NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Paramount 4K UHD (August 2025): Paramount have transferred Billy Wilder Sunset Boulevard to 4K UHD. Included is the 2012 Blu-ray as evidence by the date of the M2TS files:

We compared that Blu-ray to two DVDs HERE. The Paramount 4K UHD release of Sunset Boulevard features an impressive new restoration sourced from a 35mm duplicate negative, with a Library of Congress print used as a reference for grayscale accuracy, resulting in an immaculate black-and-white presentation that enhances the film's noir aesthetic with exceptional detail, depth, and contrast in Dolby Vision HDR. Whites are brighter and black levels are darker - piercing, inky. The black-and-white palette evokes the silent era, contrasting with the "talkies" that doomed Norma. Wilder's script is razor-sharp, laced with insider wit (e.g., references to real scandals), and the cameo appearances by industry figures like Buster Keaton add authenticity and irony. The film's "look" -encompassing cinematography, lighting, and production design - draws heavily from film noir traditions, evoking a sense of shadowy entrapment and faded glamour. The consistent textures have just the right amount of thickness - evoking 'film' but never so prominent as to distract. Costumes and sets support this natural grain structure, and the 4K UHD presentation has a level of clarity that makes shadows and highlights enriched, revealing nuances in John F. Seitz's cinematography (Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sullivan's Travels) that feel like discovering the movie anew. It looks as close to 'perfect' as the most optimistic fan could have hoped for.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

This 75th Anniversary 4K UHD edition boasts an exceptional new 5.1 surround mix crafted by Deluxe Audio with assistance from Park Road Post in New Zealand, employing proprietary technology to isolate and remix dialogue, music, and effects tracks for a more immersive experience while preserving the original mono essence. A restored dual-mono channel track is also offered as an English option and there are a handful of lossy Dolby foreign-language DUBs. Franz Waxman's (Rear Window, Fury, Untamed, Rebecca, Dark Passage, Bride of Frankenstein, Red Mountain, Botany Bay, I, The Jury, Sorry, Wrong Number, Dark City, To Have and Have Not, He Ran All the Way, Peyton Place, The Young in Heart, Possessed, A Place in the Sun, The Devil-Doll, Run Silent, Run Deep, Night and the City, The Furies, I Married a Monster From Outer Space) evocative score gains subtle spatial enhancement, dialogue remains crisp and centered without distortion, and ambient sounds like echoing footsteps in the mansion add atmospheric depth, though purists may prefer the restored mono option if available; overall, the track is clean, balanced, and free of hiss, elevating the film's dramatic tension. Paramount offer optional English (SDH) and many other subtitle options on their respective Region FREE Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs.

The Paramount 4K UHD disc has no extras - not even a commentary but this release includes the 2012 Blu-ray disc packed with over two and a half hours of legacy bonus content, featuring an insightful audio commentary by Ed Sikov, author of On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder, alongside featurettes like Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning, Sunset Boulevard: A Look Back, The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard by Joseph Wambaugh, Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic, Two Sides of Ms. Swanson, Stories of Sunset Boulevard, Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden, Recording Sunset Boulevard, The City of Sunset Boulevard, Franz Waxman and The Music of Sunset Boulevard, Morgue Prologue Script Pages, Deleted Scene: The Paramount Don't Want Me Blues, Behind the Gates: The Lot, Hollywood Location Map, Paramount in the '50s, Edith Head - The Paramount Years featurette, an original theatrical trailer, and galleries - all providing comprehensive behind-the-scenes insights into the film's production, stars, and Hollywood history. There is a leaflet with a digital code for streaming purposes.

Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard stands as a seminal work in American cinema, a biting film noir that dissects the underbelly of Hollywood with unflinching precision. Directed and co-written by Wilder alongside Charles Brackett (The Lost Weekend) and D.M. Marshman Jr., the film stars Gloria Swanson (Beyond the Rocks, Manhandled, Airport 75) as the delusional silent-era star Norma Desmond and William Holden (The Wild Bunch, Breezy, Stalag 17) as the opportunistic screenwriter Joe Gillis. Released during a transitional period in Hollywood - amid the decline of the studio system and the rise of television - it serves as both a eulogy for the silent film era and a scathing satire of the industry's cruelty. Often hailed as one of the greatest films about filmmaking, it earned 11 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Story and Screenplay. Its enduring relevance lies in its exploration of timeless themes like the fragility of fame and the blurred line between illusion and reality, themes that resonate even in today's celebrity-obsessed culture. Sunset Boulevard is a profound critique of Hollywood's dream factory, exposing the illusion of eternal stardom and the brutality of obsolescence. The transition from silent to sound films serves as a metaphor for broader cultural shifts, with Norma representing the silent era's ghosts, discarded like outdated technology. Themes of delusion versus reality permeate the story: Norma's mansion is a bubble of fantasy, insulated from the evolving industry, while Joe's narration pierces this veil with sardonic realism. In a prescient vein, Wilder anticipates modern celebrity culture's exhibitionism and the perils of fame's cult of personality, warning of its destructive undercurrents. The swimming pool, where Joe meets his end, represents both aspiration (Norma's gift to him) and death, a watery grave mirroring Hollywood's drowned dreams. The staircase descent in the finale is a motif of tragic grandeur, parodying silent-film dramatics while signifying Norma's final plunge into madness. Paramount's 4K UHD edition of Sunset Boulevard is a must-own for cinephiles, delivering a breathtaking restoration that revitalizes Billy Wilder's masterpiece with superior video and audio fidelity, complemented by a wealth of, albeit vintage, extras on the included Blu-ray, making it the definitive home video presentation of this timeless Hollywood satire. While it builds on previous releases without major new additions, the upgrade justifies a repurchase for fans, offering unparalleled visual and sonic immersion that underscores the film's enduring critique of fame and delusion, solidifying its status as one of cinema's greatest achievements. Our highest recommendation.

Gary Tooze