Original artwork, not a still
I am big! It's the pictures that got small.
— Sunset Blvd. · 1950
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Norma's reply is the whole film in one defence: she insists her fame is intact and blames the world for shrinking. The line is dry, proud and sad, and it has become the standard retort of any star or professional who thinks the industry has moved on without them. It sits on the American Film Institute's list of greatest movie quotes, at number 24, behind the close-up line from the same film at number 7.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Sunset Blvd.Show the scene
Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, is being chased by repo men when he swerves into the driveway of a seemingly empty mansion on Sunset Boulevard in Sunset Blvd. (1950). Inside he meets Norma Desmond, a forgotten silent film star, and recognises her. He tells her she used to be big in silent pictures. She answers with the line, a correction that is also the film's first look at how completely she lives in the past. He soon becomes her script doctor and, before long, her kept man.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: Sunset Boulevard (film)article textReference checked
Context reviewed
