“Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark! … All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
– Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in “Sunset Boulevard”

I’d never seen the film “Sunset Boulevard.” I’d heard enough about it through the years to get the gist of it, and to understand the quote above. Last month in LA, as we sat in the shade of a nearby tree, Jason pointed to the famous Paramount Studios gate and explained how it was the same gate Norma Desmond drove through.

Then I noticed the name of the film on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies and I decided to watch it. It was great. William Holden is so cool; Gloria Swanson acted up a storm. Definitely worthwhile.

So, I figure I can knock off the rest of the AFI’s list pretty easily. I actually own 19 of the other films so I guess I can give myself a bye on any that I’ve watched in the last year or so. As for the rest, I just joined Netflix so this will keep my queue filled for a while.

But first I have to watch “Blue,” the first film of Polish director, Krzysztof Kieslowski, trilogy “Trois Couleurs”.