MORAL OF THE MOVIE

I find that there’s two main morals in Sunset Boulevard. Firstly, money can’t buy it all (ie. happiness). Secondly, and most importantly, Hollywood can be a ruthless place with little to no regard for feelings or dreams. Dir. Billy Wilder used this film to satirize the outlandish nature of Hollywood stars who felt entitled to everything while also humanizing them in showing that it’s not truly their fault since they are constantly admired or told that they’re “stars”. As such, Wilder teaches us how an environment as ruthless as Hollywood can make people that started out optimistic and full of ambition to be so materialistic, entitled, greedy, and obsessed with attention/fame.

WHO I THINK WOULD MOST ENJOY THIS MOVIE

Fans of the classically narrated movie that starts with a murder and “How did we get here? I’ll tell you how…” (This movie was one of the first to start that trend by the way!) In general, fans of classics and/or the noir genre will enjoy this one but so will anyone looking to read into more than what is being shown in the movie (if this is you, then you will have a lot of fun with this one). This movie offers a lot that, after watching the movie, can turn out to be very interesting reads and perspectives into the machine that is Hollywood.

ADDITIONAL NOTES/COMMENTARY

Being a fan of one of Dir. Billy Wilder’s earlier works, Double Indemnity (1944); I had always been meaning to watch what is considered to be Wilder’s masterpiece: Sunset Boulevard. After seeing that it was available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, I took the chance on the spot. It is, after all, widely regarded as one of the best films of all time. There are quite a few insights to be taken from this film that, while being specific to Hollywood, can also be generally applicable to just about anyone. For example, the film revolves around Joe, the out-of-work screenwriter, and Norma Desmond, the washed-up and forgotten silent movie star that failed to transition into the new age of movies with sound. At this point, both are in it for the material/egocentric aspects of the job: money (Joe) and fame (Norma). This just goes to show what Billy Wilder thought about the way things were done in Hollywood at that time: for profit and fame and nothing else. That’s where I get most of the insights after having watched this movie for the first time. The fact that even after having so much success, it wouldn’t be enough. It would never be enough because that’s how greed works. Instead, the way to go about making movies and professions and life, in general, is that you should do what you want to do because of your passion for it (this will fulfill you more in the long-term), not the material elements that come along with it. Otherwise, you’ll see yourself end up on the other side of Sunset Boulevard.