There seems to be a layer of silence around her

Lane 2021-10-22 14:31:04

The downfall screenwriter Joe strayed into the ghostly mansion, where the silent film superstar Norma and his loyal butler lived (in fact, he was also her director, her first husband, and the person who loved her in one hand), And her pet gorilla that just died. The struggling Joe was tempted by money and left to modify her terrible Salome script. Since then, he has fallen into the gorge of time, with a silent film era on one side and a modern day on the other. He is here for a while, and over there for a while. On one side is Valentino's dancing tiles, on the other side is a young blond woman laughing wildly. On one side is a 50-year-old superstar like Liu Xiaoqing, and on the other side is the young and compelling reviewer Betty, who is only 22 years old.

"How
old are you?" "22 years old."
"A smart girl, nothing can compare to 22 years old."

Norma is still immersed in her superstar era, reading letters from fans every day and sending them her signature photos without knowing. Letters from fans are all from the butler. She also looks forward to a comeback, her gestures are all dramatic, her home is full of photos of herself, and she watched her starring movies every night. Paramount hopes to borrow her antique car to film a movie, but she thinks the director has extended an olive branch to her again. Everyone is watching her on the scene, like a strange antique. There will be no more sad moments. He became her "Darling", wearing a shrugged suit and camel coat, but couldn't resist the attraction of reality, and ran to write a new script with the reviewer in the middle of the night. When Betty confessed to him, he wanted to get rid of all this and return to reality. He did not want to be 22 or 50, and decided to return to Ohio to become a newspaper editor. Of course, he can't go back.

"50 years old is not sad, unless you want to be 25 years old." He said to her, and then she was shot by the pool.

Perfect beginning, perfect ending, perfect character narration that is basically no longer used. Billy Wilder used this film to send away the famous producer LB Mayer in the silent film era and the silent film era. An era is over.

View more about Sunset Blvd. reviews

Extended Reading
  • Isabel 2022-03-24 09:01:24

    It was so dark that it made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Two of the saddest episodes, one is when she dances with him in the gorgeous room at the unattended New Year's party, and the other is what she said at the end.

  • Marie 2022-03-24 09:01:24

    The last scene Norma walks down the steps and into the camera, getting closer and then out of focus and fades out. This timeless and classic scene is not only a satire of the star system, but also a typical Billy-style bitterness. Holden looks so amazing, especially when she puts on the dress, she's amazing, wait, am I focusing on the wrong thing?

Sunset Blvd. quotes

  • Norma Desmond: You heard him. I'm a star.

    Joe Gillis: Norma, you're a woman of 50, now grow up. There's nothing tragic about being 50, not unless you try to be 25.

    Norma Desmond: The greatest star of them all.

  • Norma Desmond: Those idiot producers. Those imbeciles. Haven't they got any eyes? Have they forgotten what a star looks like? I'll show them! I'll be up there again, so help me!