The following is an excerpt from our Sunset Boulevard Study Companion, available on the resources page of our website.
Wilder creates a world where image is of paramount importance, yet not everything is as it initially appears. The vanity of Hollywood and the film industry is on full display as a table of portraits is shown in Norma’s house and her self-obsession becomes clear. Such a focus on image and appearance is shown to be damaging as Desmond can’t escape her fascination with her “celluloid self”, an image of who she once was. Wilder employs the use of a montage as Norma readies herself for a “return” that will never take place. The poking, prodding and use of magnifying glasses demonstrate the unhealthy obsession with image and the role it plays in Norma slowly losing touch with reality due to this obsession. Given her age and inability to transition to the world of “talkies” (films with audio as well as visuals), Hollywood has left Norma behind. She basks in the spotlight one last time before DeMille instructs Hogeye to “turn that light back where it belongs.” Without the spotlight and the notoriety, Norma is left with nothing but her own sense of herself, a reality which she must construct in order to help her cope after being exploited by an industry obsessed with “stars” and “faces”.
"Look at this street. All cardboard, all hollow, all phoney. All done with mirrors."
As Sunset Boulevard is a Hollywood film taking an insular look at the industry of which it is a part, Wilder constantly aims to remind his audience of the superficiality of the world of film and the role it plays in our lives. Further to Norma’s obsession with her glory days, Joe also finds himself at the mercy of the industry. The conflict that drives the narrative is Joe’s initial need to sell a screenplay so that he can retain his car. This is also what drives him into sacrificing his dignity in working with Norma. The world of expensive clothing, watches and fine dining brings no joy or fulfilment to Joe, rather they are distractions that lead him to become trapped in a world that Norma has constructed, where he is beholden to her. Within the “hollow”, “phoney” sets on the Paramount Studios lot, Wilder portrays one of the few scenes that exhibit genuine human connection as Betty speaks of her past and the two become closer through their working relationship. Amongst the artificiality of the set, Joe has found an authentic connection. However, a relationship with Betty is impossible for numerous reasons, chief amongst them Joe’s lack of authenticity in how he has portrayed himself to Betty. There is a truth to Joe’s life that Betty is unaware of; a truth that Joe has concealed in order to portray a more successful image of himself. Thus, one’s determination to present an image to the world is shown to come at the expense of contentment and genuine connection with others.
Whilst Joe is able to come to terms with how he has been led astray, it is unfortunately too late for him to make amends due to the actions of Norma, who has disappeared so deeply into her own obsession that she shoots Joe in an effort to stop him from leaving her. Wilder points out the consequences when one is removed from what makes them human and how an obsession with image and the pursuit of fame and attention can have drastic impacts. This acts as an overt criticism of the industry that feeds upon the attention of the audience and the “stars” that hold this attention. Joe, Norma and even Max are all shown to be victims of this industry. As the film closes, Norma is shown so close to the camera that she somewhat ‘becomes’ the film; a final transition away from her true self to whom she aspires to be - one who is adored by many and who will live forever on film. The words of DeMille from an earlier scene eerily summarise Norma’s descent as audiences are left to consider how “a dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit.”
Alongside the individuals caught up in the film industry are also the films that they create and put out to the world. Wilder also leads his audience to question the authenticity of the message of films and their purpose within a culture. Betty, who believes that “pictures should say a little something”, meets opposition in Joe who believes in the power of a great story. This exchange leads to the question over the role of films and whether they are purely for entertainment, or for an audience to take something from. Through his exhibition of a live film set and the fakery employed on set to achieve a certain look or angle, Wilder cautions the audience in how much they should take on the messages of a film, reminding them that films are the result of contrived planning and that the writer has penned the dialogue, the actors don’t “make it up as they go along”.
“Maybe that’s why it’s good? It’s true; it’s moving.”
“Who wants ‘true’? Who wants ‘moving’?”
Thus, what the audience (“those wonderful people out there in the dark”) can consider as real and authentic is constantly up for debate throughout the film. Within a world obsessed with image, there are very few instances of genuine emotion or truth. Characters are deceptive, sometimes even to themselves and the audience is left with the perplexing thought that what Hollywood delivers through its films should always be questioned, as it is an industry with many flaws and inconsistencies.
Ben Taylor - The English Lab
We have lots more to say about this text! If you’d like for Ben to speak to your students or to your teaching team, please contact hello@englishlab.com.au
Please also look around our website for further resources and services that can help your Year Twelve teachers and students get the best out of themselves. Our study guide (of which this post is an excerpt from) is available by clicking on the ‘Resources’ tab at the top of this page.
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