Morino

Morino plays a small and yet vital part in Sunset Boulevard (1950). Morino appears in only one scene in the film as Joe’s agent who Joe visits on the golf course and asks for help. Morino depicts the brutal reality of Hollywood that most writers find themselves in as he is harsh and brutally honest with Joe as he refuses to lend Joe the money he needs. Everything from this scene shows the clear power dynamic between the two characters. First, the setting of a golf course shows the difference of wealth from the two as Morino is leisurely playing golf while Joe is struggling to pay his bills. Secondly, the way in which the scene is shot with Morino standing in front of Joe signifies the issues or class between the agent and the writer. When Joe compares losing his car to his legs being chopped off Morino states, “Greatest thing that could happen to you.  Now you’ll have to sit behind that typewriter. Now you’ll have to write” (6:45). Ironically, this interaction is what ultimately leads Joe to agree to write Gloria’s movie which ultimately forces him into a situation where he is stuck writing. Morino’s role in Sunset Boulevard could easily be overlooked but it displays the mistreatment of the writer in Hollywood and how the ‘pecking order’ of the business affects people.

Works Cited

Sunset Boulevard (1950).