Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity was released in 1944, an American film noir from America. The film was directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Buddy DeSylva. The film is based on a novel (also called double indemnity) written by James Cain in 1943. Although the film did not win any, it was nominated for seven Academy Awards. In 1998 the film was marked as number 38 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films from the twentieth century. In the more recent year of 2007 it was marked as number 29 for their 10th anniversary list. Double Indemnity is known as one of the classic noirs .

The Femme Fatale - Phyllis Dietrichson

Phyllis is a very well-dressed young lady who clearly likes to look good and impress. She is married to Mr Dietrichson and as the film progresses so do her feelings for Walter Neff a man she met whilst looking for life insurance for her husband. She is dressed in fairly light colours with heavy jewelry and curly blonde hair. This makes her come across as innocent and yet extravagant and wealthy. Along with Walter, Phyllis is involved in murdering her husband in order to get rich from the life insurance the Walter put in place without Mr Dietrichson's acknowledgment. When police and Walter's boss 'Keyes' suspect something Phyllis and Walter panic. Phyllis is a very manipulative woman who is reluctant to be found accountable for her husbands murder. 

               The Fall Guy - Walter Neff

Walter is a smartly dressed man in a suit and tie along with a hat. He likes to look presentable. He is an insurance salesman and that is how he met Phyllis Dietrichson. He helps Phyllis sell her husband life insurance without Mr. Dietrichson's permission. Walter and Phyllis create a plan to kill Mr Dietrichson in order to benefit from his life insurance. Both Neff and Phyllis begin to get paranoid and their love for each other isn't as strong as it originally was. After the murder, Phyllis plans to kill Walter but when faced with the opportunity she cannot bring herself to do it. Walter, however can and does. In the end Walter is found in his boss' office confessing. His boss walks in mid-confession and with some struggle, Walter is arrested and taken to prison. Even though his plan was going so well in the beginning, it all goes wrong and Walter Neff has fallen.

     Lighting
The lighting in Double Indemnity is very dark and contrasting. A lot of the scenes are shot in the night to create extra suspense and contrasting lighting using street lamps, blinds and headlights. Contrasting lighting is very popular in many film noirs, the lighting technique is often referred to as chiaroscuro lighting. Which means light-dark in Italian. The lighting in Double Indemnity is very low key and includes a lot of shadows made my many different props such as blinds, lampshades, people and much more. To the left are two screenshots from the film that represent the use of blinds which are very popularly used in film noirs. Shots from the film like below of Phyllis looking at a man's shadow on the wall and the silhouette with crutches are used to create suspense as the viewer doesn't know who the character is, nor does Phyllis in her situation. The screenshot of the mysterious man on crutches (also from Double Indemnity) also creates suspense and tension. It is also a dark shot making a 'mysterious man' very visible yet very unrecognizable. The misty fog makes the scene very eery and creepy. The use of the lighting behind the man gives a very clear contrast between the man and the background making him stand out very clearly. When it comes to making my own film noir, lighting is a feature that I would like to look at in great detail in order to get it exactly right so that it resembles pre-existing classic film noirs. Key things I will include are: blinds, shadows and high contrast.


            Themes of Disorientation
In the film there are a few themes of disorientation, however not a great deal. One of these is the use of mirrors, although they're only shown one or two times, they are still included in the film which I feel is important. To the right is a screenshot from Double Indemnity in which Walter and Phyllis are talking to each other by looking into the mirror rather than looking directly at each other's faces. This is a unique angle as it shows both the characters backs and faces. Mirrors are often used in film noirs and would be something to consider for my own film noir when it comes to making it.


                Cigarette Smoking
In the film Double Indemnity, almost EVERY ONE smokes. Including Phyllis, Walter and Keyes, three of the most important main characters. Each of these characters smoke in tense situations for example: Phyllis begins to smoke when she is about to shoot Walter. Walter smokes as he is dying and trying to escape Keyes' office. Phyllis and Walter both smoke average size cigarettes. Keyes however, smokes much bigger cigars and when he does, he never has a light. Walter always has to offer him a light, Keyes never asks. However, at the end of the film, Keyes lights a cigarette for Walter as Walter is incapable and no longer in control. It's interesting how cigarettes, cigars and smoking is used in film noirs (including this one) to create tense themes and situations. It is also interesting and something to take note of, that in this film in particular the cigar smoked by Keyes is used to represent that he is in control, he has the power as he is the boss and he wins in the end as he finds Neff guilty and neither Neff or Phyllis get away with the murder of Mr Dietrichson. It's something that I will take into consideration in my own film noir.

Use of Camera, Editing and Sound
In Double Indemnity there are multiple tracking shots as the camera follows the characters walking around the house, office, streets, etc. The photograph to the right is a perfect example of a tracking shot used to create tension and suspense, The camera follows Phyllis Dietrichson as she walks down the stairs to where she first meets Walter Neff. This is an important shot as it is where everything first begins. There are also a variety of close up shots of faces including Walter, Phyllis and others. The example seen to the right, is of Phyllis and Walter kissing. This is an important shot as it shows the relationship that the two have. It shows their intimacy and love for each other that helps to drive the murder that the commit together. There are also multiple shots that are known as 'static shots' in which the camera stays in one place as the characters walk around the set freely. These shots allow a lot more action and movement to take place in the frame showing a lot of space and it also gives room for props that may be important in a scene. Often, a static shot involves one character close to the camera in the foreground and one in the background. This could be used to represent the importance of one character to the other. In regards to sound, there is one specific song written by Miklos Rozsa that is constantly replayed throughout the film to create suspense, tension, panic or even to show action. The short clip to the left is the opening two minutes of double indemnity that includes this specific song that Miklos wrote. It involves brass instruments, strings and bass percussion. Along with the recurring soundtrack, there is a voice over from Walter Neff as he tells the story of the murder he committed. The voice over is happening in present time for us and the rest of the action is all past tense, until we see Walter Neff in Keyes' office confessing. Voice Overs are also very popular in Film Noirs and would be something for me to consider when creating my own film noir.


From watching and researching Double Indemnity I have been able to learn a lot about the conventions of classic film noir. I now known more about lighting, characters, costumes, camera, editing and sound. This will all benefit me when I come to creating my own film noir. I will be much more experienced in creating a film noir that is relevant to the film noir style as it is a style that is very specific. From this piece of research I would like to remember to use high contrasted lighting in my own film noir.