"Sunset Boulevard" Oral Presentation Part 4: Narrative

The Film "Sunset Boulevard" is told in a fairly interesting way, as the beginning sequence is actually the end of the film.  We are thrown in seeing police cars and ambulances racing down Sunset Boulevard.  We arrive at a huge mansion, and the pool is surrounded by police officers looking at the floating main character: Joe.  We hear the deceased Joe narrating this scene from heaven or hell, giving us a little bit of background about himself, but no clue to how he was killed, and why he's floating in the pool of a fallen Hollywood star.

The shots used to capture Joe floating in the pool are extremely interesting, especially the one shown above. This shot was made possibly by a sheet of glass/plexiglass at the bottom of the pool, leaving a little room for the camera to be placed, and creating a legendary shot. This shot captures a lot: the fact that Joe is dead as a doornail, chucked into a pool with his eyes still open, which is sort of shocking. Along with the numerous police officers surrounding, taking pictures of the recently deceased man.  It shows how fast news spreads in Hollywood, and how quick and how many people come when someone of importance has committed a crime.

After showing Joe, the story moves back in time a few weeks, back to when Joe was a writer, struggling to get by, and how everything unfolded. This type of storytelling keeps the audience on their toes, making them think about how everything contributed to how the small clip of the beginning happening. This film also uses a sort of argument to tell it's interesting story, basically arguing that Hollywood can corrupt people beyond repair, and that being neglected leads to a crazed, lonely life full of dreaming, but never going out and actually doing.  Norma Desmond portrays this beautifully, and is able to make the audience believe she really is a deranged, insane fallen idol.

While watching this movie, we really feel what the actors want us to feel. Our engagements make us feel exactly what they want us to feel, especially the pity for Norma. Another big part of the acting is the love-hate relationship that we feel Joe. In his encounters with Norma, we like him and feel bad that he's trapped in a money-filled dystopia, but hate him for refusing to work with Betty, and eventually breaking her heart by telling her lies -- but overall is the right decision in the circumstances. 

Overall, the narrative of "Sunset Boulevard" contributed to the success of the movie, creating a great way to tell the story to the viewers, and keep them extremely entertained.