Director Billy Wilder’s, Double Indemnity (1944) has all of the characteristics of a classic film noir, using every low-key lighting trick in this richly textured black and white that masterfully portrays a neglected wife in a plot with passion, adultery and murder. With powerful performances by both actors, Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff, the tall, handsome insurance salesman who is enamored by Barbara Stanwyck, whose portrayal is one of the greatest femme fatales of all time, cold and calculating Phyllis Dietrichson. Along with Edward G. Robinson as Keyes Keyes, who plays the keenly, suspicious insurance investigator making Double Indemnity one of the best film noir movies of all time (Top 10, 2013).
Double Indemnity, starts at the end giving …show more content…
His voice stressed as he speaks to the elevator man. This is our first introduction to Walter Neff. Soon, Walter dictates into a Dictaphone for his boss, Keyes the tragic events that led up to his wounded, sweaty appearance. Walters’s narrative, “I killed him for money, for a women. I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman” (Wilder, 1944), throughout the film Walter’s narrative gives the audience insight into what his character is thinking. Double Indemnity uses many of the characteristic conventions of the film noir style movies, moral corruption, deceit, sexual tension and murder (Belton, …show more content…
When he leaves, Walter narrates, “How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?". Phyllis has drawn Water in as the “typical noir hero” (Belton, 2013) saving her from the abusive husband and him the insurance salesman who knows how to get away with murder, because he thinks he knows how to “crook the house” (Connor, 2013). Wilder uses this scene to intimately film the couple in Walter’s apartment sealing the murder plot using close-ups and low lighting, slowly pulling the camera back to show both on the couch hugging, dramatically kissing each other before she leaves. Again, Wilder uses back lighting throwing Walter’s shadow up against the wall giving a foreboding atmosphere to the
Double Indemnity, starts at the end giving …show more content…
His voice stressed as he speaks to the elevator man. This is our first introduction to Walter Neff. Soon, Walter dictates into a Dictaphone for his boss, Keyes the tragic events that led up to his wounded, sweaty appearance. Walters’s narrative, “I killed him for money, for a women. I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman” (Wilder, 1944), throughout the film Walter’s narrative gives the audience insight into what his character is thinking. Double Indemnity uses many of the characteristic conventions of the film noir style movies, moral corruption, deceit, sexual tension and murder (Belton, …show more content…
When he leaves, Walter narrates, “How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?". Phyllis has drawn Water in as the “typical noir hero” (Belton, 2013) saving her from the abusive husband and him the insurance salesman who knows how to get away with murder, because he thinks he knows how to “crook the house” (Connor, 2013). Wilder uses this scene to intimately film the couple in Walter’s apartment sealing the murder plot using close-ups and low lighting, slowly pulling the camera back to show both on the couch hugging, dramatically kissing each other before she leaves. Again, Wilder uses back lighting throwing Walter’s shadow up against the wall giving a foreboding atmosphere to the