Double Indemnity

This essay will provide an overview of a clip from the beginning of the movie Double Indemnity. The clip has a runtime of two minutes and thirty-three seconds and contains five shots in total. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of each shot in the clip. It will examine the types of camera angles used, the lighting direction and the composition of objects and figures on the screen. The elevator encounter between Walter Neff and the Watchman in the first scene is a two-shot captured at medium close-up distance. Walter is clutching a coat tightly around his suit while trying to avoid having a conversation with the Watchman. The low-key and high-contrast lighting here has left the most of the scene in total darkness. The only non-obscure elements are the Watchman’s face, the directory board on the first floor and the elevator panel to the right. As Walter exists upon reaching the twelfth floor, the camera follows him forward. He pushes past a double glass door and approaches the balcony that separates the twelfth floor from the eleventh. This shot ends with the camera moving beyond his position and providing a birds-eye view of the floor below.…

Film in the 1940’s focused on lying, crime, and mystery. This particular style of film is now known as Film Noir, which focused on the dark side of humanity. Certain elements are needed to properly display a true film noir film. Double Indemnity (1944) is a film that focuses on insurance agent Walter Neff. Due to the dark events that take place throughout the film, several elements of film noir were used in the filming of this movie. Double Indemnity utilized film noir by setting a dark mood,…

Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder in 1944, is often regarded as the first ‘true’ film noir in film history (Caldwell, 2008). The questionable anti-hero Walter Neff operating in the underground world of murder and fraud, accompanied by Phyllis Dietrichson who adds a further element of adultery and desire, creates an unmistakable atmosphere of danger and passion (Bitoun 2014). The original story of Double Indemnity was published as an eight-part serial in Liberty magazine during the…

In 1992, Billy Wilder’s 1944 film Double Indemnity was preserved by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It is clear that the film has had a major impact in cinema but it was created to protest Los Angeles but suffered many hurdles to complete. However, Double Indemnity would effectively jump start the noir movement and influence cinema to this day. When Double Indemnity was first played in theaters audiences and critics reacted in shock…

James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, published in 1935, was adapted into a film in the year 1944. This film brought in over $5.7 million in gross net, changed how Hollywood censored films and shaped the path for numerous controversial films to soon be produced. Although Double Indemnity left its impact, the strict Production Code prevented the film adaptation from reaching the full potential sent forth by the book. In her book, Blackout, film noir critic Sheri Chinen Biesen explains how the Motion…

The idea that love can change a person is truly evident in the classic film noir, Double Indemnity. Walter Neff, an insurance salesman develops feelings for his clients’ wife, Phyllis Dietrichson. Together they team up to commit a murder; the murder of her husband. This progression is shown through three different cinematography components: lighting, camera angles, and composition. Over the course of 107 thrilling minutes, Walter Neff becomes a whole new person due to his relationship with…

Obsession Leads To The Downfall Of Walter Huff An obsessive love for women can blur boundaries, turning passion into something so dangerous it could end another individual's life. Walter Huff is an insurance broker in Los Angeles during the 1930s who falls in love with Phyllis Nirdligner at first sight when she asks him about opening an accident policy for her husband. Walter knows exactly what she intends to do with the policy, so he offers to help her kill her husband. After committing the…

Cain’s Double Indemnity, both the authors use hard-boiled fictions to highlight the effect of corruption within Los Angeles to the characters’ actions and attitudes. Chandler and Cain use their protagonist’s detailed narration to show us their viewpoint of their society. Through their narration, we hear their side of the story and we tend to sympathize their actions despite their immoral conduct. The protagonists are portrayed as anti-heroes because they are not perfect and we see some of our…

Before I actually watched Double Indemnity, I asked myself, “What is the dictionary definition of double indemnity?” I wanted to know, based on the movie title, what the premise of this film would be. I wanted to be able to have a sense of what I would be watching before I actually watched it so that I would not be lost throughout the whole movie. So, I opened up google, typed “double indemnity definition” into the google search bar, and found the answer to my question. To my surprise, after…

Connections Everybody has the ability to be manipulative.Manipulative people latch onto empathetic targets and make full use of their qualities. They find people who are easy-going, gentle and kind and who avoid conflict. Throughout the films double indemnity directed by Billy Wilder, nightcrawler directed by dan Gilroy, LA confidential directed by Curtis Hanson and training day directed by Antoine Fuqua, we find that these films have a strong theme of manipulation occurring. This…