Billy Wilder’s film, Sunset Boulevard (1950), showcases the
illusion of Hollywood. From the
start of the 40’s, society slowly began obsessing over the idea of Hollywood
and those involved in the sphere.
Celebrity was a glamorous idea, perpetuated by glamorous outward
appearances. Not only were people
obsessed with those who were famous, but also they began longing for a similar
type of fame for themselves. The
lure of Fame and famous celebrities (actors and actresses) created delusions of
grandeur. Those not involved in
the circle of Hollywood were unable to realize the harshness of the
system. Wilder’s film could
potentially be interpreted as an exposé of the Hollywood industry’s dark side
and the dangers fame revolves around.
The illusion of Hollywood is most
clearly embodied in the character of Norma Desmond. Wilder very nearly creates a documentary about the life of
someone who was once famous and now must deal with being thrown from the Hollywood
scene. In the 50’s, numerous once-famous
actors experienced a decline in fame when the transition away from silent film
to talkies occurred. While this
happened to both male and female actors, Wilder wisely chooses to let the
victim of this be a woman. By
focusing on a female character, Wilder may be even further commenting that
female celebrity declines more sharply than the fame of a male. Actresses are expected to be at their
prime at all times (although there are a handful of exceptions). As soon as this idealized sense of
“beauty” declines, they find difficulty with maintaining acting work. Women are forced into this mold of
beauty, which becomes nearly impossible to live up to. This takes a toll on someone both
mentally and emotionally. The
house Norma lives in happens to be quite dilapidated on the outside, but the
inside is lavish and grand. This
creates a parallel between the setting and Norma’s mental health: on the
inside, Norma thinks she is still famous.
But on the outside, Norma’s fame is not recognized and relatively
ignored by the rest of the world.
Outsiders no longer recognize her beauty, but Norma fails to see this as
true. This break with reality
represents the dangers of having fame and what happens when that fame is lost.
Billy Wilder wanted to show the
rest of the world that being a part of Hollywood is not necessarily something
that people should strive for. He
showcases just how corrupt the entire “system” actually is. It’s mostly a system based on vanity
and lies. When Norma desperately
tries to make a comeback, she begins applying more and more makeup. In fact, Gillis even mentions that she
was wearing about “half a pound of makeup” when they are on their way to see
the director. And when Norma
finally gets to meet with DeMille, he doesn’t want to tell her the truth about her
screenplay. This just continues to
further the idea that everyone in the industry feeds into the lies. Even Max cannot handle telling Norma
the truth and writes her fake fan mail in order to boost her ego.
----Bonnie Hance
Throughout Sunset Boulevard, there are many aspects in which Wilder tries to show that the fame and fortune of Hollywood is not all that people believe it is. This post definitely gives great examples as to what these aspects are. Also it gives thought-out background info to show how society was like then. These examples are very prominent in the movie.
ReplyDeleteWithin the character Norma Desmond, one can really see how Hollywood is not as great as people may believe. This is can be seen very early in the movie when Gillis stumbles upon her run down mansion. As he is about to leave he says, “You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.” Norma replies with, “I AM big. It’s the pictures that got small.” By hearing this quote, the character of Norma can already be grasped as, in her mind, she will never be out of the spotlight. As the movie continues, there are many cases where you can grasp her character. One is the interior of her mansion. There are pictures of her everywhere. Another is that when Norma and Joe watch movies together, they are always movies that she starred in. These scenarios just show her starvation for fame and how she will never, in her mind, be out of the spotlight. This self-proposed obsession has engulfed her so much that people pity her and do not tell her the real truth. One example of this is that Max writes her fan mail letters. Another is that DeMille does not have the heart to tell the truth of her movie. These patterns stress how important fame and fortune are to her, and also society.
- Daniel Bowman (Group 2)
I agree that Wilder is trying to depict the way of the world at this time, being a Theatre major I know that looks mean a lot when it comes to acting and getting parts; you have to maintain and keep up 'The Look" if you want to get the part. Norma is the image of an actress who can still cut it with her talent, but just doesn't have the look anymore, she is having a hard time dealing with this, mainly because this was and still is her life. She was so tied up in the fame that she forgot to live; she lived for her career and she couldn't have a normal life after her career was no more. She didn't know how to have a life without acting and being in the limelight. This is true for actors during this time and even celebrities in everyday life now, we here repeatedly about old or washed up celebrities getting into trouble and getting mixed up in drugs or negativity that we are not accustomed to them being affiliated with. This is sometimes because they can't get a grip that their life has moved on to another stage. They remain in denial and are driven to do things that are absurd. This was the case with Norma she couldn't get a grip and something that may hvae not driven her out of her mind, drove her to murder someone that she loved.
ReplyDelete-Kendrel Dickerson (Group 3)