★ 7 / 10
Sexual Identity in the 50s
east-bay-guy
Although a flawed documentary, thin on source material, it's nonetheless enjoyable if you're a fan of Gloria Swanson or interested in another take on…
Although a flawed documentary, thin on source material, it's nonetheless enjoyable if you're a fan of Gloria Swanson or interested in another take on homosexuality in Hollywood in the 1950s, well before Stonewall. It's difficult for many to understand that a mere 60-75+ years ago, gay identity did not yet exist. The few homosexuals who were open, or so obvious that no closet was even remotely possible, were living in an era before post-Stonewall conceptions of gay identity were born.Boulevard is a window into that bygone era, as much as it is the telling of Gloria Swanson's effort to make Sunset Boulevard into a musical and remain a contemporary celebrity figure. And at this documentary's heart is a complicated love story between the two men Swanson used to try to bring a musical reinvention of Sunset Blvd., and herself, to Broadway in 1957.So yes, if you're interested in Hollywood history, Swanson or Sunset Boulevard, absolutely worth showing up for. But watch also for a compelling pre-Stonewall lovestory between two very different men working in the arts.
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★ 1 / 10
A Documentary About Nothing
arfdawg-1
Gloria Swanson is likely best known for the great film noir "Sunset Blvd." from the '50's. This documentary purports to be an account on a failed musical that…
Gloria Swanson is likely best known for the great film noir "Sunset Blvd." from the '50's.
This documentary purports to be an account on a failed musical that Swanson wanted to do based on the movie (way before Andrew Lloyd Weber).
However, what it really amounts to is a re-hash of the original movie and some asides about Swanson's life.
The documentary is so thin and unoriginal that it practically plays clips of the ENTIRE Sunset Blvd movie, for heaven's sake!
This musical a less than minor footnote on her career. And who cares? No one. In fact, no one has ever heard of the two "collaborators" on this effort, as the documentary admits!
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★ 7 / 10
good, but could have dug deeper into details.
ksf-2
First of all, I personally think a musical version of sunset boulevard is a terrible idea. I think the dark, dramatic, gothic atmosphere created in the 1950…
First of all, I personally think a musical version of sunset boulevard is a terrible idea. I think the dark, dramatic, gothic atmosphere created in the 1950 film version was important to the story. Dark and dreary, much like norma desmond's career, later in her life. Narration by song writers dick hughes and richard stapley. Director schwarz. Mark saltzman. Quite a bit of time spent on the personal and working relationship of hughes and stapley. The personal stuff had to be kept quiet at the time, of course. And this would undo stapley's acting career in the united states. But, according to dick and richard, swanson was getting jealous of their relationship. And theoretically, she didn't have the rights to make a musical from the film anyway. So everything kind of fell apart. Stapler moved back to britain, under the name richard wyler. Motorcycle racing. Then... years later, there would be two shows produced... swanson on sunset, at the cinegrill by gloria swanson. And the glenn close musical version of.... sunset boulevard, from andrew weber. A very interesting story, of a project that was years in the making, along with the people involved. One of whom was swanson, herself. Film buffs will dig watching this. An interesting piece of history that probably very few people knew about. Directed by jeffrey schwarz. They didn't seem to interview anyone outside the tight circle of friends. Glenn close, andrew weber, the newspapers giving the reviews. The copyright owners. It's interesting, but they could have dug deeper into some details.
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80%
AUDIENCE
6.9/10
306
