Billy Wilder directs this outstanding Oscar-winning exposé of the Hollywood studio system starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson. “We didn\'t need dialogue. We had faces!” – Norma Desmond Billy Wilder directs this outstanding Oscar-winning exposé of the Hollywood studio system. Struggling writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) agrees to work on a screenplay adaptation of Salomé for delusional former star of the silent screen Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), and is trapped in her bizarre fantasy world as she plots her triumphant comeback. ‘An unmissable commentary on Hollywood\'s rejection of its silent past’ – Guardian