The film industry is full of stories of the pursuit of success. The stories of struggles on the rise to fame and success, and often enough showcasing that achievement around the conclusion. Sunset Blvd. dabbles with both concepts: the aspect of failure in Hollywood. The struggle to get somewhere and earn a living. While also displaying the life of someone that has lived the life of success and luxury as a result, though now forever longing for those better days to return as time has passed and ultimately forgotten them in favour of a new era and its demands.
The other day I watched a Spanish film named Viridiana, a black-and-white film which has resulted in me feeling that black-and-white film noir itch, desperately wanting to watch some classics again and have a brief escape from the many animations and series that I have been starting. I roamed the Internet for a few short minutes in search of something, and came across a few film noir classics that I realised I had never seen; I told myself I would check them out one-by-one over the coming weeks.
Sunset Blvd. seemed natural for this filmmaking narrative it holds. Featuring a film noir style and a very much beloved style of narration that places us into the mind of its protagonist. If you have read anything of mine for a while now, you may have read in a few posts in the past of how much I love films that feature a narration that places us into the minds of characters directly. Bridging that character development and context in narrative with the audience as if we share their thoughts, knowing them more than anyone else as they voice their deepest secrets to us. My favourites of these being the films of Wong Kar-wai.
Though, Sunset Blvd. has managed to enter my favourites. It was a film very much self-aware of its themes, as if to be direct and personal themselves. And a glimpse into two sides of the film industry that we all love and consume, having almost never really heard of the ways it impacts those who make these creations.
We follow a struggling writer, desperate to make it but failing frequently. His scripts requiring plenty of work and often rejection. Stumbling into the path of a former silent-era film actress that just so happens to be writing an extensive script she aims to have turned into a feature. A return to the screen for her, and a revival of a career long gone, in an industry that has developed and changed massively over the years. These two opposites share the same interests: fame and success. The money merely being an additional luxury that comes with it. It is an interesting dynamic in which these two very different people come together for ultimately very bad reasons.
Sunset Blvd is a story that shows the perspective mostly of the failing writer, now given a life of luxury in favour of compassion and expertise in writing with this now aged actress. As is expected, this results in an awful relationship in which our actress that longs for the better days to return becomes more and more dependent on our young writer, as he is tasked with bringing her poor script into greatness and thus brining her back to the wonderful sets in front of cameras. It is interesting to me to see this, because I really understand this feeling of what it is like to be away from productions sometimes. To want to feel that excitement of a production again where wonderful people can be roaming around and talking and sharing ideas, all coming together to create something that thousands, if not millions may see.
For those who have had their moments of fame, it must be incredibly difficult to hang it all up, especially if it is due to circumstances out of your control. To realise that your best days are behind you and that there is not much else waiting for you in the present. And this is what Sunset Blvd. is really about: the ways in which the film industry pulls you in with its magic, makes you dependent on it, and one day spits you out, forgetting you ever existed and moving on without you, whether you are ready for that change or not. For many, this transition will be hard to accept. To be forced out of the life of excitement and fame, left with money, but not that push in ego that makes you feel truly alive, like few other careers can.
To amplify this desperation is a complicated love story between people and the creation of art. Where stories are created out of passion and how that passion can bring people together. Though in the case of our narrative, it results in jealousy, fear, and the refusal to let the past go. This drama goes by quite expected, it doesn't try to spin twists on you, but simply tell you of the love for filmmaking that these young people share, not quite knowing that the potential fame to come may result in a life of misery. To say this film is a love letter to filmmaking would be a lie, but would also hold some truth to it. It is evident in our characters, where they come to certain realisations and change their approach to the luxury; realising ultimately what is more important.
Sunset Blvd. was almost perfected by its use of heavy narration through the voice of our protagonist. We get a direct perspective of his life and thoughts throughout the film as he approaches various struggles. We see into his mind where he promotes himself over others, approaches this life of style of sophistication as the money slowly spoils him, only to have his realisation that the love was for writing all along. The directing reflects this with simple fixed perspectives, where often enough we feel like observers in this series of events. Where the most alive our protagonist feels is when he's writing alongside another. There's more movement seen in these scenes, and the angles display this energy. Whereas he feels imprisoned in this home with the former actress that smothers, uses her money and luxury to lure people in at any cost.
We see the opposite in moments as well: where our former actress slowly falls into insanity over the desperation for fame again. The camera uses these creative angles in which we see her face close-up, smothered in beauty products in an attempt to prepare for roles that do not come. Where she looks deep into mirrors imagining her upcoming revival of fame and worship within the public eye. Visualising her return like some return of God himself upon mere mortal men. It shows how the film industry spits you out once it is done with you, even going as far as seeing how studios and other filmmakers don't quite have that interest in you anymore once your moment of fame is up. Where you are no longer wanted. It is a harsh reality, ultimately. And one I have even seen myself as people I have known have given up on the industry or struggled to keep things going.
This directing is simple, yet very effective. It tells the story so well alongside the narration, and in that typical film noir style. It is really creative in that regard, and I do not think it would have had the same impact without the narration despite that style of cinematography and directing. It's incredibly self-aware in its approach to understanding the film industry, displaying that hatred and passion for it, using different characters that have lived different lives within it. Some successful, some striving for that success, but with very different emotions regarding the industry. I think it's quite powerful for this, particularly when not many films these days are made around the idea of filmmaking, and if they are, they only really show the glamour. If you have seen La La Land, you will love Sunset Blvd, and know pretty much what to expect from it.
Its themes are probably more powerful now than ever before, where we live in such a rapid digital world where content is created every moment, and so easily cancelled and forgotten. Where streaming services create and remove like nothing ever happened, giving those actors and filmmakers a glimpse at making it, only to return back to their struggles beforehand. It shows us a very human side of filmmaking, the art behind it, and the mind.
