Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was named after the boulevard that runs through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California. The film stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, an unsuccessful screenwriter, and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a faded silent movie star. She draws him into her fantasy world where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen. The story is set in 1950s Hollywood and depicts how cruel the effects of losing one's star status can be. The movie ends with murder and Swanson losing her mind. A BBC review of the film said it is, "the finest movie ever made about the narcissistic hellhole that is Hollywood".

 

The movie was praised by many critics when it was first released. It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won three. It is widely accepted as a classic and is often cited as one of the greatest films of American cinema. In 1998, it was ranked number twelve on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films of the 20th century. Time magazine described it as a story of, "Hollywood at its worst told by Hollywood at its best", while Box Office Review wrote, "the picture will keep spectators spellbound". RottenTomatoes.com said it was: "Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood." To promote the film, Gloria Swanson travelled throughout the United States, visiting 33 cities in a few months.