Film Analysis: Sunset Boulevard

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Recommended: Contrasting personalities in Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard: A Film Analysis Sunset Boulevard is a film noir movie shot in 1950. It tells the story of a washed up silent movie star Norma Desmond from the 30s trying to gain her fame with the help of a screenwriter by the name of Joseph Gillis. Even though this story mainly focuses on Desmond, it is told in the eyes of Gillis in past tense. The whole movie is told as a flashback. Sunset Boulevard is characterized by its symbolic usage of light, complementary main characters, camera angles and choice of sound. Overall, The music played in this movie were either suspenseful and mysterious, urgent or wistful. In the opening credits, we are struck with the sound of banging drums and blaring trumpets and baritones. Police cars and motorcycles …show more content…

He tells her all about Desmond and his living with her in exchange to ghostwrite her script. The audience and Desmond think that he is going to stay with Desmond because she is all he really has but once Schaefer leaves, he packs up all of his things and is ready to find someplace else to live. Both Desmond and Gillis complement each other because they are both manipulative and will do anything to get what they want and rise above trying circumstances. Gillis tries to escape his poverty by getting into a relationship with Desmond. He quit trying to write like he normally does because that wasn't helping him bring in money. He sold out. Desmond tries to make her return back into Hollywood by using Gillis. She, on the other hand, doesn't want to sell out. She wants to stay true to how she normally acts and the type of films that she acted in. The light in Sunset Boulevard showed a extreme amount of significance. Shadows and direct light upon the actors face played a big part in the message that the director is trying to portray. When we first see Desmond, the shadow covers half of her face and she is wearing glasses. It comes across as if she doesn't want to be known and that she is ashamed of herself when this is anything

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