Film Survey During The Semester

When I first signed up for this class at the end of last semester, let’s just say it wasn’t my preferred choice of an elective credit. It just so happened that Film Survey on Friday mornings was one of the only courses and time slots that would allow for my graduation requirements to stay on track (especially after the challenging past few semesters I’ve had dealing with injuries and such)...of course I also saw that my favorite Critical Thinking professor would be teaching, so it couldn’t be too bad. As you can tell my expectations weren’t the highest. Never in my life have I been so wrong about something.

Apparently there is a pretty good reason they call these films the ‘classics.’ Not only did I greatly look forward going to class each week, but I showed up in preparation to have my knowledge of the arts and entertainment business completely reinvented. Each and every work flourished my appreciation for the rather dated genre films and left me with a lasting impact and whole new warped perspective. My previous understanding of everything from the origins of different character archetypes, to the complexity of the psyche of an artist, backstage production, and even the ‘what ifs’ were greatly composed of (limited) educated inferences...of course as well as my own personal experiences of twenty years. But thanks to films like Sunset Blvd, The Jolson Story, All About Eve, and countless others we have watched over the last fourteen weeks, I have been exposed to an entire new galaxy of the performing arts.

I’ll begin with my personal favorite from the collection: Sunset Blvd. The ruthless dark comedy offers up bitterness and bizarreness, as well as a particularly revealing and oh so complicated look towards the end of the silent era. Right from the beginning I was hooked into Gloria Swanson’s brilliant portrayal of Norma Desmond. After watching the film for myself, I was inspired to do some research of my own. Depending on the stance you take, the character of Norma can align with different aspects of several real-life faded silent-film movie stars. Typically main characters are considered a fictional recipe inspired from a handful of separate people, not a slightly altered persona of one in particular. Nevertheless, in this specific case some commentators completely disagreed and have attempted to identify specific muses. I read a few articles that strongly advocated Norma Talmadge is the ‘obvious’ and sole inspiration for the predatory silent movie queen. However, the most common analysis of the character's name is that it is a fusion of the names of silent film actress Mabel Normand and director William Desmond Taylor. In 1922, a very close friend of Normand's was murdered, and sadly enough, sensationalized by the press. Even to this day it remains an unsolved case. Although all of these theories are next to impossible to ever fully prove, they would also be one hell of a coincidence if unrelated. Prior to having seen Sunset Blvd, I regret to say that I had never even heard any (with the exception of maybe one or two) of these names I’ve listed off for you, not even counting the ones I didn’t mention that I stumbled across during my research. I was missing out on arguably one of the most massive pieces of history regarding the earliest roots of cinematic femmes fatales / the ‘behind the scenes’ divas that brought them to life, and I didn’t even know it. In this way, my understanding regarding the origins of different character archetypes (within the industry) was deepened far beyond just a surface level knowledge of the initial artistic guinea pigs, who essentially evolved into what we know today as a strong female lead...aka, currently one of the most transparent sellers and / or movements of the film business.

Now for a more direct take on things, The Jolson Story and All About Eve (and many, many more) most certainly gave a unique take on the entertainment business and what is required of a man (or woman, in Eve’s case) to not only survive, but thrive in this jungle of an industry. It’s no secret to anyone who knows anything about the arts that sacrifice is a key component of the game if you are aiming for the stars...literally. Success in this profession is slim, and the climb to the top slippery. And even then, after you’ve ‘beaten all of the odds’ and made a name for yourself, you can still fall and tumble down the side of the very mountain you overcame to reach the top. Take Al Jolson for example: a young Jewish boy with an undeniable passion for entertainment, he went against his parents wishes to pursue his wildest dreams of dominating showbiz. He basically threw away any chance at having a normal childhood and never looked back, all in the name of performing. When Al finally struck fame, he met a non-Jewish dancer by the name of Julie Benson (in real life Ruby Keeler), and fell head over heels in love. He married the girl of his dreams, but in the end that still was not enough for him. Al Jolson ultimately chose success on the stage over Ruby. For me, watching this film made it really easy to parallel Al’s trials and tribulations to real life actors...and in certain parts, even myself. His dedication at all costs, despite the eventual lonely and empty demise he was doomed to live out, was unfailing and although tragic, astoundingly beautiful. His unconditional love for the arts spoke volumes to me, and overall gave me an even more detailed inside scoop as to exactly how far someone will go to succeed. So in other words, I may need to step it up a bit!

In conclusion, throughout all of the films we have viewed this semester in Film Survey, my knowledge of the arts and film industry has been elevated to new and more sophisticated heights. The movie Sunset Blvd sparked a curiosity in me, and thus unintentionally led me down the path of origin for different character archetypes, such as some of the first femme fatales icons. The Jolson Story (and SO many other works we watched), highlighted the complexity and devoted psyche of an artist, the daily obstacles we are expected to overcome, and not to mention the accurate and historical imitations of backstage production. No longer do I feel that I have to rely on my short twenty years of experience on this planet to nervously speak on the arts business. I no longer feel like I am limited to terse and inadequate knowledge.