Billy Wilder Essays

Sunset Boulevard in 1950, directed by Billy Wilder, was famous in its time for being one of the first films to show the darker side of Hollywood. Lighting is one of the important aspects of mise-en-scene in film noir. As we know film noirs are much on dark nature therefore the lighting uses on low key lighting and shadow to create moody atmosphere and the sense of danger and mystery that will occur. In the Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950) film, it is full of shadows in a very figurative way

spread across the screen of the Music Hall in Sunset Boulevard. Using as the basis of their frank, caustic drama a scandalous situation involving a faded, aging silent screen star and a penniless, cynical young scriptwriter, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder (with an assist from D. M. Marshman, Jr.) have written a powerful story of the ambitions and frustrations that combine to make life in the cardboard city so fascinating to the outside world. Sunset Boulevard is by no means a rounded story of Hollywood

Sunset Boulevard is a classic black comedy/drama, the most acclaimed, but darkest film noir story about Hollywood and what happens behind the scenes written by Billy Wilder. It shows the true deceitfulness, emptiness, the price of fame, greed, narcissism, and ambition it really takes to be an actor or actress during the 1950’s in Hollywood. Norma Desmond was one of the main characters and she showed viewers how easily they can perceive their characters on screen for their real life and get them twisted

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. Desmond meets a guy named Joe Gillis, a struggling writer who is in financial trouble. The two come to an agreement that Gillis will polish up her script, which Norma believes will be her ticket back to the big screen, and Norma will take care of Joe financially. The one thing Norma and Joe have in common is that Hollywood

Following the end of World War II, America established itself as the world’s strongest military power and economic envy. The post-war economic boom influenced the large-scale expansion of the middle class. Consumerism became a defining characteristic of American society. Loans and credit created a materialistic culture that allowed people to continuously improve the perceived quality of life. It was a time of stability. Yet, this prosperity masked the actual divisions in American society. The Red

Double Indemnity Double Indemnity is a 1944 film noir directed by Billy Wilder starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. The film starts out by a successful insurance salesman returning to his office with a gunshot wound on his shoulder dictating a confession for his friend Barton Keyes, this starts the story off in flashback form. The flashback begins with Neff meeting Phyllis Dietrichson during a routine house call for her husband’s automobile insurance renewal, during this time Phyllis asks

I simply wrapped up The Oyster Princess, a beautiful Lubitsch film that by one means or another blends the two altogether different ingredients of anarchy and sophistication with lovely results. What truly got my attention was the scene of the film, where it is asserted that the film is a metaphor for American consumerism. As per my seeing; there are various understandings of the film through investigation, utilizing the four cinematic methods: Mise-en-scène, altering, cinematography, and sound.

[attention getter]. Geoffrey Chaucer, in his novel The Canterbury Tales, deals with many tales of medieval life and morals. The writing follows a large group of pilgrims who have all been challenged to tell their best tale, one that teaches a valuable lesson, on the journey to Canterbury. Two of the stories told, “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, make their points in very notable ways. The Pardoner tells a story of three men who come to pay for indulging in the sin of greed, while

She has one of most recognized faces. Over fifty years after Marilyn Monroe’s death she is still memorable. Everyone knew this woman, but did everyone know why Norma Jeane Mortenson was famous? She is a Hollywood icon, she could even be considered a legend. Marilyn Monroe affected young women in society by making certain things more socially acceptable, showing not all women need to be super thin to be attractive, and allowing them to see that dreams can come true. Marilyn Monroe first real name

Norma Jeane Mortenson, famously known as Marilyn Monroe was born June 1, 1926 in the Los Angeles General Hospital (Spoto, 1993). A background of Marilyn’s earliest years until her death, she was rejected by mother Gladys Baker who didn't want her. Suggested by Gladys mother Della, Norma Jeane would have been better off stillborn (Gilmore, 2007). Although, Gladys didn't want to follow her mother wishes of putting Norma Jeane up for adoption, she her mother then suggested to put her in the care of

Even though they were produced in two completely different time periods, Blade Runner and Double Indemnity share a substantial amount of similarities. Each film’s use of cinematic elements points towards them following a film noir style of filming. Though Blade Runner’s sci-fi genre does push it towards a more modernized version of film noir, commonly known as neo-noir, it still shares many similarities with Blade Runner. Low key lighting, shadows, smoke, compact spaces, and pathetic fallacy are

How did Marilyn Monroe Die? August 5th 1962 the beautiful, talented, rich, seemingly perfect Marilyn Monroe mysteriously died. Leaving behind a life of fame, luxury and heartbreak, as well as a whole lot of confusion and speculation behind her death. There are many theories to how she died, and this essay will be centred around one. Murder. There are a few suspects as to who might have killed Marilyn, but they nearly all have weak or non-existent motives. For example: Marilyn’s housekeeper, Eunice

Behind Marilyn Monroe's fame Many see Marilyn Monroe as just a dumb blonde and a sex symbol. I believe she had much more to her. She had a very interesting background and reasons to become the person she was. She was a controversial character and it’s hard to distinguish her personality from the characteristics she made up to protect herself from the public. So what made her the iconic star that she is? Marilyn Monroe’s birth name was Norma Jean Baker. She Was Born on June 1st, 1926, in Los Angeles

Remembered as the elegant blond red-lipped bombshell iconic singer, actress and sex symbol of the 1950s. Her talent and legacy is still carried on by her highly legendary pop painting and influential flying skirt photos. Her name was Marilyn Monroe. She was only 36 when she was found face down dead in her Los Angeles home on August 5th 1962. The official coronas report stated that Hollywood’s face had gone through a suicide by swallowing 40 barbiturates which caused her stomach line to haemorrhage

“Her life reads like a Hollywood script: The glamorous movie star by day, by night a lonely immigrant channeling her inner Thomas Edison”(CBS). Hedy Lamar was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. Everyone loved her, the audience, the movie directors she began her life as an actress in stardom. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have all the advancements in technology that we have today. She is a role model for girls world wide,Hedy advanced the way we use technology and is the reason

2. Sweet Movie (1974) This film was directed by a Yugoslav director named Dusan Makavejev. This is one of the weirdest movies you can ever watch. Sweet Movie was faced with fury when it was first out in theaters. The story described the strange, chaotic discovery of communism and sex. This film was basically a tableau when one weird scene was released on the screen after another surreal scene. 3. L’ Age d’ or (1930) L’ Age d’ or was a strange black comedy film that was considered to be one of France’s

Most Important Person in U.S. History “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” One of the many amazing quotes by an amazing woman. Marilyn Monroe was one of the most iconic model, musician, and actress of all time. Marilyn Monroe is still looked up to today and still inspires millions of people. Marilyn was born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Marilyn Monroe was born with the name Norma Jeane but then in 1956 she legally

The Double is a British film that is based off a Russian novella written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The film is believed to fall under the genre of dark comedy thriller—which means that the films expresses a suspenseful tone with occasional instances of morbid humor. The director of the film is Richard Ayoade, who is well-known in the UK for directing other successful films, such as: Submarine. In relation to The Double, Richard Ayoade successfully constructed a well-developed film that modernized the

I’ve touched on it several times so far, but the use of shadows in *Out of the Past* stands out as a defining cinematic device from Jacques Tourneur. Obviously, shadows are ingrained in the fiber of any film noir. Deep focus, low key lighting, and expressionistic compositions are standard. But Tourneur goes above and beyond with his use of shadows. He creates beautiful compositions, but more importantly, he uses shadows to define and redefine the mood, and to tell the story. Shadows aren’t a decorative

Marilyn Monroe Introduction Norma Jeane Mortenson was born June 1, 1952 she was an American model and actress. Marilyn was unique in her own way - (being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else) Marilyn had a troubled past. She did modeling at a young which boosted her career in singing and acting. She played in 23 movies and she sang near 50 non-remixed songs. She died August 5, 1962 from a drug overdose. Marilyn Monroe, left, and Jane Russell put their handprints in the wet cement