Expect a whirlwind
In the film noir classic Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond is an aging silent-film star with her pride fully inflated but her glory days well behind her. Early in the movie, a man driving by Norma's crumbling mansion has a flat tire, and he knocks on her door seeking help. When Norma appears, the man's eyes widen with surprise.
"You're Norma Desmond!" he says, astonished. "You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big!"
Norma raises herself to her full height. "I am big," she says with indignation. "It's the pictures that got small."
