“Gloria Swanson, a genuine silent movie superstar, is now best known for playing a fictional, delusional silent movie superstar, Norma Desmond, in Billy Wilder’s 1950 Sunset Boulevard. Among the film’s deliciously meta touches is the pairing of the actress with Erich von Stroheim, who plays the stoic Max von Mayerling, Norma’s ex-husband and one-time director, now her butler.
When Norma and the character played by William Holden watch a movie in Desmond’s mansion, projected by Max, it’s a scene from Queen Kelly, starring Swanson, directed by von Stroheim. On screen, a much younger Swanson is shown in profile as she prays, illuminated by candles. The intimate portrait is truly sublime. Who wouldn’t agree with Norma’s famous credo, ‘We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!'” – Betsy Sherman, The Arts Fuse
The new 4K reconstruction of QUEEN KELLY runs Fri, Mar 6 – Sun, Mar 8.