How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Sunset Boulevard.
Quote #4
NORMA: Go away.
JOE: What kind of a silly thing was that to do?
NORMA: To fall in love with you—that was the idiotic thing.
JOE: It sure would have made attractive headlines: Great Star Kills Herself for Unknown Writer.
NORMA: Great stars have great pride.
Norma manages to give a dramatic twist to something that's really pretty sordid. Joe sees her suicide attempt as insane and also small, ridiculous. But Norma tries to instill it with a grandeur worthy of her pride.
Quote #5
MAX: It is not Mr. DeMille in person. It is someone by the name of Gordon Cole. He says it's very important.
NORMA: Certainly it's important. It's important enough for Mr. DeMille to call me personally. The idea of having an assistant call me!
Irony alert. DeMille doesn't have any interest in making Norma's movie, and the assistant called for an utterly unrelated reason—to rent Norma's car for use in a movie. It would be extremely enraging and depressing for Norma to learn that her car would be of more use to the studios than she herself would be.
Quote #6
NORMA: Thank you, Jonesy. And teach your friend some manners. Tell him without me he wouldn't have any job, because without me there wouldn't be any Paramount Studio.
Norma's statement is outrageous and egotistical—but there actually might be a good element of truth to it, since she was the studio's biggest female star. Recognizing this fact makes her current, deluded state all the more tragic.