Double Indemnity from 1944, directed by the incomparable Billy Wilder, is one of the great cinematic experiences not just for fans of classic films, but for fans of good movies in general. Made in the midst of the film noir era, Double Indemnity surpasses most of these movies and matches the best of them. It contains both the best of Hollywood glamour with stars like Edward G. Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck, and Fred MacMurray, and the gritty subject matter which fans of film noir appreciate.
The film opens with a car driving recklessly down the streets of Hollywood. The driver is Walter Neff, played by Fred MacMurray, and after barely avoiding a collision at an intersection, he pulls up in front of the insurance office where he works looking somewhat delirious. Inside the office, into the tape recorder of his friend and colleague Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), he describes the course of his ruin at the hands of Phyllis Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck who memorably embodies a paradigmatic femme fatale in all of her duplicitous and manipulative glory.
Even the seemingly very simple opening to the story shows Billy Wilder’s mastery. Often times, narration in films seems a bit out of place and hoaky, coming off as lazy filmmaking that is unable live up to the task of telling a story visually. Here, though, the narration is Walter’s confession, and therefore justified from the very beginning of the story.
As always, I do not want to give away the story here, but rather highlight certain elements of this film. Of note are two scenes in particular that showcase Phyllis manipulating Walter. The first is when Phyllis arrives at his apartment, when he already suspects that she wants to kill her husband, under the pretense that he forgot his hat that afternoon at her house. If you watch this scene closely you will notice something strange – she has brought no hat with her. If you have been watching really closely you will have noticed that Walter, in fact, did pick up his hat on the way out of her house earlier. This is the scene in which they decide that they will have her husband unwittingly sign up for accident insurance, kill him, and collect the insurance money. Impressively, Phyllis uses her skills of manipulation to actually get Walter to suggest the plan by telling him sob stories about her difficult life with her husband.
Another scene I want to mention is later on, after the murder. Walter now realizes he may have been manipulated by Phyllis, and is somewhat remorseful after seeing Mr. Dietrichson’s daughter, Lola. Both he and Phyllis are also in danger of being found out by Keyes. Walter tells Phyllis of their precarious situation and expresses his feelings of guilt. Phyllis responds regarding Lola, “…she’s been putting on an act for you, crying all over your shoulder…she’s made you feel like a heel all of a sudden.” This is noteworthy because in reality, this is exactly what Phyllis did to him.
Double Indemnity is too nuanced, has too many terrific flares, and is, in short, too excellent to cover in its entirety in a single post. If you want to fully appreciate this great film, my best suggestion would be, well, to see the movie!
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