We go to the 'Golden Era' of Hollywood films and movie music this week on Flicks in Five with 1950's Sunset Boulevard, with a score by German-born composer Franz Waxman.
Waxman was best known in classical circles for his Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra. In the film world, he was famous for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, and for his iconic score to The Bride of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In fact, one of Waxman's peers — Miklós Rósza — used Waxman's music when he was scoring Spellbound, using it during the skiing scene between Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. He won two Oscars in consecutive years — one for A Place in the Sun and one for Sunset Boulevard.
Sunset Boulevard is the story of the mental disintegration of a once famous and beloved silent film star. It's an American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars William Holden (as Joe Gillis) and Gloria Swanson (as Norma Desmond).
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