This piece is an exemplar essay responding to one of the 2023 VCAA exam prompts for Sunset Boulevard. It would definitely score above an 8, but whether it would get a 9 or a 10 might depend a little on the marker.
The following is a list of things this piece does well that help put it in the top category:
Enjoy!
‘Sunset Boulevard shows that the pursuit of fame is a perilous journey.’ Discuss. (VCAA Exam 2023)
Released towards the end of 1950, Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder’s incisive expose of the Hollywood industry and American society more broadly was met with scathing reviews by critics who felt Wilder had maligned the all-American pursuit of fame. Indeed, Wilder criticises in his film how the pursuit of fame often creates vulnerability to the exploitation of powerful figures, and more concerningly, the loss of oneself to discontent and even madness. Despite this, Wilder endorses those in the industry who pursue meaning over fame, and illustrates how such a path can allow one to avoid the perils of the industry. Ultimately, Wilder suggests that while Hollywood is a dangerous place, it can be navigated by those who seek to produce good work. (121 words)
In the movie, the pursuit of fame leaves characters open to exploitation and even endangers their lives. Wilder reminds his audience that predatory characters wait around every corner to profit off the naivety of ‘the talent’. Joe’s callous agent tells him he should be grateful to be short on money, since “the greatest things were written on an empty stomach.” Despite professing to be Joe’s “friend”, Morino represents the most exploitative and profit-driven parts of deep Hollywood, always lurking in wait for the next “10 percent” cut. Wilder symbolically illustrates the dirtiness of the industry right from the opening of the film, when he depicts the titular street name ‘Sunset Boulevard’ written not atop a street sign, but instead in the gutter. This placement represents the lowlife aspects of Hollywood, with the fallen leaves in particular subtly hinting at the industry’s fallen and dead stars, while the high camera angle looking down on it tellingly indicates Wilder’s disgust towards the industry. The potentially fatal outcomes of chasing fame are reiterated in the next scene when the audience is presented with Joe’s dead body floating face down in a pool, while photographers crowd trying to get a good picture. Speaking from beyond the grave, Joe muses with dry empathy that “the poor dope…always wanted a pool.” As the cameras flash, he adds that he “got himself a pool – only the price turned out to be a little high.” This quote epitomises from the outset the ultimate peril of seeking acclaim: death. Indeed, it was only through his murder that Joe achieved not only the “pool”, but also the success and fame this represents in Hollywood. Joe’s haunting narration keeps the thread of death running through every scene, reminding the audience that a reckless pursuit of fame can have potentially fatal consequences. (300 words)
Perhaps even more sadly, Wilder disappointedly comments on the ability for the Hollywood industry to produce cynicism, discontent, and even madness. In his search for recognition, to “get [his name] up there”, Joe loses his desire to do anything other than chase cash. Although there is an indication Joe has “some talent”, Joe insists “that was last year; this year [he’s] trying to make a living”. As much as he feels hard-done-by in the industry, Joe here reveals that he himself has chosen to give up writing what is “true” in the name of trying to make money. Ironically, this leads Joe to a cycle of producing work that was either “too original” or “not original enough”, but in any case “it didn’t sell”. Through his cynical quips through the film and the lugubrious, jaded tone of Joe’s voiceover, Wilder conveys how for artists who approach Hollywood with the aim of making it big, only burnout and disappointment await. Likewise, Norma loses herself in the pursuit of public adoration. Despite beginning “as a lovely little girl of 17” full of “courage and wit and heart”, Norma became a “terror to work with” after years of “press agents working overtime” on her. Norma’s inability to separate her stage self from her real self is established early on through the thick makeup accentuating her lips and eyes, reminiscent of the silent film style. This makeup and her exaggerated facial expressions become only more extreme as the film continues, symbolising Norma’s mental decline because of her inability to adapt. The wish for fame and “a return” is a manifestation of Norma’s profound desire for attention, represented by attempts to entertain Joe with the “Norma Desmond Follies”, painfully incongruent with her ageing self. Watching Desmond’s cosmetic procedures and her increasing insanity is like watching a trainwreck in slow motion, and by the end of the film when Norma famously cries she’s “ready for [her] close-up”, the audience is left with a profound sense of horror for how the desire for the adoration of “those wonderful people out there in the dark” can lead actors to totally lose touch with reality. The parallel arcs of Norma and Joe both are symbolic of Wilder’s broader message that a desire for fame leads people to lose their sanity and meaning. (383 words)
Although Wilder’s depiction of the dangers of chasing fame is unforgiving, the director also suggests that those who seek meaning in Hollywood are able to withstand the pressures those only seeking material reward buckle under. Even when faced with Joe’s cynicism, asking “who wants true [stories]? Who wants moving?” Betty maintains she “[wants] to write” rather than be a reader “all [her] life”. Betty’s ambition is not to achieve fame or wealth, but to develop herself, create a career, and ultimately make movies which “say a little something”. Betty is also able to bounce back from failure. As insistent as Joe is that Betty must “weep for those lost close-ups” after she was rejected as an actress, she responds that the whole ordeal “taught [her] a little sense”. Because she does not seek publicity or wealth, Betty is able to escape the disappointments Joe and Norma can not. The extras at Artie’s party, too, are positive, despite being “writers without a job, composers without a publisher”. When Joe enters their room on New Year’s, they are singing happily. It is not that their experience of Hollywood is different: indeed, they sing about how “Hollywood for [them] ain’t been so good”, and Artie jokingly breaks the fourth wall by commenting he can only afford “three drinks per extra”, a reminder of the financial limitations of Hollywood, particular for those on its lowest rung. However, the extras maintain a positive attitude, using humour to cope, and view this hardship more as a liveable reality of Hollywood rather than as a personal affront. Even DeMille’s extras, despite being old and conventionally unattractive, outlast Norma in Hollywood because they are willing to work in the background, creating the scene, rather than starring in it. Thus, Wilder illustrates that while Hollywood is rife with danger, this peril is avoidable for those who choose to work on movies for the love of it, rather than to achieve money or fame. (324 words)
In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder pulls back the curtain on the multitude of personalities who seek to work in the movie business. Those who seek fame ultimately lose either their physical lives, or their mental stability. However, those who choose meaning and passion over flimsy materialism are able to survive the perils of Hollywood. Thus, though the original critics may not have seen it, Wilder ultimately leaves his audience with the American Dream: that if you do what you love, one day you might just make it. (86 words)
.png)
