Monday, November 25, 2013

Rush #4

In the final scene between Joe and Betty in Sunset Boulevard, a culminating image/object that appears, that I want to focus on, is clothing.
Clothing, which is defined by Merriam Webster's Dictionary as:  "the things that people wear to cover their bodies" is used in this scene not only to cover their bodies, but cover their past, present and future.
Joe uses his clothing as a device in his conversation with Betty to prove what he has accumulated within his relationship with Norma Desmond. Joe wears his clothes like any other person, but, he uses his clothing to prove that he is a different person. In the beginning of the film, we see Joe in (what I will call) 'street attire.' Nothing fancy or grand is assumed about his clothing, in fact, in relation to Norma's clothing attire, it could be considered poor or disheveled. However, in the end of the film, we only see Joe in 'fancy attire.' He wears tuxedo's, expensive suits, etc. Joe uses this analogy, not vocally, but physically in this scene. He physically relates and connects with the 'fancy attire' that is Norma Desmonds mantion and all her accumulated pictures, trophies, etc.
The importance of this object is because it is not something that is talked. It is something that is subtly but visually shown. One of the main scenes that does reference this moment is when Joe goes to an old friends house for a new years party and his friend comments on his tuxedo because everyone else is in 'street attire' and Joe sticks out like a sore thumb. 


In the final scene, Joe not only presents himself physically in the space as one of Norma's objects but he views himself in this scene as one of them, by what he covers himself with.
This act of 'covering' is defined by Kenji Yoshino, in his book Covering, "To cover is to downplay a disfavored trait so as to blend into the mainstream."

Joe covers himself in this scene to run from his past, justify his present in hopes of becoming a more well rounded figure/person/object in his future.

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