The function of the male gaze in vertigo and double. He took over from screenwriter andrew bergman who was going to direct. Seitz to film double indemnity, and together they produced a visual aesthetic that became a template for film noir style. Aug 24, 2018 double indemnity finally made it to the screen in 1944, and the postman always rings twice followed with its own wellreceived film version in 1946. Husband doesnt read the papers he signs, so he doesnt even know he signed up for life insurance. Double indemnity is a 1973 american made for television crime film directed by jack smight and starring richard crenna, lee j. Against a backdrop of distinctly californian settings, the partners in crime plan the perfect murder to collect the insurance, which pays double if the death is accidental. Neff, clearly in pain, sits down at his desk and tells the whole story into a dictaphone for his colleague barton keyes robinson, a. Movie veterans stanwyck, macmurray, and robinson give some of. Dietrichson is found dead on a train track, the police accept the determination of accidental death. Double indemnity 1944 is director billy wilders classic film noir masterpiece a cynical, witty, and sleazy thriller about adultery, corruption and murder. In 1945, producers releasing corporation, one of the b movie studios of hollywoods poverty row, was set to release a movie titled single indemnity starring ann savage and hugh beaumont.
An analysis of billy wilders double indemnity inquiries. Jan 31, 2017 n insurance representative lets himself be talked into a murderinsurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigators suspicions. This movie works from the opening scene to the end. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a greedy, weak man is seduced and trapped by a cold, evil woman amidst the dark shadows and expressionist lighting of modern cities. Terrific, plot twistladen film noir in which a scheming housewife convinces a lifeinsurance salesman to take out a policy on her husband without his knowledge and then help her murder him in order to collect on it. Wilder presents phyllis dietrichson as a materialistic housewife, whose trinkets such as her anklet and lipstick signal both indulgent affluence and excessive eroticism.
Billy wilder 1944 is a film about an insurance sales man walter neff fred macmurray that falls for a highly sexual, scandalous woman, phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck who attempts to kill her husband. In film noir, lighting implicitly develops key points around the story and the protagonists. Paramount quickly slapped an injunction on the cutrate potboiler. Double indemnity is a film classic that holds up thanks to deft plotting. This and other perks can be found on our patreon page. An indepth look at a film noir classic barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray in double indemnity, billy wilder 1944 it has all the characteristics of the classic forties film as i respond to it. After all, none of the people who worked on double indemnity would have had any idea what film noir meant. After the success of double indemnity, imitators of the films plot were rampant.
The internal rhythm, the montage that puts together high and low angles, different points of view that produce meanings some clearly noticeable and others kept only for those paying more attention. Double indemnity has been compared with wilders other acclaimed film noir, sunset boulevard. Barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray in double indemnity 1944 double indemnity. The narrative structure in both films begin and end in the present, but the bulk of the plot is told in flashback narrated by their protagonists. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of an accident insurance policy and walter devises a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a double indemnity clause. Double indemnity is a movie that i watch every time it airs. The narrative structure in both films begins and ends in the present, but the bulk of the plot is told in flashback narrated by their protagonists. Film analysis of double indemnity film studies essay. Who would have thought a movie about an insurance guy could be so bitter. The general darkness present throughout the movie is embodied in the plot which reveals the moral bankruptcy of the main characters.
Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a. A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. If you are a noir fan then this film is an absolute must see. Double indemnity ranks with the classics of mainstream hollywood moviemaking. One of the greatest things film noir ever did was establish the femme fatale.
It was a remake of double indemnity 1944 based on the film rather than the original novel. Bfi what marks double indemnity out from other great film noirs is that sense, among all the crazy, twisted, duplicitous shenanigans, of real, human heartbreak. Either double indemnity or postman or both can easily be described as the source material for body heat. Phyllis and walter begin to meet surreptitiously every morning in a local market. Its a setting ripe for hot passion and coldhearted, greedy plotting, which is unpicked only under the glare of the brightly lit insurance office. In ball of fire, stanwyck is a nightclub singer who hides out with gary cooper and his team of lexicographers. All of that changes when he meets phyllis dietrichson, the callous wife of a man whom she plans to murder and cash out on his accidental death claim double indemnity.
They strut through the routine of a noir murder plot, with the tough talk and the cold sex play. Any recommendations for other good film noir from the 1940s and 1950s. To be sure, there are more typical examples of the strengths. So while it is impossible today not to celebrate double indemnity as a quintessential film noir, this designation should only be a first step in approaching the film and not a destination. Walter comes to the nirdlinger house and wraps up the paperwork with mr. Cain is considered to be one of the founders of the hardboiled. Staging an unlikely accident in order to qualify for the double indemnity clause in the contract, they succeed. An insurance representative lets himself be talked into a murderinsurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance.
Interior scenes are often filled with smoke and shadows, symbolizing the cloudy layers of deceit and secrecy that often accompany the interpersonal. But they never seem to really like each other all that. March 2014 double jeopardy is a 1999 american neo noir adventure crime thriller film directed by bruce beresford and starring tommy lee jones, ashley judd, and bruce greenwood. It was strange reading this book as it times it seemed like i was watching an old black and white movie.
Double indemnity the finale summary and analysis gradesaver. The hero is not a criminal, but a weak man who is tempted and succumbs. After the success of double indemnity, imitators of the film s plot and style were rampant. Cains 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eightpart serial in liberty magazine, beginning in february 1936.
Its a setting ripe for hot passion and coldhearted, greedy plotting, which. The postman always rings twice, another story by james m. Double indemnity has one of the most familiar noir themes. Barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray star in this gripping film noir from academy awardwinning director billy wilder. In 1938, walter neff, an insurance salesman, returns to his office in. The best of film noir sizzles with crackling, sardonic dialogue, veiled lust, terrific blackandwhite photography, and overtones of. The film is about a woman wrongfully imprisoned for murder who, while eluding her parole officer, tracks down her husband who had framed her. With val kilmer, izabella miko, julian wadham, hristo shopov. Double indemnity innovating a film noir cinematography.
The puzzle of billy wilders double indemnity, the enigma that keeps it new, is what these two people really think of one another. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of an accident insurance policy and walter devises a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a. The screenplay itself is a work of art in its charater construction, plot structure and dialogue which is. The cast reunited peter falk and alan arkin, costars of the inlaws, also featured beverly dangelo, charles durning and valerie curtin the film s plot was so similar to that of double indemnity that, prior to production, columbia. The urgentlytold, highlystylized story was wilders third film after the major and the minor 1942 and five graves to cairo 1943. It hides them from the audiences sight, and wraps the plot in enigmas and secret crimes. The 1927 murder that became a media circusand a famous movie. A calculating wife encourages her wealthy husband to sign a double indemnity. In sofia, bulgaria in 1992, an american doctor takes a detour in life when he helps a mysterious woman escape from her wouldbe assailant and becomes a victim of mistaken identity, as seen in the alfred hitchcock classic north by northwest. Double indemnity is a film classic that holds up thanks to deft plotting that puts the audience in the place of the killers, solid twists and turns, and a clear understanding of the strengths of. Double jeopardy is a 1999 american neo noir adventure crime thriller film directed by bruce beresford and starring tommy lee jones, ashley judd, and bruce greenwood. Double indemnity scene analysis billy wilders double indemnity is one of the best representatives of the film noir era in hollywood as it contains all the main characteristics of the genre. In this classic film noir, insurance salesman walter neff fred macmurray gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck, who is intent on killing her husband tom powers and living off the fraudulent accidental death claim. A calculating wife encourages her wealthy husband to sign a double indemnity policy proposed by smitten insurance agent walter neff.
Directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of double indemnity by james m. The two commentary tracks the first by film historian. Double indemnity 1944 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
Jan 17, 2017 in double indemnity, as in general film, the key to understand the hidden aspects of the plot resides in the editing. Double indemnity is a 1944 american film noir directed by billy wilder, cowritten by wilder and raymond chandler, and produced by buddy desylva and joseph sistrom. Double indemnity is a story that revolves around a womans attempts not only to have her oil baron husband murdered, but to profit immensely from it. Muller also states that noir is hollywoods only organic artistic movement, making indemnity a movie that is a symbol of a watershed era in american film. They plot together to kill the husband, but make it look like an accident, after taking out a life insurance policy with a double indemnity clause for accidental death. No abandoned garage after dark and no long drive into the desert for these two. If this sounds like a film noir plot, thats because it is. This study guide consists of approximately 51 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of double indemnity. Double indemnity has been compared with wilders other acclaimed film noir. I vaguely recall watching the movie of the same name. The 1927 murder that became a media circusand a famous. The supermarket symbol double indemnity may well be the only movie in history where two coldblooded killers meet to map out their plans to avoid getting caught while inside a grocery store in the middle of the day. Yet double indemnity adds in an extra layer of complexity lighting also reveals the hidden evils within the characters.
In double indemnity, as in general film, the key to understand the hidden aspects of the plot resides in the editing. The novel later served as the basis for the film of the same name in 1944, adapted for the screen by the novelist raymond chandler and directed by. Jan 25, 2019 double indemnity follows insurance salesman walter neff fred macmurray as he meets a married woman barbara stanwycks phyllis dietrichson and is subsequently talked into murdering her husband, with the narrative, which unfolds almost entirely in flashback, detailing the degree to which the scheme eventually and predictably begins to fall apart. Double indemnity study guide contains a biography of director billy wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The plot of the film revolves around phyllis attempt to arrange her husbands murder and collect his insurance money, which pays double in the event of accidental death i.
Double indemnity symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. Oct 04, 2018 the 1927 murder that became a media circusand a famous movie. An insurance man fred macmurray helps a platinum blonde barbara stanwyck kill her husband. Double indemnity is a 1934 detective novella by james m cain. Double indemnity 1944 is director billy wilders classic film noir masterpiece. The mhm podcast network movie synopsis and film summary of double indemnity 1944 starring fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck, and edward g. It is quite short especially if you ignore the padding in the foreword which serves no real purpose. Analysis of the film double indemnity 2728 words bartleby. A scheming wife lures an insurance investigator into helping murder her husband and then. Double indemnity has all the hallmarks of film noir its a moody, pessimistic crime story with strong overtones of spiritual bankruptcy and moral cynicism. An alluring and intoxicating character, she is the figure in the film that wields the most power, the best and the worst thing to happen to the protagonist. There is no doubt in double indemnity, that phyllis dietrichson, the dissatisfied wife of a wealthy older man is being sexually objectified both by the imagery of the film and by her position in relation to the other characters. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of double indemnity by director billy wilder. Phyllis and walter make arrangements for it to appear as if mr.
These instances of double indemnitys repute and standing in film history help make clear why critics such as leitch openly match up body heat to wilders version, but do not take heed to double indemnity had previously been more honestly remade as a lesserknown movie for television, intended for by jack smight in 1973. Fred macmurray and barbara stanwyck have great chemistry. Double indemnity is a 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturnednovelist james m. Double indemnity study guide contains a biography of director billy wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and. Walter neff, a top insurance salesman macmurray, falls for the bored, sharptalking wife stanwyck of an oilman and goes in with her on a murder and insurance fraud scheme. As the wouldbe lovers plot the unsuspecting husbands murder, they are pursued by a suspicious claims manager edward g.
Double indemnity 1944 summary, analysis jotted lines. Rooted deep within the noir genre, double indemnity is a movie that seems to live in the shadows, creating an atmosphere that is both intimate and deadly. She is a beautiful and alluring woman, barely older than lola, her husbands daughter from a previous marriage. In double indemnity, fred macmurray is lured into killing barbara stanwycks newly insured husband. Dietrichson just unwitting signed carries a double indemnity clause which pays off double the face value in the event of death from a rare accident such as falling off a train. Its in black and white, it has fast badinage, its very witty, a story from the classic age.
Double indemnity 1944 film summary and movie synopsis. In this double story, the woman and man tempt one another. Fred macmurray and barbara stanwyck in double indemnity. Both are attracted not so much by the crime as by the thrill of committing it with the other person. Double indemnity, american film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. When he is seduced by dietrichson into murdering her husband, the two plot a murder scheme that will not go as planned. As the wouldbe lovers plot the unsuspecting husbands murder.
The highly freudian approach described by laura mulvey is not necessarily obvious or relevant in every film and genre, but it is very helpful in understanding billy wilders double indemnity, which vividly illustrates some of the points made by both laura mulvey and molly haskell. If i had one movie to explain to people what noir is, its double indemnity states author eddie muller at the start of shadows. An alluring and intoxicating character, she is the figure in the film that wields the most power, the best and the worst thing to happen to the. Feb 12, 20 a calculating wife encourages her wealthy husband to sign a double indemnity policy proposed by smitten insurance agent walter neff. Double indemnity is a 1944 american film noir directed by billy wilder, cowritten by wilder and. A woman and her lover murder the womans husband for insurance. I love double indemnity because its about a couple who are cheap and. Movies like double indemnity if you like double indemnity you are looking for serious, realistic and suspenseful movies about with investigation, murder, killer, insurance fraud, crimes, love triangle and crime themes of crime, drama and romance genre shot in usa.