Shirley L
Classic story of someone trying to break into the movie business and taken advantage of by an older star. I could have been a young woman being taken advantage of by an older male star for the same impact.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
08/24/21
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Brennan W
This film surprised me because I really didn't know what to expect. I like how much its centered around the movie business, especially when we look back at where things started. The main character being a screenwriter is different from what is seen in other films. This movie is beautiful for its time and really stands the test of time. Its characters are interesting and the film had me caring for them throughout. I enjoyed the film and learning more about the world of an early Hollywood, because its always nice to get many takes on what life was like. I would recommend this film to people especially interesting in noir stories, we don't get a whole lot like these anymore.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
12/21/24
Full Review
anthony t
This noir film was really interesting to watch. You follow a once highly praised silent actress who wants to ‘return’ to the film industry, and as her return is imminent, she hires someone to help her succeed with her plan. In which most people can somewhat resonate with this film, by wanting the help of someone at some given point of their life, trusting them, and from one day to another, you're being taken advantage of. We all have been through there, and it's a high connection that many of us, the viewers, can understand. However, the film itself was somewhat funny, well as for me it was. It was just interesting to see how the overall plot took a twist at the end with Nora’s new husband. Overall, it was a very enjoyable film which I would recommend to many. It's aesthetically beautiful, but the plot is funny, twisting, and questionable. I am highly sure many would enjoy it.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
12/21/24
Full Review
Miriam F
Sunset Boulevard (Dir. Billy Wilder) is a noir/comedy centered around a screenwriter by the name of Joe Gillis. Financially struggling and with no work to do, Joe is trying to avoid finance men so that they won’t take away his car. In a somewhat dramatic chase, Joe pulls up into the driveway of a seemingly abandoned mansion in order to hide due to his flat tire. He enters the home which is owned by an old but once very popular silent movie star, Norma Desmond. Norma is not over her stardom and believes she can still make a return, not a comeback, as specified in the film. A return, “a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me for deserting the screen.” Sunset Boulevard does a good job of portraying round characters and their intricate relationships. I did not find myself rooting for neither Norma nor Joe. I believe they both have faults and were simply trying to use each other. Norma wanted to make a return and so her opportunity literally walked in through her doors in the form of a screenwriter looking for work. Joe wanted work and Norma had the money to pay him. However, as where all things get twisted, Norma seeked Joe for more than his writing, she wanted Joe in a romantic sense and tried to buy him with gifts. Joe did not want this, he felt as if Norma was invading every aspect of his life when he only signed up to revise a script, not to move in with Norma, or the fancy suits, or the dancing. It took a second watch for me to realize how funny this film is despite the obvious noir elements. Even the way the film closes is such a “full circle” moment because her ex husband, who was a film director, is the one directing the closing scene. Out of all the films I’ve watched in my film study classes this one is high on the list of favorites.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
12/20/24
Full Review
Eliza B
Sunset Boulevard is one of my favorite classics. The story, the acting, and the technical elements are all fantastic. I particularly enjoy the dynamic between Joe and Norma. While Norma is manipulative in making him stay, he makes his choice to stay with her himself. He is taken advantage of but he also reaps the benefits of her wealth and becomes comfortable within her lifestyle. The film is thrilling, Gloria Swanson perfectly encapsulates a vain and delusional washed up silent film star. The choice to show Joe dead at the very beginning of the film and have him narrating, telling the story of how he ended up dead in the pool was a groundbreaking move in storytelling and pays off, building up suspense throughout the movie. While Norma is ultimately responsible for her actions, it isn’t difficult to sympathize with or at least try to understand how she got to where she did. Many of the characters in the film enable or feed into her delusions, in particular her butler and former director, Max. DeMille also feeds into her delusions, entertaining her belief that she will come back and be in another of his movies. The film shows a darker side of Hollywood, contrasting the dreams of the washed up star with the dreams of the eager screenwriter. In the end, Joe gets what he originally wanted, fame and fortune, but it comes at the cost of his life. Norma also gets what she wants, a chance to relive her glory days and have her face on the screen again.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
12/20/24
Full Review
Yeet 1
I thought Sunset Boulevard was overall an ok film. The sort of weird romance/sugar baby relationship with Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis. It is interesting how they show how fragile Norma Desmond's mental health actually is during the ending when she seems to go into a VERY manic mental state. She is so crazy she actually shoots Joe after she thinks he is cheating on her. It also seems that the one thing that is keeping her sane is actually Joe and her belief that she is still popular that keeps her from absolutely losing it. She also seems very much stuck in the 20s, actually the whole film seems very stuck in the 20s despite being made in 1950.
It is also the film responsible for making the cliche of the main character explaining how they got into an awkward predicament. For example you can see this in the beginning of megamind. Megamind is kind of a role reversal of Sunset Boulevard just without the sugar baby part of the relationship.
I think that Max was wrong for feeding into Norma’s delusions for so long. This is because it made her so unstable that her mental health was so fragile that pretty much anything would make her snap. It just kept her in this weird echo chamber where she was so sequestered away from the world where it just made her mentally worse. It also is keeping her away from a possible support network that is not made up of Max or Joe. Lastly Max’s actions eventually ended in the death of Joe so that's also a thing to add on top of that.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
12/18/24
Full Review
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