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norma desmond and the waxworks or "sunset boulevard" (1950) as a metaphor for the decay of "old hollywood" by tracy taylor According to Paul Arthur in his Film Comment article, "Los Angeles as Scene of the Crime," "in both its classical and neo-modes, noir is obsessed with the slippage between the past and present." (Arthur 21) Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard epitomizes this obsession because it emphasizes the decline of old Hollywood after the coming of sound and juxtaposes the remnants of that world against what was then the present, the 1950s studio system. In essence, the movie functions as a metaphor for the decay of the glamorous "Old Hollywood."
This is not just any car. It is a rare, handmade monstrosity of extravagance (note the leopard skin upholstery) so common in the 1920's, when free-spenders like Hearst pilfered the countries of Europe of as many art objects as possible. Inside the mansion, the rooms are dim and overstuffed with massive, shrouded furniture and photos of Norma in her younger days. The place has the feel of an Egyptian tomb, and we sense immediately that Norma herself has been buried alive with her past. From an upstairs window, Joe looks out across the grounds and sees unkempt gardens, a battered, net-less tennis court and a swimming pool taken over by rats. When Joe and Norma arrive at the Paramount front gate to see Cecil B. DeMille, Norma encounters a young guard who does not recognize her. This rebuff further demonstrates how far she has slipped from the public eye. Last but not least, Norma's bridge partners, in real life silent-era legends like Buster Keaton, add the final brushstrokes to this canvas of decay. By contrast, all the young people in the film are vibrant and happy, whether shooting the breeze at Schwab's or celebrating exuberantly in a modern apartment on New Year's Eve. Joe sardonically refers to Norma's bridge crowd as the "waxworks." The world has passed Norma Desmond and her cronies by. They all belong at Madame Toussaud's. Ironically, in becoming part of this ossified world he so breezily disparages, Joe belongs there, too. Copyright © 2003 The Write Word, Inc. All rights reserved. |
