an extremely serious matter
Joe bursts in shouting about his car; Norma coolly mocks him for treating it like a disaster.
And I thought it was a matter of life and death.Sunset Boulevard · 1950 — 第 8 / 19 章 · 2'47" · B2
Norma Buys Joe New Clothes, Explained：a matter of life and death
Norma decides Joe's wardrobe is an insult and drags him to the best men's shop in town, buying him flannel, a topcoat and even evening clothes. Joe protests that he needs nothing; she calls it a little fun. The shopping spree is really about control, and the rain that follows moves him deeper into her house.
あらすじ
Joe complains that his car is gone, but Norma is more bothered by his clothes. She takes him to the city's best men's shop and picks out a camel's hair topcoat and a tuxedo, paying for everything. Joe insists he doesn't need new clothes; she calls the outing a little fun. When the winter rains leak through the roof of his room, Max moves him into the main house.
注目の表現
a matter of life and deathbegrudgebored withnothing like
00:00 / 02:47Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
a matter of life and death
an extremely serious matter
Joe bursts in shouting about his car; Norma coolly mocks him for treating it like a disaster.
Getting this contract signed is a matter of life and death for the company.
このシーンの他の表現
- begrudge
resent giving someone something
- bored with
tired of
- nothing like
nothing compares to
- as long as
provided that
- polish something up
clean or refine it
このシーンのメモ一覧
36 行のセリフに 19 件のメモ
The d in need links straight into two.
Now you're being silly. We don't need two cars. We have a car.clean or refine it
Max takes the long-stored car off its blocks and polishes it up for Norma's outings.
So Max got that old bus down off its blocks and polished it up.an old car — Slang for an old car; fine between friends, risky about someone's pride.
So Max got that old bus down off its blocks and polished it up.drive someone around
She'd take me for rides in the hills above Sunset.a phone installed in a car
The whole thing was upholstered in leopard skin and had one of those car phones, all gold-plated.passive voice: The passive puts the focus on the car's being covered, not on who did it.
The whole thing was upholstered in leopard skin and had one of those car phones, all gold-plated.relative clause: A reduced relative clause: the shirt (that) you're wearing.
- That's a dreadful shirt you're wearing. - What's wrong with it?tired of
Norma sizes up Joe's old clothes and complains she is bored with the same jacket and pants.
And I'm getting rather bored with that sport jacket and the same baggy pants.resent my having it
Why begrudge me a little fun? I just want you to look nice.nothing compares to
Choosing blue flannel for Joe, Norma declares that nothing suits a man better.
Now there's nothing like blue flannel for a man.The g in nothing often drops before like.
Now there's nothing like blue flannel for a man.provided that
Offered the pricier vicuna, Joe reasons that since the lady is paying, he may as well take it.
Well, as long as the lady's paying for it, why not take the vicuna?conditional clause: As long as introduces a condition here, meaning provided that.
Well, as long as the lady's paying for it, why not take the vicuna?Why not take runs together with a soft t.
Well, as long as the lady's paying for it, why not take the vicuna?straight through it
It came right through the old roof of my room above the garage.relocate someone
She had Max move me to the main house.enjoy something alone
The only time I could have to myself was in that room.preferable to
But it was better than sleeping in a raincoat and galoshes.「Norma Buys Joe New Clothes」を読み解く
What's really going on
The shopping trip is a small humiliation dressed up as generosity. Norma doesn't ask what Joe wants; she announces what he will wear, and the only reason he goes along is that she is paying. His refusal — "I don't need any clothes, and I certainly don't want you buying them for me" — marks a boundary she keeps crossing, and his shrug, "as long as the lady's paying for it, why not take the vicuna?", shows how fast he folds. Max carries out the orders, polishing the old Isotta-Fraschini and later moving Joe's things, and the rain gives Norma another excuse to pull him closer. Joe loses the one room where he could be alone: "The only time I could have to myself was in that room."
Theme
MoneyNorma spends freely on Joe's clothes and the luxury car, using her wealth to decide how he looks and where he lives.
PowerShe overrides his refusals, orders Max around, and moves Joe into the main house, tightening her hold with each kindness.
このチャプターで学べること
- Norma replaces what Joe lost with something far grander.
- New clothes are a leash, not a kindness.
- Joe says no while his hands take the coat.
- The rain, not an argument, finally moves him indoors.
発音のポイント
- need two — The d in need links straight into two.
- nothing like — The g in nothing often drops before like.
- why not take — Why not take runs together with a soft t.
Not one of those cheap new things made of chromium and spit.Norma's contempt for mass-produced cars, and a glimpse of the old-world luxury she still measures everything against.
I don't need any clothes, and I certainly don't want you buying them for me.Joe's plain refusal: he wants neither the clothes nor the arrangement in which someone else pays for and decides his appearance.
Why begrudge me a little fun? I just want you to look nice.Her counter-argument: buying him clothes is harmless pleasure, and her only stated goal is to make him presentable.
The only time I could have to myself was in that room.What the room over the garage really gave Joe — a few hours a day when he was not performing for Norma.
But it was better than sleeping in a raincoat and galoshes.His dry consolation: the rain-soaked room was bad, but life in the main house could be worse.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Norma buy Joe new clothes?
She finds his shirts and baggy pants embarrassing, so she takes him to the best men's shop and chooses what he should wear, using her money to remake his image.
Why does Joe move into the main house?
Winter rain leaks through the roof of his room above the garage, so Norma has Max move him inside. Joe dislikes it because that room was the only place he had to himself.
What does 'a matter of life and death' mean?
It means something extremely important. Joe says his missing car is a matter of life and death to him — which is why he came to the house and took the ghostwriting job.
Why does Joe resist the new clothes?
He doesn't want to be bought or managed. He tells Norma he needs nothing and doesn't want her paying for his clothes, though he eventually gives in on the shopping trip.
サンセット大通り · 全 19 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 9 章take me for grantedNorma's New Year's Eve Confession
第 1 章there's gonna be fireworksThe Repo Men Come for the Car
第 2 章over a barrelJoe Pitches Bases Loaded at Paramount
第 3 章a white elephantJoe Is Mistaken for the Undertaker
第 4 章It's the pictures that got smallNorma Desmond: The Pictures Got Small
第 5 章a pressing engagementNorma Makes Joe Read Salome
第 6 章make it worth your whileNorma Hires Joe to Fix Her Script
第 7 章not by a long shotNorma Moves Joe Into Her Mansion
再生中 · 第 8 章a matter of life and deathNorma Buys Joe New Clothes
第 9 章take me for grantedNorma's New Year's Eve Confession
第 10 章close, but no cigarJoe Meets Betty at Artie's Party
第 11 章sell on somethingNorma Sends Her Script to DeMille
第 12 章write on specBetty Asks Joe to Write With Her
第 13 章give someone the brushNorma Desmond Returns to Paramount
第 14 章nothing would please me moreNorma Desmond's Comeback Falls Apart
第 15 章sell like hotcakesJoe and Betty Write the Script Together
第 16 章come cleanBetty Tells Joe the Nose Story
第 17 章wipe outBetty Confesses She Loves Joe
第 18 章a good dealJoe Shows Betty Norma's Mansion
第 19 章have the heart toJoe Tells Norma He's Leaving第 8 / 19 章 · 残り約 36 分