Sunset Boulevard

A few years ago, my wife, Cristina, encouraged me to re-write an unpublished manuscript of mine into the screenplay format.  She thought it would work better as a movie than as a novel.  I think she was correct.  I called it Best of Intentions.  Unfortunately, nobody to date wants to produce it.

That reminds me of Joe Gillis and the 1950 Billy Wilder movie, Sunset Boulevard.  You see, Joe Gillis, the protaganist played by William Holden (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, but lost to Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac), was a Hollywood screenwriter (like me, sort of).

There is a line in Sunset Boulevard where Joe says that, “Audiences don’t know that somebody sits down and writes a picture.  They think the actors make it up as they go along.”  Wrong!  Actually, a film starts, just as Joe said, when the screenwriter sits down and writes the movie, with dialogue, location descriptions, and action.  That’s called a screenplay and without one, there is no movie.  Of course, a producer, a director, or an actor may change the screenplay (and often do), but the starting point is the screenplay.

Sunset Boulevard is the story of a young, struggling Hollywood screenwriter (Joe Gillis) down on his luck.  He’s out of work and owes three months back rent plus three payments on his car.  The finance company is fed up and wants their car back.  Joe’s desperate to keep it.  By chance, while fleeing from finance company operatives, he gets a flat tire and parks his car in the garage adjacent to a mansion he was driving by on Sunset Boulevard.  It turns out to be the home of a silent film star, Norma Desmond (played ironically by silent film star, Gloria Swanson, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, but lost to Judy Holiday in Born Yesterday).

There is a great piece of dialogue when Joe recognizes her.  “Wait a minute.  Haven’t I seen you before?  I know your face.  You’re Norma Desmond.  You used to be in silent pictures.  You used to be big.” 

Norma’s classic response:  “I am big.  It’s the pictures that got small.”

When Norma discovers that Joe is a screenwriter, she hires him to edit a screenplay she has written (Salome) which she hopes will be the vehicle for her return to starring in films, something she desperately wants.  She falsely believes she is still a big star, that her fans still want to see her again, even though she hasn’t made a picture in more than twenty years.  In reality, the public and the movie studios have forgotten all about her.  As Joe said, Norma’s been given the “go by.”

In the beginning, their relationship works for both of them.  Joe needs a job and Norma needs help with her script.  However, it starts to become suffocating for Joe as he is forced to live in her mansion and does not have a car or any money to come and go as he pleases and have a life of his own.  Then Joe starts to notice that Norma has become increasingly fond of him, even though she is old enough to be his mother.  She buys him expensive clothes and re-opens her swimming pool to please him. 

It all comes to a head at their New Years Eve party when she hires a small orchestra so they can dance the tango on the marble floor of her mansion.  She has invited no one else as she does not want to share Joe with anyone.  He accuses her of taking him for granted, that perhaps he has a girlfriend (which he doesn’t).  He wants to be with people his own age, to hear music and laughter again.  Norma expresses her love for Joe and is deeply hurt that it is not reciprocated. 

Joe:  “What I’m trying to say is that I’m all wrong for you.  You want a Valentino...A big shot.”

Norma:  “What you’re trying to say is that you don’t want me to love you.  Say it.  Say it.”

Joe’s lack of a response hurts Norma so much that she slaps him across the face and runs to her bedroom.  Thereupon, he leaves Norma’s mansion and goes to a friend’s (Artie played by Jack Webb) much more modest home where another much more lively New Years Eve party is going on.  There, he runs into a studio script reader (Betty played by Nancy Olson, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to Josephine Hull in Harvey) he knows.  They exchange screenwriting ideas which stimulates his enthusiasm to return to his former life. 

Because of all that happened that night, Joe plans a complete break with Norma and calls the mansion to ask her valet (Max played by Erich Von Stroheim, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to George Sanders in All About Eve) to pack up all his belongings.  Max said he can do nothing for Joe as a doctor was at the mansion dealing with Norma’s most recent suicide attempt.

Joe’s life hangs in the balance at this moment.  What should he do?  Should he return to Norma (and be her kept man), foresaking a more normal life?  Or should he return to his former life where he was unemployed, but would be with his old friends and former work colleagues and perhaps find love with someone of his own age.  I think you will find his choice and what it leads to both interesting and entertaining.  Please see Sunset Boulevard and let me know what you think. 

You should know that Sunset Boulevard was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture (lost to All About Eve) and Best Director (Billy Wilder lost to Joseph L. Mankiewics for All About Eve).  It did win three Oscars:  Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (Charles Brackett, D. M. Marshman, Jr., and Billy Wilder), Best Art Direction-Set Direction (black and white film), and Best Music (Franz Waxman). 

One final note:  Sunset Boulevard has one of the best last lines of a movie when Norma (looking directly into the camera) says, “All right, Mr. DeMille.  I’m ready for my close-up.”