"Sunset Boulevard" is one of the best films of the 1950s...if not all time. It's expertly crafted and clearly is a classic. Because of this, it seems amazingly wrong-headed and silly to remake such a film. However, shockingly, the story was remade for the TV program "Robert Montgomery Presents"...and it couldn't help but pale by comparison to the original.
Unlike the original brilliant film, the narration is inexplicably provided by Robert Montgomery when the show begins...a huge change and a bad one. I like Montgomery...but the story loses so much when it's not narrated by Joe. As for Joe, in the original he was played by William Holden and in the show it's Darren McGavin. And, instead of Gloria Swanson playing Norma Desmond, it's Mary Astor. Walter Kohler plays Max instead of Erich von Stroheim. These are good actors...but the originals are simply better...especially Stroheim. The music is also different...with organ music throughout...which, at times, sounds a bit cheap.
As for the story, it's very similar but streamlined since the show needed to fit a one hour time slot....so some of the characters were eliminated and dialog trimmed. Very often, the dialog remaining is EXACTLY the same as the original...which is a problem since the original is so iconic. In other words, if you've seen the original, you'll likely notice this and wonder WHY...why do a copy instead of making the remake unique in some way.
Overall, this is a show you might like if you've never seen the original. But, my advice is just watch the original...it is perfection. And, the remake is clearly NOT perfection.
Unlike the original brilliant film, the narration is inexplicably provided by Robert Montgomery when the show begins...a huge change and a bad one. I like Montgomery...but the story loses so much when it's not narrated by Joe. As for Joe, in the original he was played by William Holden and in the show it's Darren McGavin. And, instead of Gloria Swanson playing Norma Desmond, it's Mary Astor. Walter Kohler plays Max instead of Erich von Stroheim. These are good actors...but the originals are simply better...especially Stroheim. The music is also different...with organ music throughout...which, at times, sounds a bit cheap.
As for the story, it's very similar but streamlined since the show needed to fit a one hour time slot....so some of the characters were eliminated and dialog trimmed. Very often, the dialog remaining is EXACTLY the same as the original...which is a problem since the original is so iconic. In other words, if you've seen the original, you'll likely notice this and wonder WHY...why do a copy instead of making the remake unique in some way.
Overall, this is a show you might like if you've never seen the original. But, my advice is just watch the original...it is perfection. And, the remake is clearly NOT perfection.