Revisiting the Dark Heart of Hollywood: 'Sunset Boulevard'

Sunset Boulevard, 1950

Directed By: Billy Wilder

Link to Trailer

"Sunset Boulevard" is a classic film released in 1950. The plot begins with Joe Gillis, the main character, a Hollywood screenwriter who is having financial difficulty. When Joe unintentionally finds the decaying mansion of former silent film star Norma Desmond on Sunset Boulevard, he is in a crisis of employment and money. Joe is mistaken for a funeral director by Norma, who asks him for assistance in planning the funeral for her pet chimpanzee. Norma lives alone with her butler and former director, Max von Mayerling. Joe quickly finds that Norma is a fading and naive silent film actress who thinks she is still important in the film industry. Joe, who is badly in need of money, agrees to stay at her mansion and edit the script she has written for her spectacular return. She makes him her friend and lover, giving him gifts and devotion. Joe begins to feel stuck in Norma's world over time, but he is unable to escape because of the lavish lifestyle that she offers. As Norma becomes more fixated on Joe, her delusions become more obvious. She is confident that she and Joe will return to the big screen in triumph. Joe's predicament becomes much more complicated when he starts dating Betty Schaefer, a young script reader. Joe, Norma, and Betty's conflict intensifies, reaching a deadly conclusion. In the end, Joe's relationship with Norma has terrible consequences for everyone concerned and ends in a memorable and dramatic way.

The three main acts of the film begin with the body of Joe Gillis being shown floating in a swimming pool at the beginning of the movie as Joe tells the tale of the afterlife. Joe Gillis, a screenwriter who is unemployed and in severe need of work, is presented to us. On Sunset Boulevard, Joe stumbles onto the decaying mansion of Norma Desmond, a former silent movie actress. When Norma thinks Joe is a funeral director, she asks him for assistance with the funeral of her pet chimpanzee. When Joe offers to edit Norma's script, he is drawn into her world and ends up becoming both her friend and her lover.

Joe continues to stay in Norma's mansion and work on her script as their connection grows closer. Norma's fixation with Joe grows as her delusions about their triumphant comeback to the big screen together become increasingly obvious. A love triangle is established when Joe starts dating Betty Schaefer, a young script reader. As Norma, Betty, and Joe's relationships get more complex, tensions between them increase.

A confrontation results as the hostility between Joe, Norma, and Betty reaches a breaking point. Joe comes to grips with Norma's fantasies and the grim reality of their predicament. The tragic end of the movie, which sees Joe's choices and actions come to pass, is where the movie builds. As the narrative comes to a dramatic and unforgettable conclusion, Joe's future is decided.

The film's central focus is on the characters, their desires, and their relationships. The key elements that drive the narrative are the complex relationships between the characters and the exploration of themes such as fame, delusion, and the harsh realities of Hollywood.

In the film, Joe is introduced as a struggling screenwriter who is in a dire financial situation at the start of the movie. To make ends meet, he is prepared to compromise his moral standards. His tired and disappointed narration of the tale suggests that he has already encountered the harsh reality of Hollywood.


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