Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up: The American Film Institute has ranked Sunset Blvd. as one of the 100 best American films of the 20th century, in your opinion why is the film still celebrated today?

Sunset Blvd is not only an excellent film, but also a Hollywood history lesson. The director, Billy Wilder, created an eduring film that continues to intrigue audiences today. In fact, it has some of the most famous lines and characters in film history.

Similar to Singin' in the Rain, Sunset Blvd accurately portrays the fate of many silent film stars after sound revolutionized the movie industry. Suddenly many stars found themselves with no money or jobs thanks to the new invention. While Singin in the Rain in the took a humorous approach to the subject, Sunset Blvd. shows the dark side of Hollywood. In fact, many of the topics discussed in the movie are still part of the industry's seedy underbelly which partly explains the ongoing fascination with the film. Sunset Blvd dealt with enduring topics such as fading youth, greed, fame, and murder. Due to the cutthroat nature of the business, the pursuit of everlasting fame and wealth still leads to tragic circumstances for many people.

In addition, like Norma Desmond, many fading and aging stars still have delusions of grandeur which ultimately leads to their demise. Many former stars can't give up their diva attitudes even though career has faded. Since they do not have a grip on reality, they take extreme measures to stay famous. For example, just look at all lengths that aging celebrity go through just to stay looking young in the hopes of continuing their career. Eventually, many of them end up getting so much plastic surgery that they do not even look human anymore and can't find any roles. Like in the film, our culture is still obsessed with celebrities. Moreover, we also have a fascination with scandals. Lucky for stars of the golden age of Hollywood, TMZ and The National Enquirer didn't exist back then.