Girl Talk: Heroine & Villainess – One’s Place in The World

Author: Brittni

Heroine: Hildy Johnson from His Girl Friday

Villainess: Norma Desmond from Sunset Blvd

Hildy Johnson – His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940)

What I admire about Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday is that she doesn’t know what she wants. She thinks she does, but it’s never what may be the best for her. Cary Grant is arguably the star here, but Rosalind Russell does something most of his costars never do – upstage him. First of all, Hildy Johnson is beautiful and smart. She walks into a room, and you know she’s there. She just stands tall. She talks fast. She can’t waste a moment – she’s a newspaper woman, so there isn’t a moment to waste with the news constantly changing. Sure being smart and beautiful are great attributes, but that’s not really what sets her apart.

She holds her own. Not only against all the newspaper men, but against the biggest sleezeball of them all – her ex husband. Of course she falls for him – but it’s not because she is fooled, but because she’s just like him. I can only admire that in a woman. She’s willing to take on every man she meets and match them, even out do them.

When we meet her, she’s willing to give it all up for a home life and a family. She believes this is what she wants. Even though Hildy is strong – tougher than most, sometimes we all need help from someone who knows us best to remind us. Hildy is no exception.

I don’t know why I admire her so much out of all the female protagonists out there. I know there might be better ones – but I’ve always loved her character Hildy. Maybe it’s the speed she talks at. Maybe, it’s her beauty even in the toughest work world. But, I think it’s her spirit through it all. The audience knows that Bruce and her aren’t meant to be from the moment we saw Walter (Cary Grant). But, I don’t think it’s necessarily that Walter is the only one for her either in the end. The spirit you see in her – what makes her eyes light up the most is her job. It just so happens that Walter feels the same way about his job. They’re equals in every which way. What better than to share what you love with someone who loves you back? It’s a lifestyle choice. When she’s working she’s having an adventure. She’s not a hero in the sense of saving anyone with the exception of getting the story – but she seems to have it all even when she thinks she needs something else. I guess what I admire the most, is that Hildy had the choice. She could’ve gotten on the train if she really wanted to – but like all of us, we need reminding of where we are really meant to be.

Norma Desmond – Sunset Blvd. (Wilder, 1950)

Sunset Blvd. is a classic film. Something I would consider among Billy Wilder’s best work – but that’s even debatable looking at his resume. One thing that appeals to me in the film is the Hollywood/film noir backdrop. Typically, we would see a detective, a Bogart – figure solving a mystery in a film noir. Here, we have a regular Joe – screenwriter Joe (William Holden) caught up in a mess he can’t get out of. Mainly this mess is Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson).

Norma Desmond can easily fall under the villain character, but I would never write her off as one. I chose her because she has an interesting dynamic to her. First of all, she’s a femme fatale – an aging one if that, which means she’s the worst kind. Desmond, shows us what really happens to movie stars when they their looks fade and a new generation takes over. When someone gave everything, only to have it taken away from them.

It’s not that she is a complete villain – but that she cannot help how she is. She’s been long gone in her mind. She has nothing left except her butler and somewhat large fortune. Once she meets Joe by chance, he takes advantage of her and she takes advantage of him. She doesn’t mean to ruin things for him. She’s unstable, suicidal even. She needs attention. She needs love. And all of that can be justified. What doesn’t want the best part of their life back when it’s long gone?

What makes her character unique and tragic is the hope she hangs on to. Most people would never hang on and obsess about their lives in the sense she does. Most people would move on. But, Norma Desmond was the best. It’s not that she was better than she thought she was. She couldn’t have been bigger. “I am big, it’s the pictures that got small.” She’s heartbreaking because you want her to win as a villainess. You feel for her.

What really gets me about Norma Desmond is that – in the end, I think she was right. We as an audience are fickle. We’re constantly willing to sell out our favorite stars for younger ones. We are willing to create something and then leave it. She gave everything she had and she had nothing left by the time the silent era was over. She has nothing else but her past. She’s chilling in how delusional she became, but it’s all validated by the end. We as women cling to the things we need most. Our fans, our attention. Norma Desmond had undying love the film – something I can certainly identify with. It’s all she ever wanted and asked for.

The last line says it all. “Mr. DeMille I’m ready for my close-up” Boy, was she ever.