Double Indemnity (1944)

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  • Double Indemnity (1944)


    Billy Wilder

    • Wrote the screenplay
    • Directed
    • Film Noir, Crime, Drama
    • Visual


    Film Noir - Genre

    • Defined by stylistic and cinematic features or themes?
    • Debatable 
    • Emerged inter-war period
    • Low budget due to war and lack of funding in Hollywood amongst studios
    • Us of lighting to create shadows and suggest crown when few actors were paid to be on set
    • The ‘Noir’ - alludes to the ‘darkness’
    • Is this visual and cinematic? E.g use of the lighting to create atmosphere and mood which is literally ‘dark’
    • ‘Noir’ - moral ambiguity and uncertainty - GENRES - THEMES
    • Transitions in the moral landscape due to changing gender roles (both wars)
    • Plots around duplicity, deceit, individual desire and gain
    • Double-crossing people
    • Female role of the FEMME FATALE


    Review of Film Noir

    • Use of lighting to suggest a crowd - due to minimal funding due to the war
    • Low budget - between wars and post depression so lack of funding
    • Plot wise - dark, detective element - defines the genre
    • Detective elements - lighting - turns into Noir
    • Mystery - Moral ambiguity and uncertainty
    • ‘Noir’ focus on dark subjects and themes
    • Femme fatale role


    Femme Fatale - Wilder

    • Sunset boulevard - Norma Desmond


    Overview

    • Female characters and their circumstances, environment, frustrations and ambitions
    • Final outcome both brutal and violent - Sunset boulevard and Double indemnity - Wilder as an auteur focussing on dark ideas
    • Nora and Phyllis - within context of conventional norms/roles - agency - controlling and manipulative
    • Women out of control - Phyllis and her plans
    • Male characters often weaker (Joe and Walter)


    Commentary on

    In what way is Double Indemnity similar and different to the other films you have studied by Wilder?

    Double Indemnity

    Sunset boulevard

    Some Like it Hot

    Strong Femme Fatale lead by Phyllis as she shot the leading male role (which whilst not instantly, still resulted in his death)

    Strong Femme Fatale lead by Norma who shot and killed joe, then proceeded to go into a deep state of delusion

    Whilst there still is a female lead/focal point, she’s not exactly a femme fatal

    Dramatic and dark lighting during dramatic scenes (such as ending when Phyllis shot Walter and Walter shot her back)

    Similar use of dark lighting during the dramatic scenes (when joe started walking out on Norma so she shot him)

    Not much dramatic lighting, but the lighting very much depicts to mood of the scene. During the yacht scene the lighting was quite dim to reflect the romantic mood)

    Film Noir

    Film Noir

    Film Noir

    The lead woman was very manipulative and represented as almost a villain like character on screen as Phyllis only used Walter for the money. She then tried to kill Warren after she realised she didn’t need him anymore/he realised he could get away with it by throwing her under the bus

    Norma was similarly quite manipulative as the only reason she took joe is was to get her acting/film-making career going again, then when she realised she couldn’t do it, she killed joe as she has no need for him anymore.

    Whilst the female lead role, Sugar wasn’t an evil and manipulative woman, the main characters who had to end up dressing and acting like women were. They manipulated Mr Osgood, and the womens band into thinking they were women to get away from a bad situation

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