In Sunset Boulevard (1950), a film by Billy Wilder, Joe Gillis narrates his death and how it came to be about using a flashback. He first starts out floating in the pool, then goes back six months before his death. We are shown how he is an unsuccessful screenwriter and how he unfortunately ends up at Norma’s house. The fact that Gillis is narrating his life throughout the film is ironic in the sense that he was unsuccessful in creating any movies, but was able to create one with his death using narration, flashbacks, and his own experiences with Norma.
Narration in this movie is key, not only because it tells the entire story but because it also seems that Gillis did not embellish on how Norma truly was. We know this because in the final scene after he dies, she slowly goes down the stairs, claims that she is ready for her close up, and thinks that she is really headed to the movies. This is significant because Gillis had wanted his movie to be a hit with a big movie star, and in the end it turns out that he did get one, things just did not turn out his way. It almost takes a weight off of the audience because it is known that despite his death, he did finally reach success with this movie.
Narration in this movie is key, not only because it tells the entire story but because it also seems that Gillis did not embellish on how Norma truly was. We know this because in the final scene after he dies, she slowly goes down the stairs, claims that she is ready for her close up, and thinks that she is really headed to the movies. This is significant because Gillis had wanted his movie to be a hit with a big movie star, and in the end it turns out that he did get one, things just did not turn out his way. It almost takes a weight off of the audience because it is known that despite his death, he did finally reach success with this movie.
The flashbacks are also an important part in the film because they give background on Gillis’s struggle in writing screenplays and how desperate he was to write one that would make the big screen. He was so determined that he even cheated on Norma (if you actually consider him to be with her) and defied his best friend Artie in order to secretly work with Betty. It is clear that Gillis is guilty about this, hence why he tells her when they are walking along Paramount Pictures at night that she needs to stay at least two feet from him. He also invites her over to the mansion to see how he is truly living to let her know that they cannot be together. Norma confuses this with Gillis wanting to stay with her and when Gillis gives her a sense of reality, she shoots him. His determination to write is what got him killed.
Lastly, Gillis’s experiences with Norma are important to this film because we get an idea of who Gillis truly was through first-hand account. It is interesting that the audience sees Gillis and also hears his narration because it helps to connect with him and hope that he can publish a screenplay and also find a way to get away from Norma. The audience sides with Gillis despite his wrongs and is angry with Norma for the way that she treats him. The narration and his role in the film make him into a real person, versus just a character or just a voice.
Gillis’s narration is essential to this movie because of the irony that it demonstrates. It is unfortunate that Norma put his life to an end, but from this loss he gained the story that he had always been hoping for.
While I firmly agree with Gillis' importance as the narrator, this film belongs solely to Norma Desmond. Gillis' commentary serves to tell her sad tale of lost stardom and mental instability. To me, Gillis is nothing more than a starving artist writer who willingly takes advantage of Norma's desperation, which manifests itself in her needing a companion to use as a sounding board, one that incessantly repeats stories of past glory.
ReplyDeleteGillis' role has Norma's arm candy is clearly spelled out by Gillis' introduction to the once-starlet, which occurs quickly after her previous companion--a primate--passed away. Having Gillis fill the role that was previously held by a non-human seems to indicate the role he serves for Norma. Granted, his lack of success means he willingly accepts Norma's "charity," in what resembles a relationship of convenience for both characters.
To me, Gillis' narration serves as a sad, almost pathetic recounting of two damaged individuals, one who longs for past glory and one whose failure drives him to behave like a male escort. While Gillis tells the story--like you indicated, the story of his life--without Norma Desmond's insane brilliance, Gillis' story wouldn't be worth telling. Thanks, in large part, to Gillis' heel-like behavior, I found myself siding with Norma, despite her clear detachment from reality.
Perhaps her turn as Charlie Chaplin helps her cause with me. Who knows? If it was Gillis who donned the Chaplin garb, perhaps he would've shone through to me more than he did. As it stands, while Gillis' character is certainly an effective catalyst, Norma Desmond is the reason the movie is compelling enough to tell.