“I’d give anything.” This is a common expression which is used much too loosely. Whether discussing something as important as a career goal or something as trivial as a craving for a favorite food, people frequently remark that they would do anything or sacrifice anything to achieve some desired outcome. When you actually come down to it, though, some things are too precious to sacrifice for almost any reason.
The Film
Joe Gillis just can’t get a break. Living in a wretched little apartment and barely making ends meet, his time as a Hollywood writer has thoroughly embittered him. He receives an ultimatum: If he doesn’t pay $290 by noon, his car will be repossessed. He goes to everybody he knows to earn, borrow, or beg for the money, but nobody is willing to hire or help him. He nearly decides to go back to his boring newspaper job in Dayton, Ohio, when he gets into a high-speed chase with the collection agents on Sunset Boulevard. When he gets a flat tire, he pulls into the first driveway he sees. Although the palatial estate is antiquated and in disrepair, it isn’t abandoned.
The Scene
“Sunset Boulevard” is told through flashbacks over a period of six months, detailing the whole relationship between Norma and Joe, so it’s not much of a spoiler to say that things don’t end well for Joe. Since the cynical writer is telling the audience the true story about what happened to him, it features a significant amount of introspective narration from his character. During the scene when these characters first meet, Joe sees an opportunity to earn some money. Norma is obviously very rich and extremely delusional. However, Joe is clever enough to realize that she would promptly dismiss him if he were to volunteer his services too plainly. Instead, he drops subtle hints and lets her come up with the idea herself. He narrates, “I felt kind of pleased with the way I'd handled the situation. I dropped the hook, and she snapped at it.”Before long, however, Joe realizes that he’s the one who’s been hooked. He felt like a big man when Norma didn’t even blink at his requested salary of $500 per week. However, it’s worth noting that she never agrees to pay him in cash; she simply promises to make it “worth his while.” It becomes clear that Norma’s idea of compensation involves lavish gifts, expensive clothing, luxurious food, excellent service from Max, and perks like the use of her swimming pool and car. However, she wants more than scriptwriting services in return for her generosity.
Its Significance
Norma is playing cards with a group of fellow faded silent film stars one evening when a truck arrives to tow away Joe’s car. We never find out how they ascertained the automobile’s location. There’s a good chance that Norma tipped them off, or perhaps Max did on her behalf. Joe is desperate to keep his car, since that was why he started this arrangement with Norma in the first place. Although he hasn’t been able to use the vehicle since his arrival because of its unrepaired flat tire, he still had a sense of freedom because he knew his car was waiting for him in the garage. As soon as he was paid, he could get the car fixed, make his payments, and be on his merry way.
Joe begs Norma to give him the money he owes on his car before it’s towed away. She casually refuses to do so, saying that they don’t need it because they have her car. As Joe watches his beloved car getting towed away, he sees his freedom, pride, and self-respect being taken away with it. This scene is when he begins to realize that Norma is gaining a firmer hold on him than that of an employer. It isn’t until later, however, that he realizes the true extent of Norma’s attachment to him.
Compromising in Vain
“Sunset Boulevard” is a cautionary tale about the dangers of compromising your standards. Joe ignores his better judgement and goes along with Norma’s delusional plans about her script. Even though he realizes that he is basically a prisoner there on the first night, he decides to stick around because of the promise of substantial payment. He is extremely cold-blooded about the whole affair, humoring Norma’s eccentricity just enough to sustain her romantic fantasy. He clearly doesn’t like her paying for things, as he begins to realize that he is taking the role of a kept man. At first, he isn’t honest with himself about what he is allowing to happen to his life.Joe mindlessly goes along with the current which is sweeping him toward moral destruction, not realizing that he’s lost the very thing he wanted to protect until it’s too late. Such is always the way when someone compromises his standards. He ends up losing his self-respect, his decency, and his self-worth, yet he often realizes that he never reached his original goal anyway.
