Short Analysis of Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The sequence has quite a boring beginning; it starts with the paramount picture logo, which then fades to a shot of a street path with the name ‘SUNSET BLVD’. Then when the titles sequence comes on, the music then begins to get faster and seems more mysterious and dramatic.

To start the first scene there’s dialogue from the narrator. In this scene the narrator explains what’s going on in the scene… “That’s the homicide squad, complete with detectives and newspaper men.” This shows us that a crime has been committed, the camera shot used here is a whip pan, and this suggests the speed and urgency of the police cars. The introduction is actually told in a flashback about a murder that took place in a mansion. The sound of police sirens shows the determination of the police and the importance of the crime.

The next scene shows the police and newspapermen turning up at the house, we see a shot of all the old-fashioned police cars and motorbikes, and this portrays the year in which this was made.