Joe Gillis is a screenwriter, struggling to afford his car and cramped Hollywood apartment. When the collection agency shows up, he flees and finds himself hiding out in the garage of a old-timey mansion, worn down and seemingly unattended. He pokes around and is discovered by homeowner Norma Desmond and her butler, Max. Norma, we learn, was a great silent-film starlet of the past—now middle-aged, lost and forgotten in the era of ‘talkies’. She recruits Joe to edit the behemoth, clunky script she’s working on to orchestrate her comeback. Against his will, Joe is moved into the Desmond estate to perform his work. Every now and then he comes up for air outside the estate, looking to feel youth and connection, but he’s increasingly pulled into Norma’s distorted and delusional world. Eventually feeling infantilized, emasculated, and trapped by Norma, Joe chooses to cut ties with the crazed icon—to his detriment.
I did not expect to, and yet, really loved this film. I’m not really a film noir guy, but this one felt different. It was brighter than others I’ve seen, and had a tremendous sense of humor to it (it’s tagged as a black comedy film). The moment Joe showed up at the Desmond estate and witnessed his first chimp funeral, I knew it was going to be different. The voice over was dramatic and exposing, but rather funny and charming at the same time. Speaking of which, it was fascinating to see a film genre that profusely uses voice over and dialogue to build drama, comment on a film genre that was unspoken.
William Holden’s Joe was a funny, serious, yearning character to follow, and it was hard to not fall in love with Nancy Olson’s Betty Schaefer. Gloria Swanson’s portrayal of Norma Desmond was interesting. It was kind of like Tom Hardy’s Bane—go with me on this. It was super over-the-top and on-paper-unbelievable, but so fully constructed and consistent that you can’t help buy it and sort of enjoy it. Finally, you have a fiercely “Hollywood” film, chock-full of cameos and authentic 1940’s Hollywood locations. All together, the film serves as a time capsule commenting on an era of Hollywood, while functioning as a time capsule preserving an era of Hollywood. Fascinating.