Pure Lunacy

Norma Desmond and Maria both share many hardships as actress’ in LA. They also both go through life turning events that change them for the worse; Norma Desmond gets forgotten by Hollywood while Maria gets ridiculed by her husband in a movie, forced in an abortion, gets her child taken away, and many more traumatic events. In both Play it as it Lays written by Joan Didion and Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder, they focus on a struggling actress, their deteriorating mental health, and the dark side of Hollywood.

Driving in both texts play a major role in each protagonist’s life. Life turning events occur when the protagonist is in their car or the car takes them to an event. For instance, in Sunset Boulevard when Norma Desmond is taken to Paramount Studios for a “meeting” with Cecil Demille about her new Hollywood “masterpiece” that will jumpstart her new movie career, the audience realizes her dream was just a myth. The studio didn’t call Norma Desmond for her breakthrough script; in reality they called her for her classic, beautiful car. The car conveys that Hollywood is officially done with Norma Desmond and has moved on to better and new talent in the Hollywood industry. As for Maria in Play it as it Lays, not only does her mother die in a car accident, but driving plays an essential role in her overall day-to-day life. In the beginning of the novel the reader views Maria drives every day, if she was not out on the freeway by 10:00 AM, “she lost the days rhythm” (Didion 15). This shows that driving is what helps her cope with the struggles she has in her life. Another time when she is told by Carter to go through with her abortion, she “[sits] in the driver’s seat of the Corvette and cried” (Didion 64). When a life turning event occurs, Maria is always seen in her car. The car is somewhat of a comfort blanket for Maria.

Both protagonist have issues with mental health. Throughout each texts their mental health deteriorates with all the traumatic events occuring. Both texts also show the dark side of the Hollywood movie industry. In Sunset Boulevard, the audience sees Norma Desmond past career as a famous movie star and would be praised for the roles she would play; however, times change and life moves on to better things. Hollywood does this to Norma Desmond and the audience sees how that impacts her mental health throughout the film. As for Maraia, she never becomes a famous movie star, but Hollywood still deteriorates her mental health. Her husband Crater who is a director,  films Maria around New York. At first it is simple and innocent until the finish product shows Maria being drunk, doing drugs, and other actions that show her as reckless and unstable women. The film is so successful that it “[wins] a prize at a festival in Eastern Europe”(Didion, 20). Most people that have seen the film and meet Maria have already made assumptions about her and her life and have judged her. She ends up not being able to play in other roles due to this role. Both texts depict the dark side of Hollywood and how it has impacted each protagonist’s life.