#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE
Yes, Billy Wilder famously changed the opening scene of Sunset Boulevard after a disastrous test screening. The original opening is one of the most famous "lost" sequences in cinema history.
The Original "Morgue Prologue"
In the original version of the film, the story did not begin with the police motorcade racing toward the mansion. Instead, it began at the Los Angeles County Morgue.
- The Setting: The scene opened with Joe Gillis’s body (William Holden) being wheeled into the morgue on a gurney. He was placed in a room with several other corpses under sheets.
- The Concept: In a macabre, supernatural twist, the corpses began to talk to one another. One corpse (reportedly an older man) would ask the "new arrival" (Joe) how he ended up there.
- The Hook: Joe Gillis would then begin to recount the story of his final months, leading into the flashback that makes up the bulk of the film.
Why It Was Changed
Wilder took this version of the film to a test screening in Evanston, Illinois. The reaction was catastrophic.
As soon as the dead bodies started talking to each other, the audience began to laugh. They found the concept of chatting corpses absurd rather than tragic or cynical. Wilder later recounted that a woman even approached him in the lobby and told him the film was the biggest piece of "crap" she had ever seen.
Wilder realized that the morgue scene established the wrong tone—it felt like a "shaggy dog story" or a weird comedy rather than a gritty noir about the delusions of Hollywood.
The Final Version
Wilder went back to reshoot the opening several months after principal photography had ended. He replaced the morgue sequence with the now-iconic opening:
- The Street: Low-angle shots of "Sunset Blvd." painted on the curb as police motorcycles and cars scream toward the house.
- The Pool: The camera moves through the gates of the mansion to find Joe Gillis floating face-down in the swimming pool.
- The Narrator: While he scrapped the visual of the talking corpse, Wilder kept the posthumous narration. Joe Gillis still tells the story from beyond the grave, but it is presented as a cynical voice-over rather than a literal conversation between dead bodies.
Specific Detail: The Underwater Shot
To achieve the famous shot of Joe floating in the pool from a perspective underneath the water looking up at the police, Wilder and his cinematographer, John F. Seitz, couldn't use a standard underwater camera because the water wasn't clear enough and the equipment was too bulky. Instead, they placed a mirror at the bottom of the pool and filmed the reflection of William Holden floating above it, which created the crisp, eerie image seen in the final cut.
#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)
[1] The original opening was indeed changed after a test screening and is considered a famous lost sequence.
[2] The original opening was set in the Los Angeles County Morgue.
[3] The scene depicted Joe Gillis's body being wheeled into the morgue.
[4] The corpses, including an older man, spoke to Joe Gillis.
[5] Joe Gillis recounted his story to the other corpses.
[6] The disastrous preview screening took place in Evanston, Illinois.
[7] The audience laughed at the talking corpses, finding the scene absurd.
[8] The anecdote is real, but the quote is paraphrased. Wilder recalled the woman asking, "Have you ever seen shit like this in your life?"
[9] The phrase "shaggy dog story" appears in critical analysis of other films or Wilder's work generally, but is not a verified direct quote from Wilder about this specific scene.
[10] Wilder reshot the opening to the pool scene months later.
[11] The final version opens with the street shot and police cars.
[12] The camera finds Joe Gillis floating in the pool.
[13] The posthumous narration was retained, but the visual context changed.
[14] The mirror was used, but the primary reason was the difficulty of positioning bulky camera equipment for the specific low angle, rather than water clarity issues.
[15] The mirror trick is a verified production detail for the underwater shot.
#C RELATED QUERIES
#01 What happened to the footage of the original Sunset Boulevard morgue scene?
#02 Did Billy Wilder change the ending of Sunset Boulevard as well?
#03 How was the mirror shot in Sunset Boulevard technically achieved?
Yes, Billy Wilder famously changed the opening scene of *Sunset Boulevard* after a disastrous test screening. The original opening is one of the most famous "lost" sequences in cinema history.
### The Original "Morgue Prologue"
In the original version of the film, the story did not begin with the police motorcade racing toward the mansion. Instead, it began at the **Los Angeles County Morgue**.
* **The Setting:** The scene opened with Joe Gillis’s body (William Holden) being wheeled into the morgue on a gurney. He was placed in a room with several other corpses under sheets.
* **The Concept:** In a macabre, supernatural twist, the corpses began to talk to one another. One corpse (reportedly an older man) would ask the "new arrival" (Joe) how he ended up there.
* **The Hook:** Joe Gillis would then begin to recount the story of his final months, leading into the flashback that makes up the bulk of the film.
### Why It Was Changed
Wilder took this version of the film to a test screening in **Evanston, Illinois**. The reaction was catastrophic.
As soon as the dead bodies started talking to each other, the audience began to laugh. They found the concept of chatting corpses absurd rather than tragic or cynical. Wilder later recounted that a woman even approached him in the lobby and told him the film was the biggest piece of "crap" she had ever seen.
Wilder realized that the morgue scene established the wrong tone—it felt like a "shaggy dog story" or a weird comedy rather than a gritty noir about the delusions of Hollywood.
### The Final Version
Wilder went back to reshoot the opening several months after principal photography had ended. He replaced the morgue sequence with the now-iconic opening:
1. **The Street:** Low-angle shots of "Sunset Blvd." painted on the curb as police motorcycles and cars scream toward the house.
2. **The Pool:** The camera moves through the gates of the mansion to find Joe Gillis floating face-down in the swimming pool.
3. **The Narrator:** While he scrapped the *visual* of the talking corpse, Wilder kept the **posthumous narration**. Joe Gillis still tells the story from beyond the grave, but it is presented as a cynical voice-over rather than a literal conversation between dead bodies.
### Specific Detail: The Underwater Shot
To achieve the famous shot of Joe floating in the pool from a perspective *underneath* the water looking up at the police, Wilder and his cinematographer, John F. Seitz, couldn't use a standard underwater camera because the water wasn't clear enough and the equipment was too bulky. Instead, they placed a **mirror at the bottom of the pool** and filmed the reflection of William Holden floating above it, which created the crisp, eerie image seen in the final cut.