Reality And Illusion Flashcards
(17 cards)
“All right Mr De.Mille, I’m ready for my closeup.” - Norma
Marks the point Norma has completely succumbed to her delusions of being a star once again. She has lost all sanity as a cost to maintaining youth, beauty, age and stardom. She can no longer differentiate between reality and illusion.
”That’s a lie! They want me, they want me! I get letters everyday.” - Norma
Norma expresses desperation in upkeeping her delusions and thinks she is still relevant as she gets fan letters. She’s in denial that she is a has-been.
“I thought I’d wangled myself a pretty good deal. I’d do a little work, my car would be safe down below, until I got some money out of her.” - Joe
Joe thinks that he is in safe hands, that he can milk Norma for some money for his pursuit of financial freedom, but it’s this illusion that drives him into entrapment.
“Feeding her lies and more lies. Getting herself for a picture. What happens when she finds out?” - Joe”
Joe sees Max as the enabler of Norma’s delusions, and is afraid of what Norma could do when her illusions are shattered, having experienced first-hand her emotional fragility in cutting her wrists to pursue Joe. He realises there are consequences in breaking her illusions.
“He was trying to spare your feelings. The studio wanted to rent your car. DeMille didn’t have the heart to tell you. None of us had the heart.” - Joe
Joe shattering Norma’s illusions, which ultimately leads to his death as Norma goes to extreme lengths to preserve them. He tells her that DeMille was lying to her, which further exacerbated her expectations of making a comeback. Also shows that whilst people are lying to her out of kindness in a way, this is only worsening her inability to confront reality.
“That is my job. . . You must understand I discovered her when she was sixteen. I made her a star. I cannot let her be destroyed.” - Max
Max reveals himself as an enabler of Norma’s delusions, and highlights an obligation to keep her safe from the reality that would “destroy” her.
“It’s just that I’m very worried about madame.” - Max
This quote highlights Max’s devotion to protecting Norma from reality through enabling her delusions. Although he has non-maleficent intent, his actions are what ultimately cause her to spiral into madness, creating a complexity between love, devotion and harm.
“I wouldn’t look too closely at the postmarks.” - Max
Max reveals that he is the enabler of Norma’s delusions, forging fan letters to create a false sense of fame and glory, highlighting the lengths people go to in order to protect others from reality.
“Wake up Norma, you’d be killing yourself to an empty house, the audience left 20 years ago. Now face it.” - Joe
Joe shatters Norma’s delusions, urging her to face reality. He highlights the harm and isolation that living in this illusion of fame and glory has.
“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” - Norma
This quote underscores the narcissistic personality of Norma, as she suggests that the pictures are not worthy of her, indicating the delusion she is living in, as she is irrelevant now – she isn’t big anymore and is simply in denial of her faded stardom.
“Those idiot producers! Have they forgotten what a star looks like? I’ll show them. I’ll be up there again, so help me!” - Norma
This quote conveys not only Norma’s discontent with the modern era of pictures, the “talkies”, but also highlights her growing desperation to make a return to the screen. Her blunt request “so help me” indicates that Joe is of worth to her to achieve her goals (means to an end).
“No one leaves a star. That’s what makes one a star.” - Norma
This quote highlights the possessiveness of the deluded Norma and the lengths she will go to cling to the past / protect herself from reality. Her delusion is indicated as she thinks being a star grants her power over others, even though she isn’t a star anymore.
“Without me, there wouldn’t be any Paramount Studios.” - Norma
Again, this quote highlights Norma’s narcissism and entitlement in believing her faded glory alone carried Paramount Studios to what it had become, but in reality, it’s shifted away from her.
“Stars are ageless. Aren’t they?” - Norma
Norma indicates the very problem that led her to delusion – her age. She attempts to go against the reality of the brutal Hollywood machine, and when unsuccessful, leads to Joe’s death.
“Still waving proudly to a parade that had long since passed her by.” - Joe
Joe underscores Norma’s delusions in believing she is still a star.
“The dream she had clung to so desperately had enfolded her.” - Joe
Joe describes how Norma had lost all sanity to cling to her dreams of becoming a star. It highlights the dangers of pursuing impossible dreams, especially in the superficiality of Hollywood.
“I got myself a revolver. You don’t believe me, but I did, I did! I stood in front of that mirror, only I couldn’t make myself. It wouldn’t be fair to all those people who are waiting to see me back on the screen. I can’t disappoint them.” - Norma
Norma highlights the extent she goes to keep the past alive and to protect herself from reality, using suicide and emotional fragility as a threat to keep Joe entrapped.
