Sunset Boulevard (1950)

This is one of the top films of all time for a reason.
Joe Gillis (William Holden) is dead. That's no spoiler, it's the opening scene. But lets start at the beginning. Joe is a script writer who is going through a severe dry spell and is broke beyond all reason. On the run from the collection agency, he drives his car into a driveway of what he believes is an abandoned mansion, old and decaying away. However, that's not the case. It is the house of former silent film superstar Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson, a revelation). Her beloved chimp has just died so she mistakes Joe for the coffin guy but then upon discovering he's a writer, she asks if he would read her script. He decides to milk the situation, something he will later come to regret. She offers him the editing job and insists that he move into the guest house, a room above the garage which he does. And soon, he becomes a spoiled prisoner. Her script is awful and dated, just as Norma's whole house is frozen in time. She allows his car to be taken away so he can't really leave and Norma's personality is volatile. Joe hitches a ride to spend time with his friends, she grabs his razor and attempts suicide. Sure, she is depressed, without the cameras surrounding her but she needs attention among other things. But this attempt got him to come back so it served its purpose.
Fortunately, a chance meeting his friend's fiance, Betty Shaffer (Nancy Olsen) inspires him to work on a script which actually has promise. Betty actually met Joe back at the beginning when he was begging for a job. She's a reader (that's a job of some sort) at Paramount and has read one of his old scripts which contains a portion that she feels shows real promise. So Joe sneaks out of the house at night so they can work on it together, and Betty falls in love with him though she's engaged to the nice Artie Green (Jack Webb).
Norma cannot have this, she's a star and no one leaves a star so she tries to sabotage the relationship. But Joe realizes that he's being a tool so he ends things with Betty but decides to leave anyway and tells Norma the truth, her career is history and her fan letters have all been written by her first husband, former director and now butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim) though he won't admit it. So Joe leaves but Norma shots him (I assume she ordered the gun and had it delivered with Max's knowledge) three times and he falls into the newly cleaned out pool to his death. And she breaks with reality. But the TV stations bring in cameras so she perks up and prepares herself for her final close up.
The plot is brilliant, with intricate twists and turns and excellent characters and performances not to mention the excellent cinematography, editing and scenic design (which won a much deserved Oscar). The dialogue is memorable and cannot be forgotten. The role of Norma is utterly perfect for Swanson who has one of the most expressive faces ever on screen. All four stars were nominated for much deserved Oscars though none of them won, which is just a shame though 1950 was a great year for films though this one might just be the greatest. Grade: A