"The poor dope - he always wanted a pool. Well, in the end, he got himself a pool. "

Sunset Boulevard is … a horribly dark yet utterly compelling movie. I don't even really like it, at all, but I would still call it a classic. It's not because of bad acting that I don't like it or because of a weak plot or a rubbish set or even bad lines. It does very well in each part but for me the movie is still disturbingly unattractive. I think it's just down to personal taste: the black and white (it doesn't usually) puts me off - I'd love to see the world in Sunset in colour.

It's Gloria Swanson - she really hits a nerve and an uncomfortable one! Her performance is stunning in that she drags my mind and I into her mad world and I'm constantly repulsed by her character and her insane principles and clawed hands but at the same time admiring of her odd strength. The plot is very clever - I've watched it roughly three times - and I'm still impressed but I can never concentrate too much because I get the same sort of feeling as I do with Nesferatu - a sickly, uncomfortable feeling when faced with madness.

The ending sequence is great though, no doubt. And some moments are beautiful - like when Max tells Holden: "You see those offices up there? That was Madame's dressing room, the whole row. " It really smacks you in the face how adored she was and how she has been cast aside so cruelly - which is something we unwittingly encourage with our stars today. Anyway, when she descends those palace stairs - she is every inch the star and her power as an actress - Nora Desmond AND Gloria Swanson shines through in the most devastating way possible.