Dir. Billy Wilder. 1950, 110 mins. 35mm.With William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim. When Edith Head started in the 1920s as a sketch artist at Paramount, studio actress Gloria Swanson was one of her fashion and movie idols. So when she got to design costumes for her in 1950, for Billy Wilder’s masterpiece featuring Swanson as aging movie star Norma Desmond ("I am big. It's the pictures that got small."), it was like a dream come true. Head’s unforgettable, silent-era-evoking outfits bring out the pathos, fragility, and spider-like deviousness of this singular character, enhancing the film’s haunting, complicated nostalgia.

Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for children under 3 and Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online.(Members may contact [email protected] with questions regarding online reservations.)

Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the Museum (see gallery hours). View the Museum’s ticketing policy here. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.