Relive the dark glamour of ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ now remastered in a 75th anniversary 4K edition

Considered one of the greatest movies of all time, filmmaker extraordinaire Billy Wilder’s 1950 noirish black comedy deservedly arrives on the ultra-high definition disc format in Sunset Boulevard: 75^th Anniversary Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, 110 minutes, $26.99).

This insider’s look at Hollywood’s fading and corrupted golden years finds struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) unintentionally meeting former silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and entering into a business and then romantic relationship with her that goes off the rails.

Gillis narrates his own death by recounting the past six months of working with Desmond to massage her original script and is often stuck in a mansion that the Addams family would appreciate.

With stardom gone, her life is an illusion, with even her butler and former husband, Max von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim), writing fake fan letters.

The unbalanced actress begins to smother Gillis as her gigolo while anticipating a comeback after getting a meeting with her former director Cecil B. DeMille (DeMille plays himself brilliantly), but she learns the unrepentant truth about the reality of Hollywood.

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Wilder’s masterpiece boasts an Oscar-winning script that he helped write and comes filled with biting humor and plenty of snappy dialogue usually delivered by the bitter Desmond, such as the classic, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

And lovers of the era should pay close attention to a cameo of three silent-era Hollywood legends — Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson and H.B. Warner — playing cards with Desmond in her run-down mansion and adding a stale air of authenticity to the proceedings.

4K in action: A major restoration from 2002 helped usher in a frame-by-frame digital restoration in high definition in 2012, and now viewers get the final and best remaster in all of its black-and-white glory.

Fans should scour the grandiose mansion with dead vines and tera-cotta roof and interiors featuring ruffled satin curtains, ornate woodwork, a shiny tile dance floor, mirrors with gold art, marble stairs, oversized candelabras and a large woven tapestry above a winding staircase.

The visual tones are perfectly balanced to enhance the black, white and grey of the moments, bringing the stark shadows to the forefront and never overbearing grain to highlight Wilder and cinematographer John F. Seitz’s noirish and even gothic vision.

The 2160p experience offers clarified details to smoke rising above a crowded room; the age spots on DeMille’s head; Desmond’s costuming, such as her elaborate bracelets and necklaces; and a new appreciation for her 1932 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A coupe upholstered in leopard skin, no less.

Best extras: Viewers get a dense selection of featurettes all compiled from the 2012 Blu-ray release.

However, let’s first start with an optional commentary track read from notes by Ed Sikov, the author of “On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder.”

The obvious fan of the film offers plenty of background on the project, starting by reading verbatim the original opening of the movie that takes place in a morgue.

Mr. Sikov’s enthusiasm overshadows that he is casually reading from his own script as he goes on to cover story themes, cast biographies, Wilder’s dialogue, Desmond’s grandiose presence and the making of more of a monster movie than a film noir classic.

More than two hours of featurettes highlight insights from a cavalcade of historians, critics, insiders, cast and crew, such as Mr. Sikov; Paramount producer A.C. Lyles; famed critic Andrew Sarris; filmmaker Nicholas Meyer (“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”); crime author Joseph Wambaugh; and composer Elmer Bernstein.

Also methodically exploring the masterpiece are actresses Swanson; Nancy Olson (who played Gillis’ true romantic interest, Betty Schaefer); Stephanie Powers (a companion of Holden); and Glenn Close (who played Desmond in the Broadway musical.)

Comments and anecdotes sometimes repeat, but the information is overwhelming.

Segments cover the career of Wilder, Swanson and Holden; the noirish elements of the film; reverence to the screenplay; casting; the mansion and other filming locations; Franz Waxman’s musical score; the audience and Hollywood’s reaction to the film; its legacy and details such as Ms. Olson’s kiss with Holden; altering the opening of the film; and Desmond’s final close-up.

Other featurettes cover a look at the history of Paramount Pictures, the studio’s successes in the 1950s and 14 minutes on the career of costume designer Edith Head and her years at Paramount.

Viewers even get an interactive map of some of the film’s key locations, such as Schwab’s Drugstore, the Getty mansion (built at the height of the Jazz Age) and three areas of Paramount Pictures that when clicked on offer each location’s historical relevance through a short video.