Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder's tale of a desperate screenwriter's reluctant involvement with a faded silent film star has become a classic of american film.  I wont bother explaining all the ways it's permeated popular culture.  The eerie atmosphere full of gloom that hangs over every scene marks it as very noir indeed. Norma Desmond is an eccentric recluse, at once manipulative and pitiful.  Wilder has a habit of maybe trying to tie up all the loose ends a little to tight at the end but it's probably fine here.