A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
Rated 4.5 / 5 from 2 logs on Katalog
The original "I'M A STAR!" Sunset Boulevard (1950) is a story of an actress past her prime, seemingly unaware of her irrelevance, going insane. Many similar movies came after, some focusing on relationships, some on self-hate, to name a few: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), Opening Night (1977), Mullholland Drive (2001), Maps to the Stars (2014)… The latest edition to this list is The Substance (2024), which I loved, but it's sad it had to be made because to me it just shows that little has changed. It seems like at least once in a decade one of these movies comes out, it's praised and handed awards, and business proceeds as usual, with no progress. Unlike some of the movies that came after, Sunset Boulevard offers way more context. Yes, Norma Desmond is the center of attention (as she should be!) but the movie also shows other frustrating aspects of the film industry: being a struggling writer, the general lack of recognition of talent behind the scenes, the ease of preying on the broken and the infatuated in Hollywood, the pressure on the appearance of young actresses… There's something sad and contemporary about Betty laughing when she says "They didn't like my nose, so I fixed it, but then they didn't like my acting". Norma may be pitied, but she’s not misunderstood. Her state of mind is understandable to those around her because they are not mere witnesses of her madness, they are voluntary participants of an unforgiving system that drove her to madness.
Pretty flawless for me. It hasn't aged a DAY, with fun, dynamic and energetic performances throughout. Some things of note for me: the impeccable cinematography, and that rooms were given space to breathe. You really got a nice impression of the palazzo and beyond. Even the opening shot of a man drifting in a pool got me thinking "how the HELL was this shot?" which is a great feeling. I loved that the protagonist narrated, seemed to break the fourth wall, and constantly ||did NOT do what I, the audience, expected. He didn't kiss the girl and break up Artie's marriage, in fact he tried to spare it by misguiding Betty Schaefer by pretending he loves the lavish lifestyle. He didn't misguide Norma, he was honest throughout and even brought to light things that Max was hiding from her. I wasn't certain what to think of Joe Gillis, but he did the right things despite being seduced by wealth, seduced by success, and seduced by love, and for that, he was killed|| Memorable and, I assume, iconic in its time for the washed up Hollywood star trope
