watch it all the way through again.
1:18:17 Mae Murray was offended by the subject matter of the film i.e.: tracing the career of a former great star falling into madness. "According to Joe Franklin, when Mae Murray first saw Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" she expressed much skepticism about the character Norma Desmond: "None of us floozies were that nuts!"
So glad to hear you’re going to delve into the old classics. Each one is a master class in itself. Btw Cecil B DeMille was extremely HUGE back then. He was the quintessential blockbuster Bible movie director; The Ten Commandments is probably his most famous. His movies are over the top in every way and were massive hits at the box office. He is a Hollywood icon still, so given the times, his prima donna treatment is understandable…and Marty, I’m ready for my closeup 🎥 😏
As frivolous as it sounds, a top 5 movie of all time in my list, It's just equally mesmerizing and terrifying, fascinating, suggestive, beautiful... magnificient!
55:25 *"Paramount News???"* Oh yeah, back then people often got their news through news reels in the actual movie theaters, usually before the Bugs Bunny cartoon and the main feature. People could spend a whole afternoon or evening in a movie theater. This was just before TV made a big breakthrough in America to take over much of that. So it was actually the big movie studios who had camera crews driving around filming for random news stories.
this film is brilliant in so many ways-but it was wonderful to watch you completely forget how we meet Joe in the beginning of the film-floating dead in the pool. this film does this better than any other film I feel-you completely forget that you know the ending. you know what happens-literally-but the rest of the film is so spectacular in how it plays out-you completely are in the middle of the story-and we forget we've already met Joe already dead. oh!! what a picture!!! (that last sentence to be said in a hard-bitten fast and tough talking accent to justify phrases we don't use anymore-like calling a movie a "picture".) Gloria Swanson is just so thrilling as norma. her performance has everything-it's tragic, it's funny, it's full of rage, it's coy, it's vulnerable, it's hidden, and then we have the actual advantage of Swanson being the real article. So all of the old film clips are her. The old pictures and paintings in the house are her. her understanding of the film business and Hollywood all comes from her. lighting struck in casting her. she is just thrilling! so are William Holden, Nancy Olson, and von stroheim. all the performances are stunning. and billy wilder has never been better here too. he clearly is thrilled to be making this statement with this film. he is excited to sticking it to Hollywood in this way. and I don't blame him. wilder knew he was saying something important with this film, and he really went for it. to think that this film and ALL ABOUT EVE came out in the same year 1950! like the way THE WIZARD OF OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND coming out in the same year 1939. what a time for the art of film! incredible! so glad to see you react to this brilliant work of art! one of the great films of all time! I love your channel. you are my favorite reactor because you are such a great mix of knowing your stuff-your history, the culture of film and film making, you know a bit about life it would seem, you have kindness and empathy, you are funny and fun, you are very smart, and most of all-you LOVE the movies. you find movies MAGIC-and that comes through. thanks for posting. I look forward to more! ps. I also want you to know that I am "ready for my close-up" and ALSO--that wind and storm in the background as you filmed this clip is not just the wind. no no. that wind is all the ghosts of old Hollywood-the old stars-the ones killed by the sound industry coming into film who couldn't make it work-the greedy demille-and the studio owners who had to put up all that money and the Cadillac for demille-for poor unhappy and drinking bill holden-for Swanson who really had a pretty good life when all is said and done-for Montgomery Clift who had such an unhappy life-for wicked and wonderful billy wilder-for buster Keaton who is one of the card playing buddies of norma-for pola negri who nobody can understand to this day! even in heaven she has refused to drop that accent!-for all of the dead who used to show up to Schwabs everyday and sit at that lunch counter hoping and dreaming and never got discovered.--for--there are so many more--that is what the wind is!! the storm is getting stronger because it's all those voices trying to reach us!!! trying to tell us who they were!!! hello!!! hello!!! we hear you!!! we hear you!!!
Love your reaction. . .But I think you should know that Erich Von Stroheim (Max in the film) was actually a very famous and well-respected Austrian-American Director, Screenwriter and Actor. He was one of the critically acclaimed directors of the early 20th century. By the way, he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Max. As a director he was known for the uncompromising realism and accuracy of detail in his films. And Billy Wilder was one of the greatest directors of all-time. . .Love his films!
The woman on the phone in Norma's bedroom was the famous (infamous?), and powerful gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper. You can't feel too sorry for Joe, he gave his freedom for a life of luxury. He learned too late you never give up your freedom.
Marty! Another fantastic review. Thank you. Ready for my closeup! I take notes as you progress through your viewing and trivia. Here are some reactions to you. Gloria deserved the Oscar, Bette was right. Bette was also deserving, but had her Oscars, Gloria deserved this win. Judy played the same character in more than one film, but she was also great. Gloria, in reality, did receive 10,000 fan letters per week at the peak of her career. Max plays Bach's Tocata in Fugue on the organ, one of my favorite classical pieces. As stated in Trivia, all the photos about the house were of Gloria, and as you surmised, Gloria was still young, only 50. Gloria was completely different from her character, Norma. She was an early health-conscious woman with very positive energy. The "Wax Works," were in fact, very famous in their own rights, including the formidable comedian Buster Keaton, and Hedda Hopper, gossip columnist. Artie, Betty's fiance, actor Jack Webb, became a very famous TV star with Dragnet, a police series. The items hanging in Schwab's were not guns, but smoking pipes. Cecil B. DeMille was a hugely famous and successful director. His payments were warranted for his presence in the film. BTW, Gone with the Wind was an MGM production. In the story, Paramount was said to have passed on the opportunity. I'm not sure if that was the case, but another studio did produce. As you noted, News Reels accompanied all films in the theaters. Paramount would have had their own. I'm happy you are focusing on vintage films, especially because you appreciate them, and cinematography is huge on my personal list of interests. (Cinematography on Netflix Series, Ripley, is not to be missed). BTW, James Dean only made 3 films. All 3 are reaction worthy, especially imho, Giant, also starring Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Nancy Olson was great in this film. I also loved her in Walt Disney's 1960 film, Pollyanna. Last but not least, Barbara Stanwyck, imho, is the best ever from Hollywood. Her skills are 2nd to none. Pre-code films, comedy, drama, noir, westerns, there was absolutely nothing that was beyond her skills. Even if a particular film was not the stellar, her performance was always spectacular. She made so many excellent films. Any is worth of reaction. Thank you for the fun, Marty
also, notice that norma goes completely insane when joe says that demille only wanted to rent her car. watch her face and you'll see that's when it happens.
You mentioned 1949's "The Heiress"! An exquisite film (one of my favorites) also directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, and Ralph Richardson. Definitely worth a watch and I'd love to see your reactions to it! And with Halloween right around the corner, how about THE greatest haunted house movie of all time: 1963's "The Haunting" with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom, directed by the great Robert Wise! Guaranteed to keep you up at night! I'm so happy to find (and subscribe to) a channel that appreciates (and intelligently comments on) these older films!
you mentioned that the bed looks like a boat. that was THE BED used in the 1925 "phantom of the opera" starring lon chaney. it's part of hollywood history.
This was so much fun😊. I am looking forward to catching up with your others. I am always looking for entertaining and clean commentaries on movies. Kudos. New subscriber
Love this movie. Your reactions were fabulous…especially when you had that realization about Max. Brilliant! Trivia at the end is always great..you make me feel like I’m ready for my closeup!
Great response to this great film . This film, Casablanca , The Godfather and The Wizard of Oz probably are the most quoted films from Hollywood. I'll throw in The Third Man from Great Britain for great lines !
Ready for my close up - another great great reaction, so wonderful to see you get so emotionally involved in this story, I love this film - if you ever get a chance to see the Jamie Lloyd production of the musical jump at it, it’s a brilliant take - he nails the dark, cutthroat aspect of the Hollywood industry, and you really see Joe and Norma as this damaged, codependent couple.
@@MoviesWithMarty Haha, no worries man, glad for the response anytime:) Happy watching! What Ever Happened To Baby Jane is gold. I'm about to check out your Time Bandits watch.
Awesome review. C. de Mille was a Hollywood god. That’s why he could ask for a ridiculous fee. BTW, Carol Burnett did a comedy sketch of this movie in the 1960s or 1970s.
as you mentioned "alright mr. demille i'm ready my close up" and "i am big it the pictures that got small" the line that sent chills through me was "how about looking for the exit" did glenn close perform SB in london too, i think so
Great reaction as always! Enjoyed the trivia at the end too. Interesting that The Heiress with Montgomery Clift was mentioned. That one is really good and worth watching ! Will reaction to Marty be out soon ? Can hardly wait for it !
Certainly, this is absolutely one of my favorite films - and I love the silent era, though the vast majority of silent films are lost forever (due to the material used in their manufacture, or just thrown out once sound films became the thing). BTW, Norma's boat bed was made for an early 20th century Folies Bergère star and was modeled on a fanciful boat made for Bavaria's mad King Ludwig. Following her death, it was acquired in the early 1920s by MGM and thereafter appeared in several films (both silent and sound). 1920s-1930s film siren Mae West, who also was offered the role of Norma, had a similar boat bed that was shaped like a swan. Nancy Olson is still around - she's probably the last survivor from this movie. My favorite quote isn't "ready for my closeup", but rather "I've been worried about the line in my neck... this woman has done wonders with it."
Nancy Olson, who plays Betty, is still alive. She's 95 and turns 96 in July. Here's an interview from a few months ago: ruclips.net/video/bBsJU-ACAO0/видео.html William Holden went on to star in the 1973 movie Breezy, directed by Clint Eastwood, in which he's a 55-year-old guy who romances a young woman who's about 20 years old, played by Kay Lenz. So in his career, Holden, who born in 1918, romanced Gloria Swanson, who was born in 1899 and Kay Lenz, who was born in 1953. Here's the trailer: ruclips.net/video/38zpqhU_GcM/видео.html
54:58 This is the second reaction to this film I’ve watched, and in both cases the reactor didn’t realise (or remember) that it was Joe floating in the pool at the beginning and the film was being told from the viewpoint of a dead man. 🤦♂️
So glad you are reviewing classic films. If you want to go back to the silent era, Buster Keaton's "The General." is fun. Keaton did all his own stunts. Some incredibly dangerous. I may have missed your phrase, but I watched to the end.
Dear Marty: Great Movie - Great Review. My wife and I love the fact that you take the time to delve deeply into the trivia that surround may of these wonderful old films. However, I BEG YOU ON BENDED KNEES, please screen one of the truly great comedies in film history - I refer to the David Lean production of "HOBSON'S CHOICE." This 1953 film has always been one of my all time favorites. Starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Brenda de Banzie it along with may fine supporting actors, it easily ranks as one of the top 100 comedies of all time. I will continue to plague you forever until you relent and deliver what I assure you will be a treat, not only for yourself, but for all your subscribers as well.
Such a good film! You did a nice commentary about the film! The first time I watched it, I felt kind of down. It was many years ago, and I wasn't prepared for the ending.
Does anybody else get the feeling that William Holden's character is a replacement for the deceased chimp? Norma D seems to be treating him like a child or a pet, even though Norma seems to want romantic attention from him as well.
What do you mean you've never heard of Cecil B DeMille before?! The movie The Ten Commandments happens to be the greatest bible movie ever to be made/ directed by him! In the US, they play it on TV every year. They did a remake of it, and nothing compares to DeMille's 1956 version! If you haven't seen it, you need to. Edit: "Ready for my close-up."
Some suggestions, Kid Galahad (Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart & Edward G. Robinson) Odds Against Tomorrow Cromwell (Richard Harris,Alec Guinness & Timothy Dalton) El Cid (Charlton Heston) The Red House (Edward G. Robinson) Mirage The Big Clock The Strange Door Birdman of Alcatraz (Burt Lancaster) The Defiant Ones (Sidney Poitier & Tony Curtis) The Manchurian Candidate 1962 Lovers and Other Strangers Figures in a Landscape (Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell) Witness For the Prosecution Mad Love (Peter Lorre) The Face Behind the Mask (Peter Lorre) Three Strangers (Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Lorre) Seven Days in May (Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas) Judgment at Nuremberg (Spencer Tracy,Burt Lancaster,Maximilian Schell) Al Capone (Rod Steiger & Martin Balsam) The Harder They Fall (Rod Steiger & Humphrey Bogart) Dead Reckoning (Humphrey Bogart) Dark City (1950) starring Charlton Heston in his Hollywood debut The List of Adrian Messenger (George C. Scott / Burt Lancaster / Kirk Douglas) On the Waterfront (Marlon Brando,Karl Malden,Lee J Cobb,Rod Steiger,Eva Marie Saint) Passage to Marseille (Humphrey Bogart) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Humphrey Bogart) Key Largo (Humphrey Bogart) The Maltese Falcon (Humphrey Bogart) Double Indemnity (Edward G. Robinson) The Asphalt Jungle Billy Budd Plymouth Adventure Captains Courageous (Spencer Tracy) Fear Strikes Out (Anthony Perkins & Karl Malden) A Slight Case of Murder (Edward G. Robinson) The Left Hand of God (Humphrey Bogart) Brother Orchid (Humphrey Bogart & Edward G. Robinson)
A superb film! I've always thought it a shame that the Oscars could not have been a three way tie for best actress that season-Swanson, Bette Davis and Billie Holiday giving stellar performances in 1950. The original "A Star is Born" (1938) with Janet Gaynor and the Judy Garland version (1954) are also good indicators of the dark side of Hollywood, I recommend them both. Close up? I'm not ready!
I think I remember reading that this was written with Brigitte Bardot in mind, but I may be mistaken. Regardless, if Norma Desmond were offered to you as a leading role, would you be flattered or offended? One wonders. 🤔 ("Ready for my close-up.")
so bardot was playing-who??? wait. what part of the story am I missing here? Brigette Bardot IS norma desmond? that would be--fascinating? it would be-something. as a person I would be offended to be offered Norma Desmond. But as an actor I would be thrilled, ecstatic, vindicated, celebrated (everything gets blurry. sound of thunderous applause and cheering! louder!! LOUDER!!!!!)-this great role-FINALLY- is mine! MINE! MINE DO YOU HEAR ME!! it's MINE!! finally a movie is all about me! ME!! me me Norma Desmond! (sound of harp stings-then glass shattering) I'm sorry-what were you saying? I got lost. no. I am not offended. thanks for the offer. when do we start?
@@geraldmcboingboing7401it might have been for the remake in 1994; I just remembered hearing it somewhere. But it did make me think again about what it would be like to be thought of for what many would think of as an "unattractive" role.
Wow Tornado warning in the UK! - over here in Oklahoma, we used to have them - 10 times a year - until about 10 yr ago, now its 2-3 times a years, and this year none so far. All the tornadoes we used to get here in OK - moved 500-1000 miles East of us and now all of them in the last decade have been hitting Alabama, Georgia/etc instead. Yep Climate Change, good of us here in OK at least in this particular. Old BW movies are the best - you should check out more of them (too few reactors view BW movies). movie list of classics below: Strangers on a Train Double Endemnity Shadow of a Doubt The Best Years of Our Lives Treasure of the Sierra Madre Casablanca Key Largo Patterns City and the Night Failsafe Dr Strangelove Seven Days in May Marty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A face in the Crowd Gaslight The Little Foxes Imitation of Life (original version) It Happened One Night The Misfits The Killers (original version) Nothing But a Man The Intruder Paths of Glory All Quiet on the Western Front (original version) there are around 10 more in the foreign catagory and BW/old - but will not mention them yet. the above is a large list to check out.
AHHH Yes! I love that film! It's such an 80s action nostalgia, with an amazing premise. Cinema coming to life?! Heck yeah! Plus, Arnie? Amazing. Apologies Aran, if I'd not seen it, I'd definitely watch it on the channel
The shot at the beginning looking up from the bottom of the pool was done with a mirror in the pool.
@@brentwebster6164 there was an alternative opening set with tor tags in a morgue
@@thomasdelvin3683 Indeed. The problem with that opening was that test audiences found it funny, which was why it was cut. Wilder wasn't going for a comedy.
This movie is such a classic. The people playing bridge with Norma are Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilson and H.B. Warner, contemporaries of Gloria Swanson. Cecil B. DeMille, the director who had made Gloria Swanson a star, played himself in the film.
And the great Buster Keaton
Erich von Stroheim was in real life a succesfull silent movie director. He was known for shooting over budget because he liked to take his time. He was a brilliant director. Check out the silent movie Greed. It's amazing, full of amazing shots and great story telling.
The scene of the movie that Norma and Joe watch in her living room is from the movie Queen Kelly, starring Gloria Swanson and directed by von Stroheim. In fact, it was the movie that ended his career in real life and was never officially released. It caused some bad blood between Swanson and von Stroheim. But by the time they made Sunset Boulevard they had made up and respected eachother. Sunset Boulevard is a perfect mix of fiction mixed with real life elements and people in the movie business. Great reaction.
Von Stroheim delivered a first cut of 1924's "Greed" on a whopping 42 reels. It lasted nine hours! There was no way MGM was gonna make the $600,000 ever ballooning budget back releasing that in theaters, so they locked Von Stroheim out and had 'some people' edit it down to 140 minutes, and they released that to make about a third of the money back. Whole subplots had just been hacked out. Von Stroheim never forgave MGM. In the 1950s, a four hour version was brilliantly reconstructed that restored many of the subplots. Both versions are on RUclips. The full original version is long since lost.
It's such a shame that people today almost never watch silent films, 'cause they had things to tell back then too. Erich Von Stroheim was a magnificent film maker, though also obsessive and self destructive as hell. Michael Cimino couldn't hold a candle to this guy.
This is one of my favorite movies. In the 80s I worked at a video store in West Hollywood. I never watched those old black and white movies because I like action movies. We had a celebrity clientele and one day a producer customer was in talking to one of the other clerks and he heard that I didn't like black and white movies. He came over to me and very nicely asked to put one on the stores monitor. He began to explain what makes black and white so cool. I remember him saying that shadow can be a character in itself. He wrote down a list of 5 movies to watch and gave it to me, Sunset Blvd was one of them. I've loved black and white movies ever since. That was my favorite job ever. I learned so much about movies there.
So cool
@@Dave-hb7lx Casablanca, 12 Angry Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Manchurian Candidate - I loved them all!
This constantly reminds me of Thames TV's fantastic 1980 documentary series "Hollywood" narrated by James Mason about silent era Hollywood. Whenever Gloria Swanson pops up and relays all kinds of anecdotes from the 1920s, it's a good episode.
I wish I could add a playlist link for all 13 episodes without RUclips's stupid bot deleting it automatically.
ruclips.net/p/PLTBBI_gasgdGBgk8VqcTUw6o2kVZqjdU3
Hi, thank you for letting me know about it! I love that sort of thing. I like watching documentaries, usually whilst editing. This series sounds great. Yeah, it does tend to delete links. I've just gone into the held comments and accepted the link for you. Thank you!
As a kid I saw Subset boulevard on television. I subsequently saw Gloria Swanson appear on comedy variety shows and she was clearly a marvelous and graceful lady with a wry sense of humor and a keen mind. Just so you know...
The best film about Hollywood, fame and the world of celebrity. An absolute beautiful journey into the demise of a star and her disposability. If you love David Lynch you'll recognize some of his influences in this film. The story of how the actual stars of the silent films were treated by the studios that had used their looks and talent is quite awful really. They were thrown away and forgotten by the industry that they actually help build.
Marty, I think you missed the point of the monkey. The monkey's significance is that Joe replaces him as Norma's companion. Joe is better looking and smarter - but he still fills the role as Norma's "pet." Billy Wilder is a genius of a writer. Every detail serves the larger purpose of his vision.
One of my all-time favourites!! I first watched this when I rented it on VHS back when I was about 21. I was so floored by how amazing it was that I hit "rewind", grabbed some snacks while it went back to the beginning, then sat back down to watch it all the way through again.
1:18:17 Mae Murray was offended by the subject matter of the film i.e.: tracing the career of a former great star falling into madness. "According to Joe Franklin, when Mae Murray first saw Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" she expressed much skepticism about the character Norma Desmond: "None of us floozies were that nuts!"
So glad to hear you’re going to delve into the old classics. Each one is a master class in itself. Btw Cecil B DeMille was extremely HUGE back then. He was the quintessential blockbuster Bible movie director; The Ten Commandments is probably his most famous. His movies are over the top in every way and were massive hits at the box office. He is a Hollywood icon still, so given the times, his prima donna treatment is understandable…and Marty, I’m ready for my closeup 🎥 😏
As frivolous as it sounds, a top 5 movie of all time in my list, It's just equally mesmerizing and terrifying, fascinating, suggestive, beautiful... magnificient!
Fantastic Julio! It sounds like you have fantastic taste. I totally agree! Thank you so much for watching
55:25
*"Paramount News???"*
Oh yeah, back then people often got their news through news reels in the actual movie theaters, usually before the Bugs Bunny cartoon and the main feature. People could spend a whole afternoon or evening in a movie theater. This was just before TV made a big breakthrough in America to take over much of that. So it was actually the big movie studios who had camera crews driving around filming for random news stories.
this film is brilliant in so many ways-but it was wonderful to watch you completely forget how we meet Joe in the beginning of the film-floating dead in the pool. this film does this better than any other film I feel-you completely forget that you know the ending. you know what happens-literally-but the rest of the film is so spectacular in how it plays out-you completely are in the middle of the story-and we forget we've already met Joe already dead. oh!! what a picture!!! (that last sentence to be said in a hard-bitten fast and tough talking accent to justify phrases we don't use anymore-like calling a movie a "picture".)
Gloria Swanson is just so thrilling as norma. her performance has everything-it's tragic, it's funny, it's full of rage, it's coy, it's vulnerable, it's hidden, and then we have the actual advantage of Swanson being the real article. So all of the old film clips are her. The old pictures and paintings in the house are her. her understanding of the film business and Hollywood all comes from her. lighting struck in casting her. she is just thrilling!
so are William Holden, Nancy Olson, and von stroheim. all the performances are stunning. and billy wilder has never been better here too. he clearly is thrilled to be making this statement with this film. he is excited to sticking it to Hollywood in this way. and I don't blame him. wilder knew he was saying something important with this film, and he really went for it. to think that this film and ALL ABOUT EVE came out in the same year 1950! like the way THE WIZARD OF OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND coming out in the same year 1939. what a time for the art of film! incredible!
so glad to see you react to this brilliant work of art! one of the great films of all time! I love your channel. you are my favorite reactor because you are such a great mix of knowing your stuff-your history, the culture of film and film making, you know a bit about life it would seem, you have kindness and empathy, you are funny and fun, you are very smart, and most of all-you LOVE the movies. you find movies MAGIC-and that comes through. thanks for posting. I look forward to more!
ps. I also want you to know that I am "ready for my close-up" and ALSO--that wind and storm in the background as you filmed this clip is not just the wind. no no. that wind is all the ghosts of old Hollywood-the old stars-the ones killed by the sound industry coming into film who couldn't make it work-the greedy demille-and the studio owners who had to put up all that money and the Cadillac for demille-for poor unhappy and drinking bill holden-for Swanson who really had a pretty good life when all is said and done-for Montgomery Clift who had such an unhappy life-for wicked and wonderful billy wilder-for buster Keaton who is one of the card playing buddies of norma-for pola negri who nobody can understand to this day! even in heaven she has refused to drop that accent!-for all of the dead who used to show up to Schwabs everyday and sit at that lunch counter hoping and dreaming and never got discovered.--for--there are so many more--that is what the wind is!! the storm is getting stronger because it's all those voices trying to reach us!!! trying to tell us who they were!!! hello!!! hello!!! we hear you!!! we hear you!!!
Love your reaction. . .But I think you should know that Erich Von Stroheim (Max in the film) was actually a very famous and well-respected Austrian-American Director, Screenwriter and Actor. He was one of the critically acclaimed directors of the early 20th century. By the way, he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Max. As a director he was known for the uncompromising realism and accuracy of detail in his films. And Billy Wilder was one of the greatest directors of all-time. . .Love his films!
The woman on the phone in Norma's bedroom was the famous (infamous?), and powerful gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper.
You can't feel too sorry for Joe, he gave his freedom for a life of luxury. He learned too late you never give up your freedom.
More Billy Wilder! Especially The Apartment, Double Indemnity, Some Like it Hot, and Witness for the Prosecution
All of those movies are great--ready for my close up.
Thanks, Marty, for a fantastic reaction to one of my all-time favorite films!
Thank you so much Blue! Thank you for watching, I'm glad I could watch it for you
Billy Wilder's best movie!
most likely, and that's something to say 🤯
It's definitely a wonderful one! Thank you for watching Dave
I think "The Apartment" was his best.
Thank you, Marty! 🎬 Directed by the great Billy Wilder. I hope the Broadway musical version someday gets the cinematic treatment.
Yes, me to. Maybe it’ll finally get Glenn her Oscar
@@scottheierman4481 🥂 They might ask her to reprise 'Norma'... she's finally old enough for the role!
Marty! Another fantastic review. Thank you.
Ready for my closeup!
I take notes as you progress through your viewing and trivia.
Here are some reactions to you.
Gloria deserved the Oscar, Bette was right. Bette was also deserving, but had her Oscars, Gloria deserved this win. Judy played the same character in more than one film, but she was also great.
Gloria, in reality, did receive 10,000 fan letters per week at the peak of her career.
Max plays Bach's Tocata in Fugue on the organ, one of my favorite classical pieces.
As stated in Trivia, all the photos about the house were of Gloria, and as you surmised, Gloria was still young, only 50.
Gloria was completely different from her character, Norma. She was an early health-conscious woman with very positive energy.
The "Wax Works," were in fact, very famous in their own rights, including the formidable comedian Buster Keaton, and Hedda Hopper, gossip columnist.
Artie, Betty's fiance, actor Jack Webb, became a very famous TV star with Dragnet, a police series.
The items hanging in Schwab's were not guns, but smoking pipes.
Cecil B. DeMille was a hugely famous and successful director. His payments were warranted for his presence in the film.
BTW, Gone with the Wind was an MGM production. In the story, Paramount was said to have passed on the opportunity. I'm not sure if that was the case, but another studio did produce.
As you noted, News Reels accompanied all films in the theaters. Paramount would have had their own.
I'm happy you are focusing on vintage films, especially because you appreciate them, and cinematography is huge on my personal list of interests. (Cinematography on Netflix Series, Ripley, is not to be missed).
BTW, James Dean only made 3 films. All 3 are reaction worthy, especially imho, Giant, also starring Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
Nancy Olson was great in this film. I also loved her in Walt Disney's 1960 film, Pollyanna.
Last but not least, Barbara Stanwyck, imho, is the best ever from Hollywood. Her skills are 2nd to none. Pre-code films, comedy, drama, noir, westerns, there was absolutely nothing that was beyond her skills. Even if a particular film was not the stellar, her performance was always spectacular. She made so many excellent films. Any is worth of reaction.
Thank you for the fun, Marty
When this movie was made it was 1950. Silent films, except for Charlie Chaplain films, were finished in 1927. She's been cut off for 23 years.
Wonderful film, wonderful reaction...you are a delight. Ready for my closeup, Mr. Marty.
Thank you so much David! Lovely to see you here. Apologies for the delayed reply, but thank you for watching
also, notice that norma goes completely insane when joe says that demille only wanted to rent her car. watch her face and you'll see that's when it happens.
Great reaction!
Thank you so much Anders! Thank you for watching
You mentioned 1949's "The Heiress"! An exquisite film (one of my favorites) also directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, and Ralph Richardson. Definitely worth a watch and I'd love to see your reactions to it! And with Halloween right around the corner, how about THE greatest haunted house movie of all time: 1963's "The Haunting" with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom, directed by the great Robert Wise! Guaranteed to keep you up at night! I'm so happy to find (and subscribe to) a channel that appreciates (and intelligently comments on) these older films!
you mentioned that the bed looks like a boat. that was THE BED used in the 1925 "phantom of the opera" starring lon chaney. it's part of hollywood history.
This was so much fun😊. I am looking forward to catching up with your others. I am always looking for entertaining and clean commentaries on movies. Kudos. New subscriber
You're so adorable!!! I knew you'd forgotten Joe was already dead, your reaction was the best!!! Ready for my close up.
Love this movie. Your reactions were fabulous…especially when you had that realization about Max. Brilliant! Trivia at the end is always great..you make me feel like I’m ready for my closeup!
I have one of those antique cigarette cases. I don't smoke anymore, so I use it for a card wallet. It's quite flash ☮️
"Ready for my closeup."
Thank you so much Carlos! I really appreciate it. I hope you're well!
Most people failed to get the drift in the men's clothing shop when the salesman says "as long as the lady's paying for it " he meant it as in sex.
Great response to this great film . This film, Casablanca , The Godfather and The Wizard of Oz probably are the most quoted films from Hollywood. I'll throw in The Third Man from Great Britain for great lines !
Really enjoyed your reactions to this film and "Marty"!
"Ready for my close up!"
Ready for my close up - another great great reaction, so wonderful to see you get so emotionally involved in this story, I love this film - if you ever get a chance to see the Jamie Lloyd production of the musical jump at it, it’s a brilliant take - he nails the dark, cutthroat aspect of the Hollywood industry, and you really see Joe and Norma as this damaged, codependent couple.
I absolutely love the trivia. You share at the end of these reactions. And… IMDb.😁
Your comments were great ! Very intuitive too ! You really are into the movie and I really like the trivia ending segment
Awesome review, you should check out What Happened to Baby Jane!
Thanks Scott!! Added it to the list now 😎🤘 I replied a little late, however
@@MoviesWithMarty Haha, no worries man, glad for the response anytime:) Happy watching! What Ever Happened To Baby Jane is gold. I'm about to check out your Time Bandits watch.
Awesome review. C. de Mille was a Hollywood god. That’s why he could ask for a ridiculous fee. BTW, Carol Burnett did a comedy sketch of this movie in the 1960s or 1970s.
One of my favourite films and your reaction is the most insightful and intelligent I've seen!
as you mentioned "alright mr. demille i'm ready my close up" and "i am big it the pictures that got small" the line that sent chills through me was "how about looking for the exit"
did glenn close perform SB in london too, i think so
It's a great movie when it makes you forget the beginning of the movie. and then make you go damn! at the end.
15:58 There’s a new stage production happening in Australia soon starring Sarah Brightman. I’m seeing it in October at the Sydney Opera House. 🤩
Great reaction as always! Enjoyed the trivia at the end too. Interesting that The Heiress with Montgomery Clift was mentioned. That one is really good and worth watching ! Will reaction to Marty be out soon ? Can hardly wait for it !
Certainly, this is absolutely one of my favorite films - and I love the silent era, though the vast majority of silent films are lost forever (due to the material used in their manufacture, or just thrown out once sound films became the thing). BTW, Norma's boat bed was made for an early 20th century Folies Bergère star and was modeled on a fanciful boat made for Bavaria's mad King Ludwig. Following her death, it was acquired in the early 1920s by MGM and thereafter appeared in several films (both silent and sound). 1920s-1930s film siren Mae West, who also was offered the role of Norma, had a similar boat bed that was shaped like a swan. Nancy Olson is still around - she's probably the last survivor from this movie.
My favorite quote isn't "ready for my closeup", but rather "I've been worried about the line in my neck... this woman has done wonders with it."
Nancy Olson, who plays Betty, is still alive. She's 95 and turns 96 in July. Here's an interview from a few months ago: ruclips.net/video/bBsJU-ACAO0/видео.html
William Holden went on to star in the 1973 movie Breezy, directed by Clint Eastwood, in which he's a 55-year-old guy who romances a young woman who's about 20 years old, played by Kay Lenz. So in his career, Holden, who born in 1918, romanced Gloria Swanson, who was born in 1899 and Kay Lenz, who was born in 1953. Here's the trailer: ruclips.net/video/38zpqhU_GcM/видео.html
54:58 This is the second reaction to this film I’ve watched, and in both cases the reactor didn’t realise (or remember) that it was Joe floating in the pool at the beginning and the film was being told from the viewpoint of a dead man. 🤦♂️
So glad you are reviewing classic films. If you want to go back to the silent era, Buster Keaton's "The General." is fun. Keaton did all his own stunts. Some incredibly dangerous. I may have missed your phrase, but I watched to the end.
Thanks Marty! Great reaction to a great movie!
Great reaction to a great film.
42:09 Max can't get to the studio though because Joe's got the only car.
Dear Marty: Great Movie - Great Review. My wife and I love the fact that you take the time to delve deeply into the trivia that surround may of these wonderful old films. However, I BEG YOU ON BENDED KNEES, please screen one of the truly great comedies in film history - I refer to the David Lean production of "HOBSON'S CHOICE." This 1953 film has always been one of my all time favorites. Starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Brenda de Banzie it along with may fine supporting actors, it easily ranks as one of the top 100 comedies of all time. I will continue to plague you forever until you relent and deliver what I assure you will be a treat, not only for yourself, but for all your subscribers as well.
Ready for my close up
This was an absolute delight to get to watch you enjoy.
The perfect follow ups would be "Death Becomes Her" and "The Player," btw
Liked and shared.
Such a good film!
You did a nice commentary about the film!
The first time I watched it, I felt kind of down. It was many years ago, and I wasn't prepared for the ending.
The shots made from under the water in the pool could have been made with waterproof camas
Does anybody else get the feeling that William Holden's character is a replacement for the deceased chimp? Norma D seems to be treating him like a child or a pet, even though Norma seems to want romantic attention from him as well.
How can one watch the movie with all your interruptions??
This is a great film. Dramatic yes, but meant to be. Love it!
A Documentary came with the DVD release. I can not recommend this enough, for all there is to know about Sunset Blvd.
I so enjoy your reactions! I am going to need a little time at the make up table though, before I am ready for my close up.
What do you mean you've never heard of Cecil B DeMille before?! The movie The Ten Commandments happens to be the greatest bible movie ever to be made/ directed by him! In the US, they play it on TV every year. They did a remake of it, and nothing compares to DeMille's 1956 version! If you haven't seen it, you need to.
Edit: "Ready for my close-up."
Some suggestions,
Kid Galahad (Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart & Edward G. Robinson)
Odds Against Tomorrow
Cromwell (Richard Harris,Alec Guinness & Timothy Dalton)
El Cid (Charlton Heston)
The Red House (Edward G. Robinson)
Mirage
The Big Clock
The Strange Door
Birdman of Alcatraz (Burt Lancaster)
The Defiant Ones (Sidney Poitier & Tony Curtis)
The Manchurian Candidate 1962
Lovers and Other Strangers
Figures in a Landscape (Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell)
Witness For the Prosecution
Mad Love (Peter Lorre)
The Face Behind the Mask (Peter Lorre)
Three Strangers (Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Lorre)
Seven Days in May (Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas)
Judgment at Nuremberg (Spencer Tracy,Burt Lancaster,Maximilian Schell)
Al Capone (Rod Steiger & Martin Balsam)
The Harder They Fall (Rod Steiger & Humphrey Bogart)
Dead Reckoning (Humphrey Bogart)
Dark City (1950) starring Charlton Heston in his Hollywood debut
The List of Adrian Messenger (George C. Scott / Burt Lancaster / Kirk Douglas)
On the Waterfront (Marlon Brando,Karl Malden,Lee J Cobb,Rod Steiger,Eva Marie Saint)
Passage to Marseille (Humphrey Bogart)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Humphrey Bogart)
Key Largo (Humphrey Bogart)
The Maltese Falcon (Humphrey Bogart)
Double Indemnity (Edward G. Robinson)
The Asphalt Jungle
Billy Budd
Plymouth Adventure
Captains Courageous (Spencer Tracy)
Fear Strikes Out (Anthony Perkins & Karl Malden)
A Slight Case of Murder (Edward G. Robinson)
The Left Hand of God (Humphrey Bogart)
Brother Orchid (Humphrey Bogart & Edward G. Robinson)
Joe is deliberately acting like a jerk to Betty in order to push her away and tell her to get the hell away from him.
Thank you, I'm ready for my closeup.
Thank you Paula! Thanks for watching and being amazing. I hope you're well and enjoyed the video
A superb film! I've always thought it a shame that the Oscars could not have been a three way tie for best actress that season-Swanson, Bette Davis and Billie Holiday giving stellar performances in 1950. The original "A Star is Born" (1938) with Janet Gaynor and the Judy Garland version (1954) are also good indicators of the dark side of Hollywood, I recommend them both. Close up? I'm not ready!
I am trying to think who would be today's Norma Desmond. What great actress has been gone for 20+ years?🤔
I saw the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical first and I really love both.
ready for my close up!
LOVE this movie!
I think I remember reading that this was written with Brigitte Bardot in mind, but I may be mistaken. Regardless, if Norma Desmond were offered to you as a leading role, would you be flattered or offended? One wonders. 🤔
("Ready for my close-up.")
so bardot was playing-who??? wait. what part of the story am I missing here? Brigette Bardot IS norma desmond? that would be--fascinating? it would be-something.
as a person I would be offended to be offered Norma Desmond.
But as an actor I would be thrilled, ecstatic, vindicated, celebrated (everything gets blurry. sound of thunderous applause and cheering! louder!! LOUDER!!!!!)-this great role-FINALLY- is mine! MINE! MINE DO YOU HEAR ME!! it's MINE!! finally a movie is all about me! ME!! me me Norma Desmond! (sound of harp stings-then glass shattering) I'm sorry-what were you saying? I got lost. no. I am not offended. thanks for the offer. when do we start?
Brigitte Bardot was 15 or 16 when this film was made.
@@geraldmcboingboing7401it might have been for the remake in 1994; I just remembered hearing it somewhere. But it did make me think again about what it would be like to be thought of for what many would think of as an "unattractive" role.
@@luckyleprechaun-e7hthat's a great take. I love it!
In this film Norma Desmond is supposed to be the same age Reese Witherspoon is now. 😄
It’s noticeable she that shapes her hand to look like bird claws.
Wow Tornado warning in the UK! - over here in Oklahoma, we used to have them - 10 times a year - until about 10 yr ago, now its 2-3 times a years, and this year none so far. All the tornadoes we used to get here in OK - moved 500-1000 miles East of us and now all of them in the last decade have been hitting Alabama, Georgia/etc instead. Yep Climate Change, good of us here in OK at least in this particular.
Old BW movies are the best - you should check out more of them (too few reactors view BW movies). movie list of classics below:
Strangers on a Train
Double Endemnity
Shadow of a Doubt
The Best Years of Our Lives
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Casablanca
Key Largo
Patterns
City and the Night
Failsafe
Dr Strangelove
Seven Days in May
Marty
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A face in the Crowd
Gaslight
The Little Foxes
Imitation of Life (original version)
It Happened One Night
The Misfits
The Killers (original version)
Nothing But a Man
The Intruder
Paths of Glory
All Quiet on the Western Front (original version)
there are around 10 more in the foreign catagory and BW/old - but will not mention them yet.
the above is a large list to check out.
Well, it's only February. Isn't tornado season typically March-June?
Have you seen the movie Last Action Hero?
AHHH Yes! I love that film! It's such an 80s action nostalgia, with an amazing premise. Cinema coming to life?! Heck yeah! Plus, Arnie? Amazing. Apologies Aran, if I'd not seen it, I'd definitely watch it on the channel
Norma Dezmond...the og sugar mama!!!
Just watched Marty's reaction to this film amazing, I would recommend a reaction to "Whatever happened to baby Jane"