Self-reflexive Essay Example

Self Self-reflexive Essay Self-reflexive Essay Essay Topic: Sunset Boulevard Self-reflexive is a term used for literary works such as poetries, novels and movies that are explicit in reflecting their own processes of artful composition.   These masterpieces are frequently found in modern works of fiction.   These fictions usually comment to their individual fictional status.   Poets, novelists, as well as movie makers use the metafiction or the metafilm technique in dealing with these kinds of fiction; wherein the film is symbol of the production of a movie.   Some parts of the film maybe a part of the writer’s or director’s experience; they may also add cameo appearances and shot the film to familiar Hollywood spots.   This self-reflexive can also be found in earlier movies such as Sunset Boulevard (1950), Singin in the Rain (1952), and The Player (1992). Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder under Paramount Picture is about a less-fortunate screenwriter (William Holden as Joe Gillis) that became a kept man of an aged silent film star (Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond) and lured him to write the script of her comeback film â€Å"Salome†.   Self-reflexivity can be seen in several scenes of the movie. One with be in the first scene where a dead man is seen floating face down a swimming pool. As the story went along, it was explained that the man was no other than Gillis, killed by the brokenhearted Desmond. The ending showed the most apparent self-reflexivity when Desmond told the cameramen and Mr. DeMille that she is already prepared for her close up. These scenes showed the element of metafilm where the film shows that there is a film being done inside the film as shown by the cameras and reporters getting near Desmond. And since the film was mixed with the realities of film-making, other Hollywood legends and stars such as silent-screen director Erich von   Stroheim (playing as Max von Mayerling, the devoted butler of Norma), a famous Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille (playing as himself while doing the Samson and Delilah film when Norma, Joe, and Max went to Paramount), and also the aging silent era stars Norma used to play cards with (Buster Keaton, Swedish-born Anna Q. Nilsson, and H. B. Warner playing as themselves).   They also used the Paramount Studio itself. The movie Sunset Boulevard became the root of all pictures with social context and with regards to the movies it is so far one of the best creation of Wilder.   It was the inspiration for Robert Altman in doing the film The Player in 1992 based on a novel of Michael Tolkin.   In this film, the scene that showed self-reflexivity was shown when Griffin Mill was being blackmailed by the scriptwriter whose script he rejected before. Also, the scene that shows quality scripts and films being rejected by major film studios because of commercial value also show self-reflexivity because it actually happens it reality. In fact, director Altman suffered such discrimination when he was still a beginner. Throughout the film, over 60 cameo appearances of some key Hollywood stars, producers, and directors (all were playing the role as themselves) can be seen.   And since the location of the film was in Hollywood, most of the encounters with cameos were just coincidences and they also improvi sed dialogues. The act of self-reflexivity is shown in the movie because the director’s life has been slightly seen in some parts of the movie. Also, the movie is about Hollywood and the director, being a part of show business in Hollywood, knows what it takes to be in Hollywood and have experienced several situations and struggles from his profession like what the characters from his movie have suffered. A play about a romantic pair, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, was made in 1927 by Gene Kelly. The story is about the problem regarding the love affair of Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont which was developed from their profession. Being a romantic love pair during their time, they have been so famous that their audience wouldn’t want the pair to be performing without the other.   Yet, struggles came.   Lina have encountered problems regarding her voice and during that time is when Don meets an aspirant actress in the name of Kathy Selden to whom he fall in love after quite some time.   With this, the pair has been found to be in the edge of breaking up which the audience would not want to happen.   In resolution to this problem, Cosmo Brown, Don’s best friend and company to his profession, decided that they should dub Lina’s voice using the voice of Kathy.   But the dubbing was revealed to the audience when Lina made a speech and delivered a song. The act of self-reflexivity by Gene Kelly is shown in the movie because he had also encountered the same situation from his chosen profession as a dancer and choreographer. Self-reflexivity was also shown in the premiere night scene where while Lina was singing, the curtain was raised up and the real singer was revealed to them. As for Altman, a choreographer, he has been able to make a big name to his time. During his time as a choreographer he met Betsy Blair, an aspiring dancer during that time, to whom he falls in love.   This is the same situation as it was shown to his movie were Don met Kathy and falls in love with the latter.   Also the same situation is when Gene doesn’t want to continue his career without the presence of her beloved Betsy.   This was shown in the movie when Cosmo decided to dub Lina’s voice with Kathy’s voice so that they could still work together but with the sacrifice that the audience will not give any interest to Kathy, rather the account is for to Lina. References: Sunset Boulevard; Billy Wilder; William Holden and Gloria Swanson; Paramount; 1950 The Player; Robert Altman; Tim Robbins; Fine Line Features; 1992 Singin’ in the rain; Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen; Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Jean Hagen; MGM; 1952