Title: Sunset Boulevard
Starring: Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich Von Stroheim
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Number on the AFI List:
Year: 1950
“You can’t
leave a star, that is what makes one a star!”
Led by Gloria Swanson, one of the greatest actresses of the
silent film and film noir era, Sunset Boulevard exposes the harsh reality that
is fame in Hollywood from both the beginning stages to the end. Joe Gillis,
played by William Holden, is a struggling writer from Ohio who can’t
catch a break, and ends up at Norma Desmond’s home (played by
Swanson) after experiencing a flat tire. Little did he know he was entering a
washed up silent film star’s home, a woman who has gone
literally insane over her loss of fame over the years, so much so that she will
manipulate anyone she can in order to keep them by her side. The two are struggling
with the exact same thing, a lack of fame, though one is trying to break in and
the other is living under the illusion she is still famous. Thus, the curtain
has risen and we see the great and powerful Oz is not who he says he is, but a
phony (wait, that was a different movie). Nevertheless, the metaphor still
applies: what you see on screen doesn’t show the cruel reality
that is living up to Hollywood standards. If you’re not careful, you’ll
find yourself lost in a dream world having to pay to keep people around you, or
worse, dead.
I’ve admired Swanson’s
role in this film for many years. Her commitment to this washed up woman may
seem overdone and fake, but while re-watching it this time I realized that is
exactly who Norma Desmond is- a woman lost in her own world, over dramatic with
no sense of reality. This is especially proven when she decides to perform her “Desmond
follies” for Joe, taking on different silly characters one right
after the other. Her Charlie Chaplin impersonation is spot on.
After doing some research, I realized Swanson had a similar
career path as Desmond’s, although Swanson had a successful
shift into talkies. This movie was Swanson’s first major motion
picture in nine years. She was one of the best silent film actresses and had a
great connection with Cecil De Mille (as depicted in the movie), she was apparently
demanding to work with, and had a plethora of husbands. I wonder how much of
her life inspired the writing of the movie, and if Swanson was anything like
her character in real life.
I could keep talking about and quoting this movie. It's definitely one of my favorites of all time. Many thanks to my theatre teacher, Mr. Parker, for recommending I watch it for inspiration for my role as Medea in 11th grade. This movie made me want to be an actress. So, thank you.
Favorite scene: While this isn't the full clip, I love the initial meeting between Desmond and Gillis. Her next famous quote is "There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk. Talk!" As someone who greatly appreciates silent films and have yet to watch a talkie better "City Lights," I couldn't agree more!
Will I watch it again: Absolutely.
"Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close up!"
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