Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity by: Billy Wilder

What is Film Noir? The literal meaning is dark film. It is said to be a dark film because it is about sex, money and or murder. These Films are always seductive, raw, and the only thing you hold on to is fate. This type of film started around the 40’s at the end of the War. These films were different because at the end of the movie the murders were not brought to justice. They told stories about bad cops, life in the streets, twisted love, shady characters, murder, and other things that were real but, people were afraid to talk about.

One of the quotes I decided to talk about is by director Martin Scorsese who said, “As I grew up these films were part of my life date by date. I did not analyze them, I was affected by them”. Before this people were afraid to say it how it was. Martin Scorsese lived where there was nightlife and gambling. I believe that this is one of the reasons why he started directing; because he wanted to produce movies that he related to. He related to them emotionally.

How to spot a femme fatale? It is actually not that hard. In Double Indemnity (directed by Billy Wilder) Phyllis character portrays this very well. She is a strong, beautiful, seductive, manipulative woman. They make this woman not be so dainty. They usually make her smoke to create dominance. She knows how to use her sex appeal to get her way. The actor (Walter Neff) at one point goes on to say, “how could I have known that sometimes murder smells like honey”? She did this so that she would help him get out of that mess so that they would not “hang her” as she would say. He was doing it so that the cops did not go after her. He was willing to risk his life for her. This character is now very common. They used the classic triangle for Double Indemnity where the man falls in love with his friends’ wife and they end up killing the husband.

Janey Place a Scholar went on to say “Men have always been endangered by strong sexual females”. It sometimes scared males that maybe we are more independent, work, or even perhaps have had an affair. These are roles that usually men play. Men are used as tools. They do not want the man they usually want to get something from them. These women usually wear tight clothes, have long nails, and hair but most important are very sexual.  There is a male fantasy to these types of women.

Lighting

John Bailey (cinematographer) explains how they use the lighting. The way they use light against dark which portrays good against evil. The dark shadows they use for a more dramatic scene. You pick what you want from the scenes with the little bit of light that you have. This became a signature for Film Noir.