Billy Wilder’s mordant classic was nominated for 11 Oscars in 1950 and is one of the few films in cinema history to receive nominations in all four acting categories. Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond, the washed-up silent film star hoping for a comeback; William Holden is the opportunistic screenwriter who becomes her lover; silent film director Erich von Stroheim plays Norma’s devoted butler; and newcomer Nancy Olson gives a winning performance as the young studio employee whom Holden loves.
