unit 8: research

plot:
sun set boulevard was filmed in 1950 and is based in the 1949 nand is about a silent film actress called Norma Desmond who is driven to a state of madness when she couldn't get casted in talkie films. Norma refuses to face the reality that she no longer has a place in the entertainment business, and she is encouraged in this by Max, who writes all of her fan letters and tells her that her public is still out there.

costume:
when i was looking for different things to wear the first thing i did was look at different variations of outfits that she has worn by different people. i think this helped because i did not know much about the character so i found it hard to know what she wears. she wears very grand designs where as the fashion of the time was.

Pencil skirt.
Crew neck cardigan.
Petticoat.
Circle skirt or dress preferably halter or boat neck.
Bullet bra.
Waist knickers.

scene:

the scene that i am doing before the song is a famous and its when Norma is walking down the stairs and she thinks shes in a movies when actually she id being taken away to a police station or asylum. 'The flashback ends. The house is filled with police and reporters. Norma, having lost touch with reality, believes the cameras are there to film Salome. Max and the police play along. Max sets up a scene for her and calls "Action!" As the cameras roll, Norma dramatically descends her grand staircase. She pauses and makes an impromptu speech about how happy she is to be making a film again, ending with "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." ' - i used this when i was trying to come up with my scene it helped me really get a grip of how the scene was originally made.

character: Norma Desmond although Norma Desmond is not a real person her story is similar to others such as;

Mabel Normand

Jean Harlow
William Desmond Taylor
Barbara La Marr

these people were all such big stars back in silent movies and then as soon as the talkies came around they were not used any more and many of the different stars were turned away from the films because of their voices. This made made many of the stars turn crazy or start heavily drinking. i watched a video on an unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor i found it very interesting because in Sunset Boulevard the directer gets shot and so does William in real life, i think the person who made sunset boulevard used real stories and combined them to make the characters.

i think Norma is very vulnerable her butler has to write fan letters to her so she doesn't feel like shes not noticed or loved and he is constantly telling her that shes the greatest star in the world so he is not helping her come to the reality that she is not good for film anymore.

billy wilder was the co-writer and directer of the film and he is knows for directing many different films in silent and talkies, so i think that he has a connection to the characters in the film he was making.

the time:
in the 1950's the IPA was formed (the largest police organisation in the world), there were a lot more opportunities to be in films with talkies being around for a while and there were also a lot of people who were unemployed due to the talkies. After many years of going through the depression and the world war so there was a lot of demand in things like music and film giving people jobs in cinema.

lyrics:
I don't know why I'm frightened
I know my way around here
The cardboard trees, the painted seas, the sound here
Yes, a world to rediscover
But I'm not in any hurry
And I need a moment

The whispered conversations
In overcrowded hallways
The atmosphere is thrilling here as always
Feel the early morning madness
Feel the magic in the making
Why, everything's as if we never said goodbye

I've spent so many mornings just trying to resist you
I'm trembling now, you can't know how I've missed you
Missed the fairytale adventure
In this ever-spinning playground
We were young together

I'm coming out of makeup
The light's already burning
Not long until the cameras will start turning
And the early morning madness
And the magic in the making
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye

I don't want to be alone
That's all in the past
This world's waited long enough
I've come home at last!

And this time will be bigger
And brighter than we knew it
So watch me fly, we all know I can do it
Could I stop my hands from shaking?
Has there ever been a moment
With so much to live for?

The whispered conversations
In overcrowded hallways
So much to say, not just today but always
We'll have early morning madness
We'll have magic in the making
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye

monologue:
I can’t go on with this scene, I’m too happy. Mr. DeMille do you mind if I say a few words? Thank you. I just want to tell you all how happy I am to be back in the studio making a picture again. You don’t know how much I’ve missed all of you. And I promise you I’ll never desert you again because after ‘Salome’ we’ll make another picture and another picture. You see, this is my life. It always will be. There’s nothing else. Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!… All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.

different silent movies i watched as research