Posted: May 26th, 2015

Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard is a quintessential film noir. In this paper, discuss the characterization and motivations of the film’s male protagonist, Joseph C. Gills (William Holden) and the femme fatale female character, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). To support your analysis, you can refer to the textbook, scholarly sources (journal articles, book chapters), popular sources (as long as they are credible), documentary and film clips, Also, make sure you use specific instances and examples from the film. Remember to foreground your discussion of the film’s protagonists with a brief overview of both the categories of ‘genre’ and ‘film noir’.

Note: When discussing the femme fatale Norma Desmond, you might find it useful to contrast her with the film’s other female character, Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olsen).