The actresses who see themselves as today's Hollywood aristocracy appear paper-thin pretenders when put up against the brightest star in the firmament.

Norma Desmond (Swanson) didn't need a satin-draped dressing room crammed with Cristal champagne to make a point. She just raised an eyebrow.

There was no need to occupy 15 suites at the Metropolitan Hotel, served by a fleet of stretch limos upholstered in Armani. She merely fired up another Arabian ciggy.

'The Hollywood Story', as Sunset Boulevard rather confidently billed itself, still has the power to impress with its lavish sets and Swanson's sinuous performance.

Unemployed or 'retired' since the advent of sound, Desmond lives in dilapidated luxury served by her former director Max Von Mayerling (Von Stroheim).

When penniless young writer Joe Gillis (Holden) comes knocking she employs him to work on her appalling comeback script.

Slowly realising her obsession and his increasingly servile position, Gillis finds his blossoming relationship with collaborator Betty (Olson) threatened by Desmond's jealousy.

A pose striker par excellence, Desmond is truly one of the icons of the cinema, with her huge sunglasses, gleaming silk suits and leopard-skin wraps.

As well as the voracious spider-woman herself, the cast also included Cecil B De Mille and cameos from Buster Keaton and Hedda Hopper.

The arrival of the new print, boasting superb visuals and digitally restored sound, should be accorded the sort of reception Swanson wasn't averse to.

A telegram sent to Hollywood on her way home from France read, "Arriving with the marquis tomorrow morning. Stop. Please arrange ovation."

Tim Evans