directed by Billy Wilder, starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, USA 1950, 110 min., b/w, DCP, original version with Italian subtitles

A fugitive scriptwriter seeks shelter in the villa of Norma Desmond, an ageing star of the silent movie era immersed in the past. A legendary movie in every sense of the word, this was the swansong of the cinema’s first golden age, with cameo appearances by such big names as Buster Keaton, Erich von Stroheim and Cecil B. De Mille, and with a peerless performance from Gloria Swanson (a genuine silent movie star) who unashamedly displays the marks of physical decline, senile sexuality and the obsessive euphoria of an impossible dream of glory. In daring to shatter the Hollywood myth, Wilder creates a true masterpiece, his cruel, dark nostalgia warning us that the cinema creates ghosts, but it has the power to make them eternal. The film won Oscars for its original screenplay, its soundtrack and its set design.

Image: Sunset Boulevard - Courtesy of Park Circus/Paramount.

Informazioni

Admission free while places last. Reservations are required

Sala Cinema - Palazzo Esposizioni Roma

Admission via steps in via Milano 9a

Reservations may be made on the Italian version of this page from 9:00 am on the day before the film is due to be screened until one hour before the performance begins. If for any reason you are unable to come, please remember to cancel the reservation in your basket so that someone else can book the place.