The Greatest Star - by Jeffrey Vance (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of cinema's greatest achievements, Sunset Boulevard.

1950 was a seminal year for filmmaking: All About Eve, Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, and more. But one movie stands above the rest: Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder's searing look at--and indictment of--the studio industry at one of its most influential and powerful times of its reign. The story of Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck writer who falls in Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen who is trying to scramble back into the limelight, is considered by many to be the greatest movie about Hollywood ever produced.

Now, fans can step behind the camera with this commemorative celebration of the making of this classic. Featuring never-before-seen materials from the Paramount archives, The Greatest Star includes production and behind-the-scenes stills, costume sketches, storyboards, posters, and more, which are all used to illustrate a facsimile of Billy Wilder's original shooting script for the movie. The Greatest Star is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest films of our time.

NEVER BEFORE SEEN: Enjoy behind-the-scenes stills, costumes sketches, storyboards, and more from Paramount's archives.

FACSIMILE SCRIPT: The Greatest Star features a facsimile of Billy Wilder's shooting script for the film.

OFFICIAL ACCOUNT: The Greatest Star is made in collaboration with Paramount and offers readers a definitive look at the art and making of one of history's greatest films.

About the Author

Film historian Jeffrey Vance is the author of several acclaimed books on film, including Douglas Fairbanks (2008), Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema (2003), Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian (2002), and Buster Keaton Remembered (2001). He is also the author of A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away (2018) co-written with Lorna Luft. An archivist, producer, and lecturer, Vance has served as consultant to every major motion picture studio, has appeared at numerous festivals, contributed audio commentary to several DVDs, and produced and directed the short subject Rediscovering John Gilbert (2010).

Signed to Paramount Pictures in 1948, Nancy Olson Livingston received an Academy Award nomination only two years later for her role as Betty Schaefer in Billy Wilder's film classic, Sunset Boulevard. Her career spanned nearly four decades, including pictures with William Holden, Bing Crosby, and John Wayne. She also starred in a string of iconic Disney films including Pollyanna and The Absent-minded Professor and starred in three plays on Broadway. In 2022, she published her memoir, A Front Row Seat.