I am not accustomed to watching classic films in general, but I am convinced I should watch more after seeing Sunset Boulevard. This was a splendid film that generated interesting discussion on its symbolism and themes afterward. It was a delightful film in terms of entertainment, but discussing the layers of symbolic imagery and ideas it advanced was the icing on top. For example, one of the central themes was the juxtaposition of the successful (if not manic) woman to her subservient male partner. The dynamic here would have likely been quite shocking to audiences at the time, and even now it still felt original. And the casting of Cecil B. DeMille and Erich von Stroheim was “meta” as they say since both were successful and revolutionary auteurs in their own rights yet also portrayed in substantive conflict, with DeMille as the one-man show running Paramount and Stroheim as the diminutive servant to the successful actress.