Sunset Boulevard: Insanity

Norma Desmond, a forgotten silent-film movie star, lives in a vast mansion on Sunset Boulevard where she lives with her Butler Max (a man of few words). Fifty year old Desmond has gone off the deep end and has convinced herself that hollywood cannot go on with out her. She obsesses day in and day out on a script which will allow her to gain a comeback in the movie industry and in her spare time reads fan mail that her butler Max sends to her without her knowing. Mean while Joe Gilligis is on the run from his creditors who have threatened to take his car if he doesn't pay off his debt. In an attempt to get some money he tries to sell a script to paramount studio, but he gets shot down. Joe needs money fast and as fate has it Gilligis happens to pull into Norma Desmond's drive as a way to escape from his creditors during a vehicle pursuit. Once Desmond finds out that Gilligis is a writer she offers him a place to stay and endless amounts of money to look over her script. This is just what Gilligis needed, but as he learns of Desmond's state of insanity and depression things become more complicated. Gilligis quickly learns that Desmond gets what she wants, when she wants it just like any other overly dramatic legendary movie star, but the real question to ask is how far will she go to get her way?

Prepare yourself for pure insanity. Sunset Boulevard will make you scratch your head in disbelief and Norma Desmond's deathly stare will give you chills from head to toe. Although this movie is not as suspenseful as other film noirs, it has a unique ability to make the audience fear Desmond due to her uninhibited devilish demeanor. I for one did not think this movie was anything special, but with that being said it was nothing like I was expecting from a film noir. Perhaps if I watched the movie with a mindset that Sunset Boulevard is different then the other noir's then maybe I would have appreciated it more. I will say this much Desmond's character instilled fear in me more then any movie character I have seen in a long time.