Original artwork, not a still
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
— Sunset Blvd. · 1950
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Norma is not speaking to a real director but to a ghost of her glory days, and the closing shot is a madwoman's triumph and a tragedy at once. The line is one of the most quoted in film history and a standard shorthand for someone ready, even eager, for attention.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Sunset Blvd.Show the scene
The last line of Sunset Blvd. (1950), spoken by faded silent star Norma Desmond. She has just shot Joe Gillis, the screenwriter she kept in her mansion, and the house fills with police and newsreel cameras. She believes they are film cameras shooting her return, and her butler Max plays along by pretending to direct. Norma stops at the foot of the grand staircase, makes a speech about being happy to work again, then says the line to Cecil B. DeMille, who had directed her in the silent era, and walks toward the lens.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: Sunset Boulevard (film)article textReference checked
Context reviewed
