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Sunset Boulevard is a magical yet tragic story highlighting the life
of an unforgettable star, Norma Desmond. Set in 1950, this black and white film
is one that will leave you speechless afterwards. This was one of the more
developed movie of cinematography since silent films ended. However, it is
funny that Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) was in fact, a famous silent film
actress. Not only was she, but so were many other silent film actors and
actresses in the movie, Buster Keaton, Anna Q Nilsson and H.B. Werner along
with a real life director. This movie is still known as a story that is hard to
forget, the tragic downfall of Norma Desmond and impact on pop culture.
The opening scene is unforgettable itself, seeing Sunset Boulevard plastered
on a sewer on the way to a murder scene. The camera comes from underwater
showing a man who has drowned with his eyes wide open and the narrator begins
to tell the story. The movie begins as a flashback to six short months prior,
finding out that the dead man is the narrator himself, Joe Gillis. Joe is a
struggling film writer trying to escape the bank men from paying off his car.
He seeks every outlet for a job, but is unsuccessful, until he stumbles into
what he believes is an abandoned mansion. Little does he know, that he was
about to meet a woman that would change his life forever. At first, Joe’s only
purpose is to help her with her script.
Joe soon becomes Norma's bought companion that she showers with lavish
gifts. But gifts only go so far, and Joe begins to realize how doomed he became
the day he said he would help Norma out. A glimmer of hope is found in Betty
Schaefer, who desperately needs Joe's help in finishing a script. While writing
it, he soon falls in love with her wanting to escape the wrath of Norma, but we
all know how that ends...death for Joe by Norma.
Norma Desmond was a woman who truly was stuck in her past. She literally
lives for the fame, and looses herself to pure insanity. Throughout the movie,
Norma is desperately seeking her way back in to acting. Norma knows no limits,
and getting what she wants is standard. She cannot understand why she can’t get
any more movies, and has no self worth. We see how sick she has become when
after other suicidal attempts, she finally buys a gun to kill herself with…until
she uses it to kill Joe, when he leaves her. She has no remorse and only wants
her time on the big screen. It is heartbreaking to watch Norma find out she is
not ageless and loose her mind to something as shallow as fame.
This movie is well known for all of its references in pop culture. One of
the most quoted sentences, “I’m ready for my close up,” was spoken by the one
and only Norma Desmond. Another famous one was also by her, “I am big, it’s the
pictures that got small!” This movie had such an impact with its well known
quotes, difficult cinematography for its time and compelling story that beckons
the watchers to question the cost of fame.
Bethan Parmenter Group 6
ReplyDeleteThe thing that struck me most about the movie Sunset Boulevard was the idea of a story inside of a story. As group 8 stated the movie used actors who really were silent movie stars and where very true to their characters. Gloria Swanson, as Norma, was so true to her role as a an older lady who used to be a very famous silent movie star I almost started to question if there was truth to this movie and what parts were real and fictional. The idea of a movie, or story inside of a movie or story was hard to get my head around and left me thinking long after the credits had rolled.
Another part of this movie that made me think was the fact that the narrator Joe was actually dead the entire movie and we were reliving the last few months of his life. It was like he was looking back and analyzing what had happened or even making up the script to his life for a movie. I think that this was a fairly new idea for the 1950’s and really captured people attention and made them think about how the director had done this and why it worked so well. If you really think about it does not make sense for a dead person to be telling their life story but this moving made it seem so natural, and so believable but you couldn’t help but be sucked into this story line.
Another point I thought that group 8 made and explained well was the impact and references it made to pop culture, as we know it. Norma’s two powerful quotes that she said, “I am big, it’s the pictures that got small” and “I’m ready for my close up” really made the viewers feel for her and understand how seriously delusional she was but also the way Hollywood runs through women, especially as they age.
In all Sunset Boulevard was an extremely powerful movie due to the fact that its story line was basically a story inside a story with the main character being already dead and looking back on his life.
Group Seven: By Allie Lonneman
ReplyDeleteThe movie Sunset Boulevard uses the elements of flashbacks and story within a story as group six. Sunset Boulevard was a standout film because of the usage of these elements. The flashbacks occurred because of the narrator Joe had passed away. Throughout the movie he was giving us insight into the final months of his life. Group eight made a great point in addressing the opening scene with the man who had drowned. The viewer is only then able to put two and two together and see that the man who is in this opening scene is identified as Joe. This was a technique that I was not familiar with, and as a viewer it was eye opening and allowed the audience to better connect with the film.
The movie continues these flashbacks starting at six months prior to Joe’s drowning. The viewer is then invited into Joe’s life and is able to see the struggles that he had to go through, such as the inability to pay off his car. The flashbacks continue and we as the viewers are introduced to Norma. Joe, being a struggling film writer, is given the opportunity to help Norma with her script. Norma is in love with fame, and all the wealth that accompanies it. Using this wealth, like group nine points out, Norma begins to buy Joe’s companionship. This becomes the downfall in the story within a story. Joe is bought, and when Betty comes along needing his help, he is “unavailable” in Norma’s eyes. His love with Betty, leads to his death by Norma. It is almost a sadistic twist, but the elements of flashbacks and story with a story techniques are used brilliantly in Sunset Boulevard, and keeps the viewer interested in wanting to find out Joe’s story and what led to his death.
Overall, this post was on point and definitely made great remarks!