Ms Kathleen's Movie Review

Screen 2 of 8

Originally the movie was to be a comedy with hopes of Mae West playing the lead female role. The film was envisioned to be an outrageous satire on ambition which would also unmask the politics of Hollywood. When Ms West declined, the project took the direction of the tragic, faded-glamour Queen concept. After seeking two other Hollywood stars from the by-gone era of silent movies for the lead, Gloria Swanson was finally asked to do a screen test and the rest is history.

To make this a story that blends both fact and fiction with dream and reality, director and co-author Billy Wilder drew heavily upon real-life experiences of Gloria Swanson:

Fact: Gloria Swanson was herself a silent film era star whose career began to decline with the coming of sound.

Fact: Erich von Stroheim, once considered a top-notch Hollywood director, stars as Max von Mayerliing (manservant/butler) who gives up his worldly ambitions to serve Norma.

Fact: Cecil B. DeMille, playing himself, did in fact direct Gloria Swanson in many of her roles and was the one who gave Swanson her first leading role during the silent era. In the movie he affectionately refers to Swanson's character Norma as "young fellow". Audiences were not aware that he was using the fond nickname he often called Swanson when they were doing films together.