Word: norma
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Charles Foster Kane and Norma Desmond are two of the largest personalities ever to cast their shadows on the silver screen. This Monday, an extraordinary Brattle Theater double feature finally gives these two egos worthy company: each other...
...relive your favorite cinema moments; every scene, every plot turn, every camera angle has influenced countless filmmakers. But the pleasure of watching, or rewatching, "Citizen Kane" is not derived solely from an appreciation of its technique. The greatest films tell great stories, and Kane's, like that of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," is an absorbing tale of ambition and loss...
Perhaps the only person who would be uncowed by the challenge of following Kane is the indomitable Norma Desmond. Nothing can beat the sheer eerieness (and glorious camp appeal) of fading silent screen diva Gloria Swanson "playing" fading silent screen diva Norma Desmond on film...
...wheedles himself a cushy job editing the epic Norma Desmond has written as a "return" vehicle for herself. His every need is attended by her slavishly devoted butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim), who erases his own identity in the service of "Madame." As the days wear on, a pattern develops: As the days wear on, a pattern develops: Joe learns never to refuse Norma what she wants, and, like a vampire, she seems to gain vitality and optimism as he loses...
Though Holden and von Stroheim are powerful foils to Swanson's persona, Wilder and his camera wisely sweep them to the edges of the screen to focus on Norma. Swanson's performance is something beyond acting; her Norma lives every moment on two planes, in the mundane world and on celluloid. She has a habit of pausing almost unnoticeably as she speaks, giving the effect of a flickering silent film, posing briefly for the camera, then continuing...