SUNSET BLVD ALL QUOTES

Question 1

“But before you hear it all distorted and blown out of proportion, before those Hollywood columnists get their hands on it, maybe you’d like to hear the facts, the whole truth…”

Answer 1

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: Joe suggests the superficial nature of Hollywood, insinuating it is built on lies and that the industry manipulates things in a way to garner attention.

Question 2

“No- body important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of “B” pictures to his credit.”

Answer 2

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: Joe says this with a tone of sarcasm and cynicism, hinting at the money-driven nature of Hollywood, where the ability to bring in money through success defines worth.

Question 3

The poor dope. He always wanted a pool Well, in the end he got himself a pool only the price turned out to be a little high…

Answer 3

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Desire
Meaning: The pool symbolises financial stability and Joe states ironically that he got himself into a pool through the dangerous pursuit of such via immoral means, with the cost being his life.

Question 4

“Only I seemed to have lost my touch. Maybe they weren’t original enough. Maybe they were too original. All I know is they didn’t sell.”

Answer 4

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: To lose touch in this case refers to how Joe has seemingly confused over how to write a picture for Hollywood, as they keep rejecting his stories. The contradiction between “weren’t original” and “too original” indicates that Joe has tried everything, yet nothing could please Hollywood. Highlights how success is random/arbitrary and depends on marketability, not creativity.

Question 5

“I was way ahead of the finance company”

Answer 5

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Deceit
Meaning: Joe thinks he is smart for lying to the finance men, but really this is the beginning of his tragic tale and a lesson that immorality isn’t worth the risk and can lead to serious consequences. It also shows how Joe can’t come to terms with the reality that his time in Hollywood is almost up.

Question 6

“You’ve got five minutes. What’s your story about?”

Answer 6

Spoken by: Sheldrake
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: Only having five minutes to discuss the entirety of the story highlights the money-driven nature of Hollywood, being the perfect amount of time to determine financial potential without other considerations. It showcases the thirst for efficiency for profit.

Question 7

“It’s from hunger.” [ no particular theme ]

Answer 7

Spoken by: Betty
Theme: none
Meaning: highlights Joe’s desperation in getting successful.

Question 8

“This is Miss Kramer.”

Answer 8

Spoken by: Sheldrake
Theme: Gender and Society
Meaning: By not even knowing Betty’s name, this quote highlights the disregard for women in Hollywood.

Question 9

“Perhaps the reason I hated Bases Loaded is that I knew your name. I’d always heard you had some talent.”

Answer 9

Spoken by: Betty
Theme: Desire
Meaning: Betty senses that Joe has gotten worse at writing. It highlights that the cost of making a living is to sacrifice artistic skill and genuineness.

Question 10

“That was last year. This year I’m trying to earn a living.”

Answer 10

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Desire
Meaning: Joe no longer writes genuine stories, but rather is fixated on money and trying to write something that the Hollywood machine would accept – highlighting his desperation for success and a shift in his priorities from authenticity to survival.

Question 11

“I’m over a barrel and I need a job.” [no theme]

Answer 11

Spoken by: Joe
Meaning: Joe needs money ASAP.

Question 12

“Don’t you know the finest things in the world have been written on an empty stomach?” [no theme]

Answer 12

Spoken by: Morino
Meaning: Morino sarcastically tries to talk Joe out of having to give him 300 dollars as a loan. Urges him to keep trying.

Question 13

“Maybe what you need is another agent”

Answer 13

Spoken by: Morino
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: The ability for Joe’s agent to easily dismiss him highlights the disposable nature of the industry.

Question 14

“Back to the smirking delight of the whole office.”

Answer 14

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Desire, ambition
Meaning: Joe fears the mockery he will suffer if he doesn’t become successful in Hollywood – something else to fuel his desperation.

Question 15

“I had landed myself in the driveway of some big mansion that looked run down and deserted.”

Answer 15

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Isolation
Meaning: The state of Norma’s home reflects her own state of relevancy in the Hollywood industry.

Question 16

“It had a 1932 licence plate. I figured that’s when the owners moved out”

Answer 16

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Isolation
Meaning: Joe thinking the owner’s moved out signifies how little the car has been used, highlighting the isolation of Norma as she attempts to hide from reality.

Question 17

“It was like that old woman in Great Expectations – that Miss Havisham in her rotting wedding dress and her torn veil, taking it out on the world be- cause she’d been given the go- by.”

Answer 17

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: Isolation
Meaning: Joe compares Norma’s house to Ms Havisham, highlighting deep isolation as a result of rejection.

Question 18

“You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in pictures. You used to be big.”

Answer 18

Spoken by: Joe
Theme: The past
Meaning: Joe taking a second to recognise Norma highlights her growing irrelevancy in modern society.

Question 19

“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small”

Answer 19

Spoken by: Norma
Theme: Reality and illusion
Meaning: Norma’s narcissism shines through. She believes the pictures aren’t worthy of her, but really, she’s nothing of worth to them now. She cannot come to reality with the fact that she isn’t “big” anymore.

Question 20

“There was a time when this business had the eyes of the whole wide world. But that wasn’t good enough. Oh, no. They wanted the ears of the world, too. So they opened their big mouths, and out came talk, talk, talk…” [no particular theme]

Answer 20

Spoken by: Norma
Meaning: Norma expresses disapproval for the “talkies” and the modern sound industry. She’s just butthurt at the fact it’s the reason she’s out of stardom.

Question 21

“They took the idols and smashed them.”

Answer 21

Spoken by: Norma
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: Norma highlights the brutality of Hollywood, describing the silent film era stars as having been “smashed” out of existence.

Question 22

“You are! Writing words, words! You’ve made a rope of words and strangled this business. But there is a microphone right there to catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor to photograph the red, swollen tongue!”

Answer 22

Spoken by: Norma
Theme: Hollywood
Meaning: Norma sees writers as the reason the silent film era died out.

Question 23

“And you’ll play Salome?”

“Who else?”

Answer 23

Spoken by: Joe and Norma
Theme: Reality and illusion, youth.
Meaning: Salome is a young woman, and Norma thinking she can play the role highlights her illusion in thinking she is youthful and beautiful enough to play it.

Question 24

“What for? I can say anything I want with my eyes”

Answer 24

Spoken by: Norma
Theme: Reality and illusion
Meaning: Norma cannot accept the fact that silent films are out of fashion and she clings to the past here.

Question 25

"I made your bed this afternoon." [no particular theme]

Answer 25

Spoken by: Max Meaning: Max has prescient foresight as he knows the manipulative nature of Norma.

Question 26

"She was the greatest. You wouldn't know. You are too young. In one week she got seventeen thousand fan letters. Men would bribe her manicurist to get clippings from her fingernails. There was a Maharajah who came all the way from Hyderabad to get one of her stockings. Later, he strangled himself with it."

Answer 26

Spoken by: Max Theme: Reality and illusion, age. Meaning: Max signifies that Norma's era of stardom was long ago.

Question 27

"Before they were through with it, the whole thing played on a torpedo boat."

Answer 27

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Hollywood Meaning: Hollywood changes things to maximise its marketability. Joe's original story was about "Okies in a Dust Bowl", but it was completely rewritten.

Question 28

"I hate that word. It's a return! A return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me for deserting the screens."

Answer 28

Spoken by: Norma Theme: Reality and illusion Meaning: The word "comeback" suggests a loss in relevancy, whilst "return" only seems like Norma took a break. It shows her delusions in thinking she hasn't lost relevancy.

Question 29

"I said sit down" [no particular theme]

Answer 29

Spoken by: Norma Meaning: Norma conveys a sense of authority over Joe.

Question 30

"I wrote that with my heart." "Of course you did, that's what makes it great."

Answer 30

Spoken by: Norma and Joe. Theme: Hollywood Meaning: Joe prioritises genuineness in writing, juxtaposing the desires of the Hollywood machine which looks at marketability.

Question 31

"The whole place seemed to have been struck with a kind of creeping paralysis, out of beat with the rest of the world, crumbling apart in slow motion." [no particular theme]

Answer 31

Spoken by: Joe Meaning: Joe feels the mansion is in the past, which it is as Norma clings to it.

Question 32

"Honestly, it's a little too much of you. They don't want you in every scene." "They don't? Then why do they still write fan letters every day? Why do they beg me for my photographs?

Answer 32

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Reality and illusion Meaning: Joe thinks Norma is deluded in thinking she can be in every scene. Emphasises her self-importance and narcissism.

Question 33

"I didn't argue with her. You don't yell at a sleepwalker, he may fall and break his neck. That's it -- she was still sleepwalking along the giddy heights of a lost career.

Answer 33

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Reality and illusion Meaning: Joe senses Norma's delusions and plays along with them, knowing that her emotional fragility may shatter if her illusions are too.

Question 34

"How could she breathe in that house, so crowded with Norma Desmonds? More Norma Desmonds and still more Norma Desmonds."

Answer 34

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Reality and illusion Meaning: Joe is confused how Norma can live in a house full of pictures of herself. The pictures mirror a sense of insecurity.

Question 35

"So much nicer than going out, she'd say. The plain fact was that she was afraid of that world outside. Afraid it would remind her that time had passed."

Answer 35

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Isolation, reality and illusion. Meaning: Norma hiding in her home in isolation is a manifestation of her need to cling to the past and inability to come back to reality because she cannot accept the fact she isn't big anymore.

Question 36

"They were always her pictures -- that's all she wanted to see."

Answer 36

Spoken by: Joe Theme: Reality and illusion Meaning: Norma's self-obsession is demonstrated through watching her own pictures. She's obsessed with her faded youth and beauty.

Question 37

"The others around the table would be actor friends. Dim figures you may still remember from the silent days. I used to think of them as her WaxWorks."

Answer 37

Spoken by: Joe Theme: The past Meaning: Norma still surrounds herself with people from the past, the old silent film stars. Describing them as WaxWorks, they are portrayed in an unflattering manner and highlights the reality of their circumstances -- reduced to mere bridge players.