Sunset Boulevard: Symbolism

Norma's Mansion

• Symbolizes the decline of Hollywood's golden era
• Contrasts Norma's former social importance and magnificence with her present isolation
• Represents the decay and isolation of fame
• Represents the delusion of Norma's imprisonment
• Signifies Norma's detachment from reality, stuck in the past with its dilapidated state
• Filled with relics of her past, emphasizing her inability to let go: Movie memorabilia & old photographs
• Mirrors Hollywood's fake promise of lasting fame and the industry's destructive nature and exploitation

Norma's Car

• Norma's vintage car symbolizes her career's previous splendor and her fixation with remaining a star
• Represents her past status, success, and riches, which she refuses to relinquish
• A vehicle for Norma to roam in her own imaginary realm
• Norma's drive in Hollywood emphasizes her isolation and attempts to relive her previous success
• Represents the allure and riches Hollywood employs to manipulate people
• Symbolizes the emptiness of Hollywood's glory and its quick disposal of stars in the mansion's garage.

The Mirrors

• Shows her being stuck in the past
• Mirrors create a disconnect from reality and an inability to accept the passage of time.
• Enables Norma to live in a realm of delusion and fame
• Conveys how Hollywood values fabricated, artificial images and unrealistic beauty standards

Norma's Pool

• Represents Hollywood's tendency to devour and discard people, shown by Joe's death.
• Represents disillusionment and broken promises
• Represents how fame and the industry ultimately disappoint their stars
• Symbolizes how Hollywood conceals a more sinister reality with splendor, enticing individuals with the prospect of success only to abandon them in a desolate state.

Topic Sentences

• Explores the sacrifices one makes to achieve dreams and critiques them
• Explores Hollywood's false promises and destructive nature
• Expresses concerns over Hollywood exploitation, creating a harmful fixation
• Explores the need for authenticity.
• The film's title, 'Sunset Boulevard', is a metaphor for the end of a star's fame.

Key Moments

• Norma is ready to reclaim fame in one scene.
• Joe enters Norma's "personal space," which indicates empathy from the audience.
• Norma's visits to Paramount reveal delusion and unawareness.
• Norma maintains vanity after murder.

Key Themes

• Centers on the themes of ambition, greed, delusion, vanity, isolation, romance, reality, control, and fame

Key quotes

• Illustrates themes of lost fame, disillusionment, wealth, and the destructive nature of dreams
• "...in the end, he got himself a pool. Only the price turned out to be a little high”.

Key Film Elements

• Panning shots capture old photographs of Norma, establishing nostalgia and past glory.
• The use of close-ups emphasizes emotional moments.
• The use of smoke indicates confusion
• A tracking shot is used as Paramount arrives in the scene, and the company only focuses on benefitting themselves

Analysis of the symbolism in Sunset Boulevard, focusing on Norma's Mansion and Car. The mansion symbolizes Hollywood's decline, Norma's isolation, and her detachment from reality. Her car represents past glory and her attempts to relive former success.