Cinema Classics Number 23 - "This is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, and the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!"
Cinema Classics is back for 2026! In a very apt choice we're looking at classic cinema reflecting on classic cinema this month, as we head down to Sunset Boulevard — Billy Wilder’s venomous, melancholic love letter to Hollywood and one of the most iconic films of the Golden Age. Regular host Michael is joined by stalwart returning guest and fellow first-time viewer Tobi to discuss Wilder’s refusal of subtlety, the film’s ruthless focus and moral ambiguity, and how its heightened dialogue and stylised performances blur the line between tragedy, black comedy, and outright horror. From its famously fatalistic opening to an ending that fully commits to madness, we explore how Sunset Boulevard is a film about illusion, performance, and an industry that devours its own ghosts. We also dig into the film’s meta-casting, gothic production design, dive deep into the themes, and explore why Norma Desmond isn’t meant to feel like a real person — but a movie star who never stopped acting. Is the film slow, or simply uncompromising? Are its clichés dated — or foundational? And who, exactly, is it cruelest to? Fire up your old-school projector, get nostalgic for the past and join us for our thoughts on the ultimate Hollywood fable. What a wonderful next year it's going to be! What fun we'll have!
TW: Attempted suicide, mental illness - 29:14 to 32:40
#podcast #cinema #classicfilm #classicfilmlovers #classicfilmstars #sunsetboulevard #hollywood #gloriaswanson #normadesmond #billywilder
Links:
Follow Tobi on BlueSky - DarkSonic@bsky.social
Find Mike and the podcast all over the internet via https://linktr.ee/mikespods
Follow Mike on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/g479
Follow the podcast on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/3xH6
Join the Silver Screen Podcast Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/329752622011042/?ref=share
E-mail us at mwilsonba1982@gmail.com
Created & Hosted by Michael Wilson.
Written by Michael Wilson.
Edited by Michael Wilson.
Produced by Mike Wilson.
“All right, Mr DeMille… I’m ready for my close-up.”
