It’s been a little more that twenty-four hours since I finished my very first viewing of Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd (according to IMDB it’s Blvd, NOT Boulevard, and we know they’re always accurate) and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I think it’s because I don’t understand entirely what it was Wilder was doing, or attempting to do.
For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s the story of a down-on-his luck screenwriter who becomes entangled with an aging silent film star while trying to avoid the repossession of his car. After stumbling upon her mansion and being mistaken for a coroner, Joe Gillis agrees to help Norma Desmond write the screenplay that will be her triumphant return to the silver screen. But, it turns out he might be in over his head.
If you have any interest in the film and have yet to see it, well, I’d advise you avoid the rest of this piece, because I’m about to spoil some of the major plot points. I’m not sure knowing any of it would ruin your enjoyment of the movie, I just don’t want to be held responsible either way. I will say, though, that it’s at least a good film, maybe a great one. I don’t think it’s Wilder’s best, I’d give that to The Apartment, keeping in mind I haven’t even seen half of his directorial work (including biggies like Double Indemnity and Stalag 17). But, this one, along with Some Like It Hot (another film I can’t make a decision on), often gets held up as the pinnacle of his work. I disagree, but I can understand it.
Oh, and there will likely be a few spoilers for Robert Altman’s The Player along the way as well. That’s a film I highly recommend for any movie buff, in fact it would make a fine double feature with Sunset Boulevard. You’ve been warned.
First, let me say, yes, I get the gist of the film. I understand Wilder’s intent to both satirize and scrutinize the business of show. The fact that the movie raised such mixed feelings among critics when it debuted at least eases the doubts I have about the movie. That MGM head Louis B. Mayer was infuriated by the thing, saying Wilder “should be tarred, feathered and horse-whipped for bringing his profession into such disrepute” (add to it Wilder’s supposed response: “F*&K You.”)makes me wish I enjoyed the film more.
I think Wilder managed to create an amazing amount of realism, especially when you look into some of the smaller detail. Norma Desmond’s house is decorated with picture from the career of her portrayer, Gloria Swanson. Swanson had been a pretty big silent film star, and so they incorporated a lot of that both into the set decoration and into the plot itself. Her butler (and former husband/director), Max Von Mayerling, was portrayed by Erich Von Stronheim, who had directed a number of silent films, including one called Queen Kelly. It starred, of course, Gloria Swanson, in fact the movie we see Norma Desmond watching during the film is Queen Kelly. Add to that cameos by fellow silent stars Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson and H.B. Warner, real-life gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and mega-director Cecil B. DeMille, all playing themselves (DeMille even calls Norma “young fella,” his supposed actual nickname for Swanson) and the realism of it all is pretty outstanding.
I mentioned Altman’s The Player because it immediately came to mind as I was watching this. The two films are very similar, especially in those attempts to establish that realism. I think Altman’s movie is ultimately more successful, if only because he wasn’t hand-tied by the ratings boards and censorship of the Forties and Fifties.
His characters are no less dispicable. In fact both films open with a main character murdering another main character, though The Player is a sort of “after that fact” story, where as Sunset gives you the build up to that point.
The two biggest problem I have with Sunset Boulevard lie in its lead performances. I know, I know, criticizing Swanson’s portrayal of Norma Desmond is the closest thing there is to sacrilege in Hollywoodland. But, I’m going to.
Okay, well, maybe criticize is the wrong word here. When I said I didn’t understand what Wilder was attempting to do, I was mainly talking about his direction of Swanson. I’ve spent hours trying to decide if he was directing her in a comedic performance, a psychotic performance or in a dramatic performance. But, maybe that’s my problem, perhaps the answer is a mixture of all three.
That Swanson spends the entire film with this horrible scowl on her face didn’t help. The woman wasn’t ugly, but every time I saw her it conjured up thoughts of Cruella DeVille. She’s charismatic, for sure, and even genuinely funny at times, but more than any of that she’s scary. Her performance is so out there that I found myself almost on the verge of laughing at how bad it was, especially that descent down the staircase at the end, but then there would be a close-up of that scowl and I’d find myself horrified.
Wilder once was asked about the dead-monkey sub-plot at the beginning of the film and what it all meant. Notorious for his off-kilter sense of humour (and for being quite lewd), his response was “Don’t you understand? Before Joe Gillis came along, Norma Desmond was f**king the monkey.” Now, I’m sure that he meant it as both a joke and a bit of shockery, but I think he’s actually telling the truth. In which case, Norma Desmond ranks up there with Hannibal Lecter and Jack Torrence as one of the movie characters I’d least like to be locked in a room with. She’s someone that, yes, lives in her own little fantasy, but has become so wrapped up in it that anything or anyone threatening or refusing to participate in those delusions will most assuredly wind up destroyed.
Then there’s William Holden playing Joe Gillis. I think my biggest problem with Holden is that he’s entirely too bland. Maybe that’s something else that falls on Wilder, but I’m not so sure. I know Holden wasn’t the first choice for the character, but wound up with the role after all of Wilder’s go-to’s passed for various reasons.
Gillis, as a character, is not very likable. His motivations are always entirely self-centered, and occasionally baffling. Even when he seems to be looking out for someone else’s interest, he’s not. Two perfect examples: When he and Betty almost share a kiss, he tells her to never allow him to get that close to her again. See, he knows she’s intending to marry one of his best friends, so, yeah it seems noble, but he does it in such a way that is both charming and self-deprecating that you know it’s going to have the opposite effect. And you get the feeling he knows it too, because, he never takes himself OUT of the situation. And, when he finally does , it’s not to spare HER feelings, but to make sure she doesn’t infringe any further on the life he’s set up for himself. But, maybe I’m just reading too much into it.
The second one though, I believe I’m right.
When he discovers Norma Desmond attempted suicide after he leaves her he comes rushing back to her. Now, at this point he knows she’s unstable, he knows what she’s capable of, that she’s manipulative and all just around loony tunes. So, why come back? Well, she’s rich. She’ll give him anything he wants and take care of him, and, she’s obviously convinced herself that she’d rather die than live without him. You’d like to really believe that he returns to ensure her safety, but given how things progress from there, well, you know he came back to keep his comfortable lifestyle going.
I will say that Erich von Stronheim gives the standout performance of the film. Max is equally tragic and heroic. His reasons may not seem entirely believable, and mostly insane, but when it comes to Norma he’s pretty altruistic. To a fault even. That Stronheim wasn’t fond of the film, nor his participation in it, is really a shame. I know nothing of the man’s work, but watching him here definitely intrigued me.
One mistake for which Wilder is definitely to blame is the narration. It’s a tool he’s implemented in many of his films, and one I usually don’t mind, but in most of this movie it feels obtrusive. It just doesn’t work. In fact, I’d pay pretty good money to see a version of this film with it completely removed.
The script overall is a bit of a mess, I think. The dialogue is kind of clunky, and Joe comes across as far too generic early on in the film. That all of this comes from his desire not to lose his car (which he loses ANYWAY) is a bit baffling to me. I mean, I understand not wanting to watch your car be repo’d, but, not to this extent. Once I saw the dead monkey, it would have been like one of those cartoons, all you’d see is my outline. It’s just a bit too bizarre at the beginning, and I don’t think the romance with Betty really works either.
I love Wilder. Yes, I’m not a big fan of Some Like It Hot, but I understand WHY everyone else like it, but Sunset Boulevard just had me scratching my head a lot. Overall, as I said, I was never sure of what Wilder was going for. I didn’t know which scenes were being played for laughs, which ones were supposed to be melodramatic and if it was all supposed to feel so campy and horrifying at the same time. And, maybe that’s where the brilliance of this film lies, that it can be watched and re-watched and you’ll experience a different genre each time. Or, maybe I just don’t get it.
