Femme Fatale Character Study I chose to watch the movie, Sunset Boulevard. I chose this movie because I had heard of it before and I also knew it was a black and white and I enjoy those older types of films. The Femme Fatale character in this film was Norma Desmond, an older out dated actress that very desperately wanted to be involved in a movie again. I like that Norma is a very determined and outgoing person when she tried to get back into acting and publish her scripts. I do not like that she is overly demanding towards everyone and is very selfish when trying to reach those dreams. I have came across many people with similar personalities. People tend to act that way when they are very determined to reach a goal. Norma Desmond is a
In these five paragraphs I will be writing about the book “Hotel on the Corner of Sweet and Bitter” written by Jamie Ford and five quotation that important and made up the theme for me. This book gives a feel a lot of different emotions. The first quote was “‘You are Chinese aren’t you,Henry? That’s fine. Be who you are, she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “But I’m an American’’(p. 60). This quote is important because it shows how Keiko believes even if her parents are Japanese she feels more American then Japanese since she barely spoke Japanese.
People have goals everyday, believe it or not some people think that dreams aren't worth it. I believe that it is worth it to dream because it gives a person a goal, it makes them feel good, and it makes them stronger. I know this from The Pearl, A Cubs video, the Susan Boyle video, and We Beat the streets.
From well-respected Director Craig Ross, the film Blue Hill Avenue is a story about four tight knit friends living in the streets of rough a 1980’s Boston. The main characters of the film are Tristan, E Bone, Simon, and Money, these four characters grow up together hustling the streets. After finding a way to make money the four characters go from small time hustlers to big time dope dealers under the guidance of their supplier, Benny who is the main villain of the film. Through the adventure of the storyline, these four friends highlight the characteristics of what it is to embrace traditional masculinity and what it is to be a man.
Many people say that what makes a film good is how it can be distinct enough from other films to be groundbreaking and original, while staying true to the style it was made to be. If one believes this, they could easily say that Sunset Boulevard is an amazing Film Noir. Despite having a far from traditional story for the Film Noir style, Sunset Boulevard uses character types such as a hardened male protagonist and a femme fatale, along with the classic Film Noir visual style, to create a unique film that definitely fits the definition of what a Film Noir is. The truth is, Hollywood is not as bright and happy of a place as it may seem, and Sunset Boulevard goes above and beyond to represent this using the Film Noir style.
Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene from a long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool), this narrative throughout the film establishes a formalist film.
Through life, one must make choices in their personal and professional lives in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Through the plays Bull, Waste, Little Eyolf, The Homecoming, and the musical Kinky Boots, it is evident that creating a distinction between one’s personal and one’s professional life is essential to living a healthy life. When one’s personal life and professional life overlap completely, trouble ensues.
Gangsters, violence, murder and corruption !!!!! If these are some of the things that you're into, then this is your kind of movie. Be ready to watch it more than once to be sure to get all the movie has to offer because it jumps from subject to subject and can be a little confusing.
From the lavish mansions of Hollywood stars to the cigarette smoke filled offices of broke screenwriters, the 1950 noir movie Sunset Boulevard remains a timeless classic with a stunning story of an actress gone mad, and a screenwriter just trying to squeak by. This film is the first pre-1960’s flick that has left me with a feeling of awe. The first word that comes to mind after the credits begin to roll is just“wow!”. I was struck by the intriguing plotline and brilliant execution of the story. Not only is the film a classic for its gripping story, and twisted power dynamics, it also shows amazing camera work and brilliant acting.
Sunset boulevard was to show the legendary silent film star Norma Desmond's deluded, and declined career that came with the sound. Which leads into the
The character I chose to analyze is Bonnie Grape from What's Eating Gilbert Grape, an American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström. Bonnie Grape is a Caucasian woman who is, approximately, in her mid 50’s and lives in a small town of Endora, Iowa with her four children, and has lost her husband seven years ago. Bonnie who is suppose to be the immediate care taker of all of her kids is shown to have abandoned all of her parental duties after her husbands passing and she hasn’t left the house for seven years. She has become completely housebound she sleeps, eats, and stays on the couch all day. Her day starts out with eating breakfast with the family, and then she watches TV all day. Even though she loves her children a lot, but she does not take any part in raising them. She also has become an object of ridicule or amusement many times children sneak on to the yard to catch a glimpse of her through the window. However, Bonnie sees no problem with her weight or her lifestyle, until one day when she has to make a trip to the town for her son. When Bonnie is leaving the town a crowd comes together around the police station to get a glimpse of Bonnie, and many also begin taking pictures of her. At this point, Bonnie realizes that she has become something that she never intended to be. In one particular scene Bonnie tells her oldest son Gilbert “I know what a burden I am. I know that you are ashamed of me. I never meant to be like this. I never wanted to be a joke” (Hallström, 1993). From Bonnie’s background information we can conclude that she is clearly facing some psychological problems, and in order to gain more information we would have to conduct more assessments.
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumble.
These movies allowed female characters to embody all the contradictions that could make them a woman. They were portrayed as the “femme fatale” and also “mother,” the “seductress” and at the same time the “saint,” (Newsom, 2011). Female characters were multi-faceted during this time and had much more complexity and interesting qualities than in the movies we watch today. Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is one of sexualization and dependence rather than complexity (Newsom, 2011).
This Hollywood classic starred Gloria Swanson as a washed up silent screen actress with a younger paramour played by William Holden. His character could be compared to that Of Barbara Stanwyck in Double indemnity because of the age difference between him and Gloria Swanson. The themes are easily showcased with the older person and younger paramour being dissatisfied with the relationship and finding some relief in the hope of a relationship with a person more their age. The winter, summer affairs in these two movies are handled differently, but each with death as the conclusion and the solution to very complicated relationships. What is also easily seen are the film noir lighting and scene structures, often smoky with just the two main characters in them. This adds to the dynamic of the relationships and the importance of them to the totality of the story. The staircase scene at the end is very dramatic with Gloria Swanson looking straight into the camera where her insanity is clearly evident. The others standing still in the scene adds to the sense that life has passed her by without her knowing but she still lives in a world that allows her to block out what has just happened with the murder of William Holden. The makeup and wardrobe suggests that she has prepared for her final shot, but she is actually pretty much disheveled in her appearance, again adding to the insanity. Hedda Nussbaum is doing the commentary of her descent down the stairs which is well done, making the definite connection of her descent from stardom to
‘Our interest in the parallels between the adaptation inter-texts is further enhanced by consideration of their marked differences in textual form,’
This movie starts off as Jordan Belfort, the main character in the movie, losing his job as a stockbroker in Wall Street. After losing his job, he goes and gets a job in a Long Island brokerage room. In the brokerage room, he sells penny stocks. Thanks to him being aggressive in his selling skills, he was able to make a profit. With the new income, he gives his wife a bracelet and she asked him why doesn’t he go after the people that can afford to lose money, not the middle-class people or lower income people. That is when he gets the idea to get a lot of young people and train them to become the best stock brokers.