Lawrence.com

Ah, old Hollywood. The stars, the glamor, the memories. The has-been performers left behind by a changing medium, the venal opportunists who stayed afloat on a sea of self-loathing. Ain't it grand?

Not really, says "Sunset Boulevard," perhaps the finest piece of self-flagellation in the history of American movies. The new Special Collector's Edition DVD (110 min. $24.99) reminds us that old-school mogul Louis B. Mayer was enraged when he left a preview screening of Billy Wilder's dark masterpiece, storming out with a few choice words for the writer/director (who passed away earlier this year at the age of 95). Such was the rancor inspired by a movie that let everyone know how Hollywood treats its discards.

"The theme of 'Sunset Boulevard' is simply how corrupt Hollywood can be," says Edward Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder," in the DVD's adequate featurette. If not corrupt, then certainly creepy: Norma Desmond's shadowy mansion is the stuff of baroque film noir (a genre that Wilder knew well, having directed "Double Indemnity" six years earlier).

But Sunset gets its shadow from casting as much as architecture. Wilder considered Mae West and Mary Pickford for the role of Norma before settling on Gloria Swanson, a silent diva who had indeed been cast aside by the sound era. Erich Von Stroheim was a perfect choice for the macabrely devoted servant Max; Von Stroheim directed Swanson in the movie that ended his filmmaking career, "Queen Kelly."

Then there's William Holden. Sikov, who also does the DVD's lone commentary track, observes that golden boy Holden was perfect for a role of corrupted innocence. But if Joe was really innocent at one time, it was well before he pulled into 10086 Sunset (which in real life was the home of J. Paul Getty's ex-wife on Wilshire Blvd.) Joe quickly becomes Norma's kept screenwriter, and he steals his friend's girl (the wonderful Nancy Olson, who is the most pleasant voice of the featurette). In other words, don't blame Norma for Joe's fall from whatever grace he once had.

Sikov's commentary track is a bit sparse; when we see Norma's inscription on Joe cigarette case, Sikov chimes in with, "Mad about the boy. And she is." Hey, thanks for telling us. Other special features include a tribute to designer Edith Head and an intriguing look at the script pages and selected shots (without sound) for the film's original opening. That one had Joe being wheeled into the morgue, feet soaking wet from the swimming pool, and conversing with his fellow corpses. When they showed this version, Wilder and co-writer Charles Brackett were taken aback to hear audiences roaring with laughter. The filmmakers didn't want their film to be that funny.

And ultimately, it's not. Sunset Boulevard remains a haunting picture of a rotting kingdom, created by a man who had no interest in pulling punches. "They used to call Billy Wilder cynical," says Sikov. "But I think he was just a little bit ahead of the curve."