SUNSET BOULEVARD in 4K to Screen At Cannes, Disc Coming

Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is, I daresay, one of the greatest films of all time. It showcases what Hollywood can do to people in one of the most exciting crossroads of fame, the industry, and noir.

There's lots of detailed and fine critcal analysis on Sunset Boulevard, so I'll shy away from those who've done it better. In the multiple Academy Award-winning film, Norma Desmond's (Gloria Swanson) aging, obsessive star keeps tight wraps on Joe Gillis, a writer suffocating under her control and withering gazes in her massive mansion while pining for the good old days. Things do not go well, and the moody film is an experience to behold.

And now you can own it for yourself in glorious 4K when our friends at Paramount release it for the home market on August 5th, wherever you get your discs. But if you're lucky enough to be at Cannes, the film's 4K restoration will screen at the Cannes Classics Program on Saturday, May 17th at 9:30pm local time.

Check out the trailer below. Here's some information from the studio's press release:

To mark SUNSET BOULEVARD’s 75th anniversary, this cinematic masterpiece has been meticulously restored in 4K using rare archival elements and a 35mm print from the Library of Congress as a reference to faithfully honor and preserve director Billy Wilder’s original vision for generations to come.

Originally released on August 10, 1950, SUNSET BOULEVARD was among the first films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and is in the top 20 of the AFI’s Greatest American Films of All Time. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, and won three for Best Art Direction, Best Music and Best Writing.

Gloria Swanson and William Holden give riveting performances as two of the silver screen’s most memorable characters: the aging silent film queen Norma Desmond and struggling young screenwriter Joe Gillis.  The bizarre and twisted story that unfolds between them is a brilliant combination of noir, black comedy and character study, as well as a scathing and pitch-black commentary on Hollywood that continues to resonate in today’s influencer-driven, true crime-obsessed, and self-reflective culture.

SUNSET BOULEVARD also features masterful, Oscar®-nominated performances by Erich von Stroheim as Desmond’s ex-husband/butler and Nancy Olson as the wholesome script reader who falls for Gillis, along with cameo appearances by director Cecil B. DeMille, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, and silent film actor Buster Keaton.