DOUBLE INDEMNITY
“First you dream, then you die”
~ Cornell Woolrich on the essence of film noir ~
Welcome to Marginalia. While our stated goal is to keep everyone up to date with the services we provide here at the circulation desk, the general idea is to present that information in a light-hearted, but relevant manner. With that in mind, did you know we have a vault full of videos for your educational and entertainment needs?
For this installment, we’re going to talk about a movie called ‘Double Indemnity’ which is widely considered to be the best film noir ever made. Directed by Billy Wilder, with cinematography by John F. Seitz, it stars Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson.
Before we begin though, I think a short introduction to the world of film noir is in order.
With the dissolution of the Blum-Byrnes accord in 1946 (a German edict that forbid the presentation of non-Axis films in France) an abundance of dark themed American movies flooded the French cinema. This initial run of what ultimately became known as film noir included ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1941); ‘Murder My Sweet’ (1944); ‘Double Indemnity’ (1944); ‘The Woman in the Window’ (1944) and ‘Laura’ (1944). Dismissing Hollywood’s usual ice cream and apple pie optimism, film noir was much darker in tone and tended to explore the acidic underbelly of the American Dream.
For the most part, they were cheaply made and designed to be shown on the back end of a double feature (hence the term ‘B-film’). These studies in ethical corruption frequently involved the fate of a cynical, morally challenged male who was ultimately seduced by an attractive, but deceitful femme fatale. Source material was often lifted from the so-called ‘hard boiled’ school of detective fiction (including authors such as James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler).
While it may have resembled German Expressionism and French Poetic Realism, film noir had a unique elegance all its own. However, unlike the omnipresent American western, war movie or musical, film noir should not be categorized as a genre, since the intention was more concerned with generating a particular tone than imitating a specific style. Therefore, it should be seen as a form of film-making which employed low-key lighting and oblique camera angles to promote its dark, pessimistic mood. As many fans have noted, “I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it.”
James M. Cain’s 1943 novel ‘Double Indemnity’ provides the basic outline for Wilder’s film (with additional dialogue provided by Chandler). The story itself revolves around an experienced salesman, Walter Neff (MacMurray), who falls for the seductive charms of Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck) while he attempts to renew her husband’s insurance coverage.
One plot twist quickly spins into the next and before we know it they are conspiring to exploit an accidental death, double indemnity clause in her husband’s policy. Eventually, a major roadblock appears when Neff’s boss, Barton Keyes (Robinson), begins to question the validity of the claim.
With all due respect to the rest of the cast, this is Barbara Stanwyck’s movie. Her mesmerizing depiction of Phyllis Dietrichson borrows elements from Clytemnestra, Salome and Lady Macbeth to set a standard that has seldom been equalled. Others have come close, namely Ann Savage in ‘Detour’ (1945), Jane Greer in ‘Out of the Past’ (1947) and Linda Fiorentino in ‘The Last Seduction’ (1994), but Stanwyck’s outstanding performance in ‘Double Indemnity’ truly defines the cinematic femme fatale.
Fiorentino, during her audition for the part of Bridget Gregory in ‘The Last Seduction’, reportedly told director John Dahl, “there are only two women who can play this role, myself and Barbara Stanwyck, and she’s dead.” Additionally, the film pays respect to Wilder’s earlier effort by referring to the central character as Mrs. Neff in one sequence and using the term ‘double indemnity’ in another.
Trivia:
The term ‘film noir’ was initially coined by Nino Frank, a French movie and literary critic.
Billy Wilder had originally shot a different ending for the film involving a scene at the San Quinton gas chamber, but it was pulled before the general release.
Raymond Chandler has a (very) brief cameo early in the film when Neff walks past him to go into Keyes’ office.
“How could I have known that murder
could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?”
-30-
You can find ‘Double Indemnity’ at the Law Library loan desk.
Call Number: Vid PN1997 D68 2006.
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Prose and photo credits:
david eugene everard © 2019
Editorial support:
Kim Nayyer, Sarah Miller, Paul Totzke
and the crew at the loan desk