tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019017536875409609.post9050248716310527529..comments2023-11-09T02:34:09.980-06:00Comments on 3B Theater: Micro-Brewed Reviews: Cult Movie Project #15 (of 200): The Difficulty of Proving You're Not Dead, When So Many of Them Are: Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950) W.B. Kelsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06488705562652550244noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019017536875409609.post-25117826087329028602015-07-15T13:49:28.969-05:002015-07-15T13:49:28.969-05:00I will always have a soft spot for FIVE GRAVES TO ...I will always have a soft spot for FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO because that was my first Wilder movie, courtesy of Matinee at the Bijou. One of the best things Peary pointed out is if you listen closely to Joe's narration, you realize how big of a hack screenwriter he really was. I think he is the "bad guy" of the piece but failed to realize that Norma wasn't as hapless and pathetic as he thought. W.B. Kelsohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488705562652550244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019017536875409609.post-89804389556194341262015-07-14T09:58:01.780-05:002015-07-14T09:58:01.780-05:00Oh, where to begin? First of all this is a great g...Oh, where to begin? First of all this is a great great movie, with an unbelievably good performance by Gloria Swanson. I never knew the story about Stanwyck, her reaction is really a far better tribute to Swanson's abilities than an Oscar. I always felt that Joe was the villian, and Norma (although deranged at the end) the heroine. She truly is the talented one, as Joe only wrecks her treatment of Salome. My favorite moment in the film, is Norma's one-woman play for Joe,which includes her fantastic Chaplin impersonation. Swanson's talent is keenly on display here, and overwhelms the screen. Of course, a close second, is the ending with Swanson descending the staircase, while Max directs his star. As great as Double Imdemnity, Some Like It Hot, and Stalag 17 are, this and Ace in the Hole are my two favorite Wider pictures. A joy to watch everytime. Two small notes, As depressing as this movie is, amazingly Jack Webb plays probably his happiest character ever. Also, about Dead Man's Curve, the song came out 2 years before Jan Berry's accident,so it was more an eerie coincidence than a foreboding. Great work, Chad!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598321249896138287noreply@blogger.com