Double IndemnityHow do you tell a story about a murderous pair of adulterers, frauds, and altogether distasteful (though beguiling) characters like Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) and Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) in Hays Code-era Hollywood? The answer: with great difficulty. The story goes (and not "The Philadelphia Story" for those keeping score) that the film endured "development hell" due to the difficulty in finding approval to produce a movie that dealt in such a frank manner with the wanton criminal undertakings of the two main characters. You can catch evidence of this as Walter cites the date of 1938. But in 1944, the stars aligned and one of the defining films of the film noir movement was born.
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Double Indemnity tells the tale of (or, rather, is told by) Walter Neff, slick insurance salesman who goes to call upon the residence of "Mr. Dietrichson" (Tom Powers), who never does get a first name, but instead is surprised to be greeted by the lascivious Phyllis, his wife. The two flirt, and that might be all, but like two primal forces, Walter and Phyllis eventually find themselves drawn into a typhoon of lust and greed. It's never too clear whether Phyllis is entirely the "Delilah" to Walter's "Samson", solely responsible for corrupting him, but she certainly bends the truth to push Walter to see things her way. In short time, Phyllis is the one doing the selling, and convinces Walter that it would be in their best interest to kill her husband; all it took was reciprocating Walter's flirting to grease the gears. Walter, too clever for his own good--and looking to satisfy his own ego while making a small fortune and getting the girl--hatches a plan for not only the perfect murder, but a way to maximize his cash in by concocting a policy with a "double indemnity" clause (pays double in specific circumstances) for Mr. Dietrichson's inevitable "accident". The diabolic duo's plan is going perfectly...until Walter's colleague and expert claims adjuster Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) starts to get that gut feeling--his "little man" in his stomach--which puts the two killers' already rocky relationship on even less-firm footing. Walter's relationship with Keyes is really as important to the story as his relationship (of a different sort, of course) with Phyllis. In the end, Phyllis' seduction is only what sets the ball rolling--it's Walter who gives it the big push, because it is his pride and his desire to "get away with it" which makes him a partner in this murderous plot. There's a point when Keyes comes into Walter's office to offer him a position as a claims manager like himself, which Keyes prefaces would involve a cut in pay. Now it's clear that Keyes is no salesman himself--unlike Neff, who is consistently a top performer for Pacific All Risk--but Neff never really seems all that concerned about money to begin with, not really. Keyes observes that Walter probably thinks about all the kinds of tricks that people pull--which he does, as evidenced by the plot to kill Dietrichson in the first place--but provokes Walter when he rejects the post, teasing him about not being smarter..."just a little taller"; as if Walter needed more fuel for the fire to prove he has what it takes to show off his deceptive side to the expert investigator, ironically by not revealing himself. But Walter is too thrilled by Keyes' assessment, listening with rapt attention as he tries to work out his scheme--a clever game of chess, only Keyes can't see his opponent...not yet.
Although the term film noir was not common parlance in the era of Double Indemnity, and other films had used some similar stylistic choices, motifs, and plot, I'm of the mind that Double Indemnity remains the quintessential film noir--a claim that I'm sure would inspire debate.. Double Indemnity was adapted--like many film noir--from the kind of lurid, pulp classics by James M. Cain, and done so for the screen by Billy Wilder (also director) and Raymond Chandler. The dialogue is quick and rich, punchy and often times--when Walter is in the throes of his criminal revelry--exaggeratedly gutsy. Phyllis is a no-good tramp, cheap blonde wig and cheap perfume (can murder smell like honeysuckle?); but she is crafty, deceptive, and for most of the film, the one pulling Neff's strings...a real femme fatale. Phyllis plays up the part of being naively innocent of the idea of murdering her husband, but her track record of scheming is a history shared with Walter by Mr. Dietrichson's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), whose innocent charm--save for her secret meetings with her brusque boyfriend, Nino Zachetti (Byron Barr)--rekindle a morality in Walter which his fling with Phyllis had previously snuffed out. Miklós Rózsa's musical score exemplifies the anxiety and cold sweat that comes with Walter and Phyllis' conspiracy, and adds to already bold scenes a nervous and pendulous sense of dread. Like all film noir, light and shadow are key in Double Indemnity. There are numerous shots of light creeping through and illuminating Walter through the blinds--the "Venetian Blind" lighting technique which would become a staple of the genre--creating the illusion of bars or even a prison uniform. This is emphasized in other ways, too, such as the railing which separates Walter and Phyllis on their first meeting, as if Walter is already a prisoner, his doom already writ upon his brow. Doom for Walter, the gas chamber looming large, and for Phyllis...all the way to the end of the line. And like Keyes says, "the last stop is the cemetery".
Recommended for: Fans of a complex murder mystery with characters both sinister and charming, so that you almost hope they get away with it, and for anyone who loves lines like, "you were thinking about murder...and I was thinking about that anklet..."
Although the term film noir was not common parlance in the era of Double Indemnity, and other films had used some similar stylistic choices, motifs, and plot, I'm of the mind that Double Indemnity remains the quintessential film noir--a claim that I'm sure would inspire debate.. Double Indemnity was adapted--like many film noir--from the kind of lurid, pulp classics by James M. Cain, and done so for the screen by Billy Wilder (also director) and Raymond Chandler. The dialogue is quick and rich, punchy and often times--when Walter is in the throes of his criminal revelry--exaggeratedly gutsy. Phyllis is a no-good tramp, cheap blonde wig and cheap perfume (can murder smell like honeysuckle?); but she is crafty, deceptive, and for most of the film, the one pulling Neff's strings...a real femme fatale. Phyllis plays up the part of being naively innocent of the idea of murdering her husband, but her track record of scheming is a history shared with Walter by Mr. Dietrichson's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), whose innocent charm--save for her secret meetings with her brusque boyfriend, Nino Zachetti (Byron Barr)--rekindle a morality in Walter which his fling with Phyllis had previously snuffed out. Miklós Rózsa's musical score exemplifies the anxiety and cold sweat that comes with Walter and Phyllis' conspiracy, and adds to already bold scenes a nervous and pendulous sense of dread. Like all film noir, light and shadow are key in Double Indemnity. There are numerous shots of light creeping through and illuminating Walter through the blinds--the "Venetian Blind" lighting technique which would become a staple of the genre--creating the illusion of bars or even a prison uniform. This is emphasized in other ways, too, such as the railing which separates Walter and Phyllis on their first meeting, as if Walter is already a prisoner, his doom already writ upon his brow. Doom for Walter, the gas chamber looming large, and for Phyllis...all the way to the end of the line. And like Keyes says, "the last stop is the cemetery".
Recommended for: Fans of a complex murder mystery with characters both sinister and charming, so that you almost hope they get away with it, and for anyone who loves lines like, "you were thinking about murder...and I was thinking about that anklet..."