StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
It was based on a real crime which shocked everyone. Its plot is dynamic and intriguing from its very first scene – a man walks on crutches against the dark background scored by thrilling music. The film…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.2% of users find it useful
Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944)
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944)"

Double Indemnity as a Masterpiece of Film Noir Genre al Affiliation Double Indemnity is a ical film noir directed by Billy Wilder. It was based on a real crime which shocked everyone. Its plot is dynamic and intriguing from its very first scene – a man walks on crutches against the dark background scored by thrilling music. The film storyline keeps the viewers in constant suspense. The plot revolves around a crime told from the criminal’s point of view. This film is a bright illustration of a wide spectrum of human feelings and emotions exposing their tattered aspirations and stings of remorse.

The way chosen in order to create the tension is rather specific: two characters commit a perfect crime, but the viewers already know that it is going to fail. The protagonist cannot hear his steps, as if he were dead already. The greatest irony is that the crime which seemed to be perfect has been solved by the insurance company in order not to lose its money. The supporting character Keyes manages to outshine the main ones in some scenes. Anyway, there is one more reason to value this film – Barbara Stanwyck created an image of a femme fatale, who is impossible to forget.

Keywords: film noir, storyline, crime, irony. Double Indemnity as a Masterpiece of Film Noir GenreCould Wilder fancy his adaptation of a non-fiction novella by J.Cain to become one of the brightest examples of film noir genre, though it failed to win at least one out of seven nominations for an Academy Award? It is doubtful. However, Double Indemnity is a classic of the genre possessing all its indispensable attributes – low-key lightning, monochromic visual style, flashback framing of the narrative, voiceover intrusions, tense atmosphere of fatalism and desperation, urban setting with its labyrinth of streets (even the drugstore seems to be a small labyrinth), well-developed archetypal characters.

The storyline is rather convoluted. Wilder understood the risk of letting the murderer confess his crime at the very beginning of the film – his hopes to hold viewer’s attention were put on the twists of the plot and constantly increasing tensions. Some elements of the storyline have many times been exploited by other directors working within this genre, that is why it may seem familiar or even predictable. Dealing with insurances of any kinds, the protagonist lacks his own one in case of meeting a femme fatale.

The consequences are voiced as the film begins “I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman”. Perfectly elaborated dialogues cannot be left without attention – some phrases were destined to be quoted.Film characters and their relationship become canonical. A fatal blond with a hint of grotesque in her appearance seduces a successful but bored man and together they commit a crime based on greed for gain and sexual desire. Phyllis may be called a flat, stereotypical character lacking psychological depth.

The only scene showing this woman changing the patterned behavior and sincerely confessing her love ends with her death. Walter and Phyllis mortally wound each other – this scene totally fits the specificity of the genre showing the criminals paying for their actions. Walter turns to be more sophisticated character. He does not seem to be driven by itch for money. That is Phyllis, who is of major interest for him, though it weakens as the action develops. In general, Walter creates an impression of a smart cold-blooded person able to control his feelings.

The question is why he went to his office and recorded his dramatic monologue instead of fulfilling his plan to escape. Wilder does not give a reply. His true motivation may be hidden in the routine of his everyday life, which makes him terribly bored. Poor Mr. Dietrichson becomes a victim of Phyllis’s greed for money and Walter’s aspiration for adventures. It is better to let psychologists answer this question. However, the way of acting the role of Keyes surpasses all the expectations.

Robinson’s mimics, facial expression, voice, and perfectly constructed lines make his part an adornment of the film. Being a classic element of any film noir, cigarette smoking imparts this film with great irony. Many times Walter offers Keyes a match to light his cigarette. But that is Keyes, who strikes the last match and has the final word. At some extend this scene resembles the triumph of good over evil and justice restoration. Wilder does not focus attention on the murder only – he illustrates the psychological state of a murderer and the way he suffers because of his frustrated expectations.

The crime pales into insignificance giving place to moral punishment, self-condemnation and even generosity which arouses at the last moment. The total atmosphere of the film is rather pessimistic and full of doom. The viewers are given a chance to feel like witnesses of a perfectly planned and performed murder. It is incredibly twisted and sophisticated – it is not a surprise if to take into consideration the fact that Wilder invited a former private detective in order to write the screenplay.

Anyway, it affects the viewers rather specifically – quite a high psychological pressure, constant tense and risk of exposure make them feel not only like the witnesses, but like the murderers as well. It is worthy to mention that Phyllis does not make the viewers well disposed. She is posed as too self-obsessed and too rotten. The actress was asked to wear a wig – it made Phyllis’s character really distinctive and imparted her with a hint on falseness and artificiality. At the same time Walter makes the viewers sympathize – he is quite a handsome man possessing cold mind, determination and unquestionable charisma.

The characters of a classical film noir often tend to commit mutual betrayals and demonstrate indescribable cynicism. But the matter is that if Phyllis had not betrayed Walter she would have been treated much better. Double Indemnity is a really strong psychological drama, creating a suspenseful and intriguing atmosphere. The storyline turns to incredibly involving though it may seem rather foreseeable at first sight. This film is considered as the one establishing the canons of the genre and is highly appraised by critics: “Few would deny that Double Indemnity is a definitive film noir and one of the most influential movies in Hollywood history” (Verevis, 2006, p. 114). ReferencesVerevis C. (2006). Film Remakes.

Edinburg: Edinburgh University Press.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1655427-film-critique-double-indemnity-1944
(Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1655427-film-critique-double-indemnity-1944.
“Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1655427-film-critique-double-indemnity-1944.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944)

Voice-overs and Flashback in Film Noir

This paper will seek to further explore the role played by these two specific stylistic devices with reference to three films: double indemnity (1944), The Big Sleep (1946) and D.... double indemnity has a similar opening to D.... Insights into Marlowe's psyche are not spoken or recounted as clearly as in double indemnity but as Marlowe's character is sketched out to be hard-boiled but honest, what he says in sincerity can be taken by the audience to be true....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Femininity and Masculinity in Double Indemnity

Femininity and Masculinity in double indemnity The femme fatale is one of the key components observed in firm noir.... In the film double indemnity by Billy Wilder, Phyllis Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck, accurately portrayed this character when she informs Walter Neff: “I never loved you or anyone else.... In double indemnity, for instance, Phyllis Dietrichson lures Walter Neff into aiding her in an insurance fraud wherein he murders her husband, and they divide the cash they got from the husband's insurance....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Double Indemnity and Brick

Name Instructor Course Date Film Noir: double indemnity and Brick double indemnity double indemnity is a skeptical, entertaining, and immoral thriller exposing infidelity, dishonesty and manslaughter, and directed by Billy Wilder in 1944 after deriving it from a hard-boiled novel story taken from Three of a Kind by James Cain in 1943.... This film shows how much people believe in achieving their target not by seeking divine intervention but by manipulating other people and further trusting that they can only get what they want through their effort....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Difference between Noir and Neo-Noir

The double indemnity is the classical noir film that was created in the 1914 by Bill Walder.... Dietrichson manipulated Neff and persuaded him to get rid from her husband and in order to guarantee the prosperous life in future gave the insurance policy with the double indemnity for signature to her doomed husband.... The double Identity was included in the list of films of the National Register by the Congress Library in 1992.... The title of the movie depicted the traditional state of the insurance policy of that time that provided the guarantee of the double payment in case if insured person died from the accident....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Interpretation of contract indemnity provisions

indemnity provisions are a standard feature of commercial contracts, where the respective parties agree to absolve each other of liabilities arising out of certain losses.... This report examines the application and interpretation of indemnity provisions.... In particular, the… s arising from the lack of clarity in the formulation of the indemnity provisions are also presented, through the detailed study of some case precedents. Most commercial contracts generally contain an indemnity provision, wherein the parties to the contract agree to hold each indemnity can be broadly defined as the promise to pay money; with one party to a contract making a promise to be responsible for any losses which are suffered by other parties to the contract and this occurs when there has been a breach of a contract or a warranty....
14 Pages (3500 words) Essay

Film critiques on One Wonderful Sunday ( Kurosawa, 1947)

The film tends to delve on the scope for love… Going by the upbeat hopes and youthful dreams of the young couple Yuzo (Isao Numazaki) and Masako (Chieko Nakakita), when placed against the gloom enveloping the post war Japan, the film indeed comes out as a memorable of the of the Concerned Visual Arts and Film Studies 14 November One Wonderful Sunday (Kurosawa, 1947) - film critique One Wonderful Sunday is both a sweet and at the same time a desperate, romantic comedy directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1947....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Film Analysis: Cinematic and Literary Influences

An essay "Film Analysis: Cinematic and Literary Influences" outlines that referring to the literary genre, the theme of double indemnity is largely based on crime thriller (Chandler, 2002).... hellip; The film double indemnity is a Hollywood film directed by Billy Wilder.... 88), double indemnity is highly influenced by the culture and cinematic approach of the Weimar Germany – “not so much in its photographic style (which reviewers of the time compared with the prewar French cinema), but in its imagery of Fordist Amerika....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Compare film messages

ilm styles Comparison between “double indemnity” and “Body Heat.... ??In the “double indemnity” film, the authors and directors of this film have used a very dark tone, which features in both thematic and visually.... Another important element of “double indemnity” is the use of Femme fatale, who is a beautiful woman that entraps the hero of the movie with promises of love and sex, money among others, only to betray him in the end (Carr 98)....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us