Essay topics

Sunset Boulevard Theme / Essay Topic Ideas 

Sunset Boulevard – Practice SAC topics

1. Sunset Boulevard suggests that devotion to one goal above all else can have disastrous consequences. Discuss

2. In Sunset Boulevard, everyone is trapped in their own way. Discuss

3. Sunset Boulevard presents a bleak view of the so-called ‘golden days of Hollywood’. Discuss

4. Sunset Boulevard is a combination of biting humour and film noir. Discuss

5. Disappointment is a dangerous emotion. Does Sunset Boulevard show this to be true?

6. Sunset Boulevard is too bleak to be a romance. Do you agree?

7. In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder argues that people should accept the realities of the world in which they live. Discuss

8. In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder argues that narrow definitions of masculinity and femininity are destructive. Discuss

9. Sunset Boulevard is a true example of the noir film genre. Discuss

10. In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder demonstrates the importance of adapting to new circumstances. Discuss

11. Genuine relationships are impossible in the world of Sunset Boulevard. Do you agree?

12. We have to accept the consequences of the decisions we make. Is this the message of Sunset Boulevard?

13. Decisions can have unintended consequences in the world of Hollywood. Discuss

14. No illusion can full defeat reality. Discuss

The world of Sunset Boulevard is presented as a world of illusions.’ Discuss

VCAA Exam Topics 2023

1. “Look at this street. All cardboard, all hollow, all phoney, all done with mirrors. You know, I like it better than any street in the world.” How does Wilder convey that Hollywood is both hollow and alluring?

2. ‘Sunset Boulevard shows that the pursuit of fame is a perilous journey. Discuss.

2025 Practice Essay topics

• “Refusal to relinquish a dream is at the heart of all suffering.” To what extent does Wilder endorse this idea in Sunset Boulevard?

• “Sunset Boulevard warns against living in a world of fantasy and illusion.” Do you agree?

• “Well, in the end, he got himself a pool.”
  How does Wilder expose the human cost of Hollywood?