Sunset Boulevard. Franz Waxman
Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a struggling hack B-movie Hollywood screenwriter who is having problems making ends meet. Joe stumbles onto the decaying Sunset Boulevard mansion of 50-year-old faded silent-film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), who has largely been forgotten by the moviegoing public. The only other person living in her mansion is her valet Max von Mayerling (Eric von Stroheim), whose unofficial job is to prime her fragile but larger-than-life ego. As Joe gets seduced by the comfort that Norma's wealth can afford, his ambivalence about their relationship, coupled with Norma's demented unwillingness to let go, leads to damaging consequences for both parties involved.
Franz Waxman and Billy Wilder had long been friends, having met in Europe before the war; as such he was the natural choice to score the film. For the story Waxman created leitmotifs for the three principle characters. He demonstrates mastery of his craft by providing us with a multiplicity of themes for which he creates exceptional interplay. The brilliance of his music cannot be overstated as it informs us of the psychology, and emotional drivers, which underpin this tragic story’s narrative.