•    Academy Award WINNER for BEST SCORE!

 •    A Tribute to Billy Wilder

Gloria Swanson — as Norma Desmond, an aging silent film queen who was once the greatest star of all — and William Holden — as the struggling writer who is held in thrall by her madness — created two of the screen’s most memorable characters in SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Director Billy Wilder’s orchestration of the bizarre tale is one of cinema’s greatest classics. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, the film is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond’s discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot in unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances. Legendary cameos by such luminaries as Cecil B. DeMille and Buster Keaton round out one of the greatest casts ever assembled.

SUNSET BOULEVARD ranks 12th on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest films of all time.

The score for SUNSET BOULEVARD is one of the greatest ever composed. Amazingly, and in spite of it winning the 1950 Academy Award for Best Score, this CD is the world premiere release of a genuine film music masterpiece and features over 70 minutes of music. Also featured as a special bonus track is the nine-minute, never-before-heard cue Waxman wrote for the film’s lost morgue scene prologue. Paramount located the footage as well as the music in their archives and supplied us with the score for this landmark recording. Joel McNeely conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

“All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up …”