Sunset Boulevard On The Gutter

While the renowned street is associated with the grandeur and luxury of hollywood we are introduced to it in the gutter surrounded by dead leaves and rotten debris in high contrast black and white photography.

Sunset boulevard on the gutter.

Struggling screenwriter joe gillis william. The title is shown in the opening shot as sunset blvd stenciled on the curb of the actual street in the gutter if you want to consider the symbolism. Sunset boulevard opens with an image of its titular street name cheaply stenciled on the curb. Marshman has a darker tone comedically and dramatically.

Wilder s corrosive view of hollywood immediately begins with its opening image of a street name sunset blvd stenciled in the gutter. And yet as you rightly pointed out there s a more profound and poignant layer beneath the outwardly cynicism and fatalism. Sunset boulevard is a musical with music by andrew lloyd webber and lyrics and book by don black and christopher hampton. Each of these normal everyday situations is covered by sunset boulevard after all it s part of hollywood where dreams all get mushed up in the gutter and rot in the open air the graveyard of dreams.

1950 movie clip still more. This image establishes the darkly ironic tone of sunset boulevard. It is also listed as sunset blvd on its library of congress registration. In addition to themes like the superficial celebrity image faded stardom and self delusion sunset boulevard ultimately centers on the poisonousness of the film industry and how it neglects and disastrously treats its participants.

Based on billy wilder s academy award winning 1950 film of the same title the plot revolves around norma desmond a faded star of the silent screen era living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled los angeles street. When young screenwriter joe gillis. Written by the stars tabbed by. Standard e intro c am dm g verse 1 c when i see you again after 2 years am hoping that one day you ll trust.

In the gutter lie dead leaves scraps of paper burnt matches and cigarette butts. Sunset boulevard written by billy wilder who also directed charles brackett and d m. Sunset boulevard was acerbic in its expose of the shallow or perhaps more appropriately hollow self obsessed narcissism that is hollywood.