Sunset Boulevard: Film Analysis

We choose what we want to believe. There is no proof of what was before one’s life or what will happen after one’s death. It all comes down to faith when observing the inexplicable. There is no defined purpose; therefore, an individual creates their own life meaning. Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder, is a black and white film, where Norma Desmond, a famous actress of the silent film era, cannot come to terms with her career’s end. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), directed by Guillermo del Toro, centers around a depressive Spanish war, where a young girl, Ofelia, can figuratively escape the reality of it through her imagination. Jack Zipes argues that "Ofelia wills herself into this tale, and for all intents and purposes, it is she who appropriates the tale and creates it so that she can deal with forces . . . impinging on her life" (Orme). Absurdism is going to the illogical to make sense of reality. Both Norma Desmond and Ofelia enter in their own absurd world of fantasy in order to find meaning in a happier life as seen in the cinematography and Vidal’s and Joe’s opposition.
Cinematography comprises of many aspects like color, lighting, shot composition, aspect ratio and focus. Cinematography will be used in Pan’s Labyrinth and Sunset Boulevard to convey Ofelia’s and …show more content…
The purpose in keeping the mansion all in focus is to deliberately show that the Norma believes she is a grand person that surrounds herself by marvelous stuff like pictures of herself, satin, and expensive décor. The mansion in deep focus depicts the fantasy that Norma is in, opposed to putting the focus on Norma and blurring the mansion, which would tell us to focus on just Norma and not the mansion. The mansion becomes an extension of Norma and her fantasy which creates happiness for her when she sees her star power, even though it is