Sunset Boulevard
by
Dhruv
Sunset Boulevard by Billy Wilder released in 1950 still tests the time of today. Its portrayal of glittering reflection of fame, decay, and delusion is something that we all relate to in today’s contemporary world. The film is a satire and a strong commentary about the burden and the myths of the stardom wrapped as a film-noir. The film basically follows a very basic storyline where we see one struggling screenwriter and a forgotten silent film star indulged in the series of activities. The dominant theme of the film is how the film industry or we can also say show business manufacture dreams and at the same time it also discards the dreamers.
The story begins, famously, with a dead man floating face down in a swimming pool. He introduces himself to us as Joe Gillis (William Holden), a down-on-his-luck screenwriter whose life, or rather his death, becomes our entry point into this strange underworld of dreams and decay. Through his sardonic narration, we are taken back to the events that led him to that pool, into the mansion of Norma Desmond, a woman whose name once lit up the screens of silent cinema, now living in delusion and shadows.
Unlike other filmmakers of that time. Billy Wilder creates the characters that feel very real and flawed. Here Joe Gillis is a flawed man as he has a strong motive to build a relationship with Norma Desmond. His constant desire to create something with her in order to survive in the industry leads him to disturbing discoveries. On the other hand we have Norma Desmond who is not ready to believe that she is not relevant today and for her it is a hard pill to swallow. She lives in her imaginary world where she believes that everyone is on their toes for her. The villa in which she resides symbolises her mental state and it is pretty evident from the first frame of the film. The utter emptiness of the space makes us believe that anyone would not be ready to believe the reality if they were in the shoes of Norma Desmond.
Gloria Swanson is the heartbeat of the film. She just doesn’t play the character, she lives every minute and second of it. Her world is frozen in time: heavy curtains, photographs of her younger self, and a chimpanzee funeral that hints at her complete detachment from reality. When Joe stumbles into her mansion seeking refuge, he becomes both her prisoner and her companion drawn into her delusional belief that she will return to the screen in a grand comeback written by him.
Technically speaking John F. Seitz’s black and white aesthetics capture Los Angeles as both Paradise and Hell. Franz Waxman’s score feels melancholy and menace without keeping it very loud. The writing feels more real and raw and it keeps the cynical nature of the world alive throughout its runtime. Each line reflects the true nature of the whole system of Hollywood which kind of gives the mirror to the aspiring filmmakers and the screenwriters.
The relationship between Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond is one of cinema’s most complex psychological studies. On the surface, it is a transaction, she provides luxury, and he provides companionship and validation. But underneath lies a dark interplay of power and need. Norma’s wealth makes Joe dependent, but his youth and cynicism make her emotionally vulnerable. Each uses the other to fill an emptiness the world has left in them.
Wilder uses their relationship to comment on Hollywood’s moral corrosion. Joe’s slow moral decline, from an ambitious writer to a kept man, mirrors the compromises that many artists make for survival. Norma’s obsession is no different from the industry’s, both exploit and consume until nothing is left. Theirs is not a love story but a parasitic bond that exposes the industry’s darker truths, that art and affection can both become commodities.
At a very deeper level this film becomes very psychological in nature because it becomes a critique of the whole nature of the studio system and Hollywood itself. It also gives the commentary of how stardom and not being self-aware leads you psychologically. It also kind of tells the viewer that one has to accept the reality and also one has to adapt to the change that happens around them. Here Norma refuses to grow with the technologies (if they want to remain in the business) but Hollywood is not stopping for her to adapt.
Seventy-five years later, the Blvd still feels real, powerful and raw. And as Norma descends the staircase for her final performance, says the line that she is ready for her close-up – she doesn’t just deliver the lines to the characters of that film but instead she talks to the audience, indicating there are many people who are still waiting for these lines to say.
