Sunset Boulevard (1950) | Two Images that Will Change the Way You View it

Sunset Boulevard was one of the first classic films to truly capture my attention—thanks to my mother! I rewatched it a few weeks ago, hoping to catch something fresh, and I wasn’t disappointed. Two images stood out, one from Dickens and the other from Scripture, and they’ve both helped me better understand this excellent film.

As a refresher, Sunset Boulevard follows a struggling Hollywood writer named Joe Gillis, who stumbles upon an enormous, dilapidated mansion. Thinking he had evaded the men trying to repossess his car, he explored the property only to realize the mansion was still occupied.

As the camera introduces us to the home, the narrator tells us the person inside is an actress much like Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. She’s the odd woman who was jilted at the altar; the woman who still wears her wedding dress and lets her cake rot for years amid cobwebs.  

Dickens tells us her mansion is called Satis House, which is Latin for “enough.” The irony, of course, is that discontentment haunts the home, the very opposite of its name. Pip confronts this spirit when he enters the gates of the house. 

The beautiful Estella meets him there, letting him onto the property and soon opening his eyes to how common and vulgar he is. Pip leaves those gates like Adam leaving Eden: eyes open and a heart full of shame. Joe Gillis bears some resemblance to Pip, mainly in the way the mansion changes him, except Gillis already has the spirit of discontentment when he arrives. The mansion feeds off of this, satisfying his longing for riches just long enough to lull him into a stupor.

The Miss Havisham of Sunset Boulevard is a silent-film star named Norma Desmond. She too lives in the past—but hers isn’t painful like Havisham’s; it’s glorious. Deep down, Norma fears being forgotten, raging against the modern “talky” films, hoping to hold on to the last vestiges of her fame. 

Now, to the second image. One day, Norma tells Joe about a script she’s writing about Salome, the young woman who danced for Herod and had John the Baptist beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12). Norma is far too old to play Salome, but she insists she is the only one who can play the role. Norma lives in the land of delusion, and this is just one key example. But the parallel fits: the biblical story connects to Sunset Boulevard: Norma imprisons Joe emotionally and psychologically. Eventually, Joe takes on a prophetic role and confronts her delusions, but instead of waking her up, she kills him. A typical ending for most prophets. 

With these two images outlined, I encourage you to rewatch the film and look for new connections considering them. If you haven’t seen the film, you’re in for some fun! The American FIlm Institute ranks it #12 as one of the greatest films of all time.

👇 Check out our review of the film on Stage & Stage Story TV!

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Dane Bundy is President of Stage & Story and Director of Fine Arts at Regents School of Austin.