Double Indemnity
Below is a video evaluation of the 1944 film, Double Indemnity. Please turn the volume up on your speakers, as the recording of my voice is fairly quiet. For your convenience, underneath the video is the transcript of the speech, just in case anything is not clear.
“I killed him for money. For a woman.” Walter Neff, played
by Fred MacMurray, sums up the genre of film noir in one sentence, men turn bad
for money, power and a female. Double Indemnity is about an insurance rep who
becomes infatuated with a woman who wants to get rid of her husband. Despite
his morals he agrees to help and commits the crime which soon unravels.
Personally, I loved this film. I thought the editing, style, characters, props,
settings, mise en scene and of course the acting were amazing, creating a
master piece of a film. I have made this short evaluation to go into some depth
about the finer points of the film in the hope that I will be able to
incorporate some of them into my coursework and produce a film true to the
origins of film noir.
Firstly, the setting is New York City and is dark, dingy and
dangerous looking. This immediately creates a feeling of apprehension in the
audience, causing them to believe that something bad is about to happen. The
sombre music that breaks and rises with tension also helps confirm this belief.
And sets them on edge ready for the film.
The film uses shadows to show that everybody has a dark
side. In this first shot, Walter has two shadows, again showing that he has
multiple personalities. In the next shot, Walter can only be seen by his shadow
looming at the door, suggesting there is a part of him he does not want Keyes
to see. Finally, as he leaved Phyllis only his shadow can be seen which makes
the audience feel uncomfortable and also conveys that he embraces his eviler
side when he is with her. It also shows the audience that she brings out the
worse in him and is also the reason for his character transformation.
Phyllis Dietrichson played by Barbara Stanwyck, is an evil
character. She is fully aware of the effect she has on men and plays it up as
much as possible, by showing her bare legs and wearing fitted clothes designed
to clinch in at the waist to flatter her character. Even her mourning outfit,
as you can see, is tailor made to make her look her best. The scenes where she
puts on makeup and wears a veil convey how she is not the woman she seems on
the surface, she hides the worst parts of herself deep inside. She is a
calculating woman and the audience can see this through her stares,
particularly in this scene where she half reveals her plan to Walter and
considers the part he could play in it.
The embraces between Walter and Phyllis seem uncomfortable,
with both of them clinging at each other with possessiveness. Lust is Walter’s
motive, whereas for Phyllis Walter is a means to end which she must keep a hold
of for her plan to work. She is willing to do anything to make him stay as long
as she can get revenge on her husband.
The film mimics its earlier scenes and recreates them to
make the audience see the irony in the film and to also understand that the
characters are fated to fail, and nothing they can do will prevent this ending.
The scenes at the front doors show how the characters feel they need each
other. In this scene they are following her husband like predators, whereas in
the next they are running away from him and the guilt that will be associated
with his murder. The change of character in the phone box also shows a shift in
power, Phyllis is no longer calling the shots. And finally, both characters
wipe their hands with a cloth as they plot to get rid of each other, without
knowing that in doing so, they will harm themselves. It’s these recreations of
certain scenes that make the audience pay attention and notice the shift in the
film’s dynamic.
The character of Walter is a slightly more complicated one
than Phyllis. He is fiercely protective of Phyllis as can be seen in these two
stills. He positions himself between her and any perceived threat, showing the typical
manliness expected from noir protagonists. Despite the fact he murdered Lulu’s
father, he is comfortable being around her which makes the audience feel uneasy
and begin to dislike his character as he shows signs of being unfeeling. The
comment the woman makes in this scene sums up Walter nicely. “I don’t see why
they always put what I want on the top shelf.” Walter is batting above his weight
with Phyllis. He lurks in the background of these scenes, showing his slight
remorse and how desperate he is to get away with the murder. It’s as though he
is trying to blend in with the wall. The transformation of his character is
shown in this scene as he swaps his usual light coloured suit for a dark one,
showing the change in personality. However the film also shows how he does have
some good points as he saves Lulu by telling the boyfriend Phyllis was lying
and his eyes water as he realises what Phyllis has done to Lulu. After being
shot by Phyllis, Walter says, “You can do better than that baby. Better try
again.” Showing that even when facing death, Walter is cool calm and collected.
I adored the editing in this film; the transitions and fades
were well thought out and had a maximum impact on the audience. In this shot,
Phyllis can still be seen on the left of the screen, showing that Walter is
thinking about her making it clear to the audience that he has begun to feel
infatuated with her. Despite saying that he was trying to get her off his mind,
this second shot shows that he is clearly still thinking of her and that she is
becoming a bigger presence in his mind. This is one of my favourite transitions
in the whole film as you can see Walter walking into the carriage and also down
it at once, giving the audience a sense of the looming danger and making them feel
disorientated. The silhouette takes up most of the screen, and is slightly
scary, making the audience feel uneasy. Finally, this scene shows Walters eyes
on either side of his body through the transition, showing that he is reflecting
on his life, which conveys sadness about the fact it’s about to end when he is
so close to retribution, making the audience understand that he isn’t going to
get away with what he did.
The relationship between Walter and Keyes is demonstrated
amazingly. You can see from this shot the closeness of the men and that Walter
looks up to Keyes, who is almost always right. This is proven when, like Keyes
says, Walter wasn’t able to make it too the lift in time. The lighting of the matches is very significant
to the film, as it shows the good relationship between the men which makes
Walter’s betrayal even worse. This is the only scene where the two men are not
shown together when Walter lights a match showing that they are growing apart
and Phyllis is the cause. Finally, in the last scene, Keyes lights the cigarette
for Walter, not just showing the shift in power between them, but it also
conveys the unbreakable friendship they shared. This scene pulls an emotive
response from the audience and is the perfect way to end the film.
I could go on and on about this film. In my opinion, it is a
masterpiece of production and is a far cry from the films of modern times.
There is a lot less focus on expensive settings and props and the narrative is
delved into with a lot more depth, producing a well thought out, good quality
film that does not diminish with age.
If I could produce a product for my coursework that was a quarter as
finely developed as this film I would be proud.
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