SB - Symbolism Flashcards
Opening Frame
Film’s introductory shot: Dirty Sunset Boulevard curbside, high angle shot. Literally looking down upon the film industry at the start of the film, represented by this dirty and unflattering visual symbol of Hollywood.
The fact that the sign towers above which draws the main attention further alludes to the facade of Hollywood (no one looks down to see the dirty stuff)
Dramatic music with crescendos accompany this notion
Last Frame
Twists her hands in such a way that looks revolting or evil
The people stuck and staring at norma indicates further that she is a relic of the past, trapped in her own fantasy
Overall, the final scene is a final reminder to how her life has been overtaken by hollywood.
Chimp
The monkey dying specifically reminds of the endless cycle of her repeating life, since even though one entertainer dies she gets another (Joe GIllis)
This also means Joe is bound to die like the monkey
This is alluded to in Joe’s description of the ‘mixed-up dream’ he has the night of the funeral, imagining ‘an organ [player]’ and the ‘chimp…dancing for pennies’ that he will soon become.
Organ
The much-smaller Joe (in background) storms in demanding to know why his ‘clothes and things’ were moved to Norma’s house without his say-so.
Norma then reveals that she ordered this action and that Joe’s apartment debts are ‘all taken care of’
Norma refuses his attempt at grasping back some control and dignity by proposing it be ‘deduct[ed]…from [his] salary’
The scene reveals the symbolic role the organ plays within Sunset Boulevard, reminding Joe of the shameful and powerless role of the ‘pet monkey’ that he now fills, as well as what he will be ‘dancing’ for.
Diagetic sound from organ
Also a relic from an old era, used commonly in silent films
Ashtray and Cigarette Holder
Joe Gillis is a kept man, does not keep himself
“I felt caught, like a cigarette in the prongs of that contraption on her finger.”
Car(s)
Direct symbol of Joe Gilis losing all his sense of independence and agency as the control over him by Norma Desmond grows increasingly.
Norma’s own car and how Joe sits in it like a child (in the back) is another testimony to his entrapment and a growing emasculation, as he stops controlling his own life
Betty’s Nose
Betty Schaefer was turned down a role when she auditioned due to her unattractive nose; she had it changed and people could not stop talking about her nose instead of paying attention to her acting.
Betty, after this, becomes an aspiring writer, signalling her escape from the superficiality of traditional feminine notions that are subjected upon her by a toxic Hollywood, one that fetishises physical beauty and youth.
Norma’s Estate
“a great big white elephant of a place…a neglected house gets an unhappy look.”
Unkempt nature, overgrown, debris everywhere, cracked tiles, dark colours and closed blinds within - all reflect Norma’s life separated from the rest of the world
The house is, as Joe describes, ‘crowded with Norma Desmonds’, in the form of countless framed photos of her from her silent film era
Norma’s delusion is maintained through her only communicating inwardly (all the photos are of her, facing her), refusing to face the reality of the outside world.
Joe’s Room
Visually communicates his unconcerned and detached attitude, as well as his tendency to settle for something convenient despite its inauthenticity (such as his scripts).
Joe is dressed in a bathrobe, with the sun outside his window. Speaks to his slovenliness and uninvested approach to life.
The set design within this scene further characterises Joe, with the script directly describing the reproductions of characterless paintings that cover his walls. Lack of personal connection or emotional depth in the surroundings.
Pool
A metaphor of Joe’s dreams, hopes, aims and fulfilment as a character, as “[he’s] always wanted a pool”. The fact that he dies within this figuratively and literally alludes to the fact that he died trying to reach his dreams. Also alludes to his lofty hopes and desperation he had within Hollywood, blinding him to recognize it was bound to fail
As Joe swims in the pool, and eventually dies in it, Wilder promotes the larger idea that fame, prestige and glamour in Hollywood is once again corrosive and ephemeral. Joe’s desires were desperate, and although he got it, he is bound to fail one way or another.
Gates
Grand nature is a pathway to success, separated from the world. However, the frantic pace within reveals its corrosiveness.
Reifies the fantasy idea of Hollywood being seen as a pathway of success to the external eye, but ultimately being a facade that hides inevitable failure, as seen through a frantic pace within the gates
However, the grandeur of the gates helps give this effect to innocent people that it is a pathway to success.
Waxworks
Card Playing scene with Norma (they are portrayed as passive entities, with minimal dialogue)
This is contrasted to disposition of Norma Desmond; while the waxworks have accepted their rejection, Norma has not and, coupled with her revealed insanity, emphasises the ever growing demise she falls in, paying with her life rather than the waxworks with their ego and soul.
