A bargain bin version of SUNSET BOULEVARD..?

In some ways, this story seems like a SUNSET BOULEVARD knockoff. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but THE STAR does come two years later and the similarities do seem obvious. In both pictures, we have a fading actress whose public may no longer want her and whose colleagues no longer seem willing to hire her. This is because they do not look at her as being vital or as young as she still regards herself. There are other borrowed elements, too.

One of those borrowed elements is the presence of a hunky and somewhat younger man that she now finds herself living with. In SUNSET BOULEVARD the hunk was William Holden; and in THE STAR it is Sterling Hayden. Another element these movies share is the comeback attempt that the actress obsesses over, and the hunk supports her emotionally through this process. Of course, she must fail and realize that screen test or not, she's finished in the picture-making business.

While Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson) has a tragic climax, Margaret (played by Bette Davis) gets a much happier, and perhaps sappier, ending. And though Norma's time on top seems to have occurred much earlier-- back to the silent days in Hollywood-- Margaret's story is more contemporary. Both characters, however, are rooted in the present day while desperately trying to cling to the past.

I won't say which one is more outrageous, or which one chews more scenery. I will leave that up to you to decide.