The driver stumbles to the office of the pacific all risk insurance company and begins to record his confession about killing a man named dietrichson. Cain based his novel on a notorious 1927 murder trial he covered as a journalist and which was sensationalized in william randolph hearsts presses. An indepth look at a film noir classic barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray in double indemnity, billy wilder 1944 it has all the characteristics of the classic forties film as i respond to it. In a city where insurance salesmen are close to the bottom of the social pecking order, walter huff rates as average. The double indemnity novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context. Turner classic movies presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from one of the largest film libraries in the world. So i was pleased that chris of our usual suspects discussion group selected double indemnity for our september.
Double indemnity is the story of insurance salesman walter huff. The movie is based on a brilliant novella by james m. The original novel does differ, and ill say, without giving away what the ending is, that the. Double indemnity essays are academic essays for citation.
The 1944 film double indemnity is everything that classic film noir could possibly be. In the scene, fred macmurrays character,walter neff is seen in the gas chamber and is about to pay with his life for killing barbara stanwycks phyllis. Directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. Double indemnity by billy wilder, raymond chandler, jeffrey. Tcm search for double indemnity turner classic movies. If an investment increases in value, the steps used to calculate the rate of return are the same, but the answer is a positive number. The double indemnity house, from book to film to reality. First published in 1936, this novel reaffirmed james m. Double indemnity the aftermath sequence summary and analysis.
Walter fred macmurray admires the fetishistic anklet worn by phyllis barbara stanwyck. Double indemnity double indemnity audiobook, by james cain. The book in 1943 was titled three of a kind, and it contained three cain novellas, one of which was double indemnity which originally appeared in the mid1930s in serialized form under that same title within liberty magazine. The novel later served as the basis for the film of the same name in 1944, adapted for the screen by the novelist raymond chandler and directed by. Double indemnity is a clause or provision in a life insurance or accident policy whereby the company agrees to pay the stated multiple i. The best of film noir sizzles with crackling, sardonic dialogue, veiled lust, terrific blackandwhite photography, and overtones of impending doom. Tony said,james naremore in his 1998 book on film noir, more than. The year is 1949, and archer has departed carderock prison. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of double indemnity by director billy wilder. The function of chiaroscuro lighting and analepsis in double. Jeffrey meyerss introduction provides hilarious anecdotes about the turbulent collaboration as well as background. I was initially worried going into double indemnity as found a few scenarios sounded almost identical to what i read the postman always rings twice where the wife of a rich business man teams up with her lover to plot her husbands murder.
May 30, 2011 directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. Double indemnity is the perfect mix of talents that combined to create one of the best films of all time. The history of everything, based on events as reported by movies. The story is set in the early days of hollywood, just as the town is experiencing an economic boom. Jun 18, 2015 double indemnity inspired several remakes, including tv movies in 1954 and 1973, and 1981s body heat a loose remake and prototypical neonoirerotic thriller.
The best of film noir sizzles with crackling, sardonic dialogue, veiled lust, terrific blackandwhite photography, and overtones of. Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of the best movies ever made only at tcm. So i was pleased that chris of our usual suspects discussion. Cains 1943 novel double indemnity into a marketable hollywood feature. In double indemnity, walter and phyllis began plotting her husbands murder. There is no doubt in double indemnity, that phyllis dietrichson, the dissatisfied wife of a wealthy older man is being sexually objectified both by the imagery of the film and by her position in relation to the other characters. Wilder recruited crime novelist raymond chandler to help him adapt james m. Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful, double indemnity gives us an xray view of guilt, of duplicity, and of the kind of obsessive, loveless love that devastates everything it touches. Provided a date is specified, youll find it here, from jfks assassination to the adventures of bill and ted. Sep 14, 2009 in any case, the double indemnity house looks much better today than it did in double indemnity. Cains 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eightpart serial in liberty magazine, beginning in february 1936. Double indemnity is often identified as being among the first true films noirs the name given by french critics to a particular kind of american crime drama of this period which has by now lost approximately as much of its meaning as criminality itself has.
One a normal day in the summer of 1937, walter travels to the home of one of his clients on a perfectly normal trip to discuss renewing the mans automobile insurance. This facsimile edition contains wilder and chandlers originaland quite different ending, published here for the first time. Yet indemnity was wilders only foray into film noir and he was. The insurance companies put it in as a sort of comeon for the customers. Still, he is savvy enough to get through the door and get the prospect talking, except that when he makes a call to a certain mr. Jan 20, 2016 the 1944 film double indemnity is everything that classic film noir could possibly be. The result is a compulsively readable book, which at 115 pages took me only three or four hours to read. Cain this study guide consists of approximately 51 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of double indemnity. The relationship between phyllis and walter is also less complex than in the book, and things dont end the same for either of them either.
Robinson, and in 1973, a tv film directed by by jack smight and starring richard crenna and samantha eggar. Two of cains other novels, mildred pierce 1941 and double indemnity 1943, were also made into film noir classics. They reflect both the imbalance of power between scheming walter and his gulled, albeit suspicious, boss an imbalance powerfully redressed in the most tender scene in this chilly film, the. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a. First published in book form in the volume three of a kind 1943. Double indemnity definition is a provision in a lifeinsurance or accident policy whereby the company agrees to pay twice the face of the contract in case of accidental death. Complete summary of double indemnity 1944 a car swerves through downtown streets at night.
In the first major scene of billy wilders 1944 film double indemnity, protagonist. An insurance representative lets himself be talked into a. Cain, who wrote noir classics the postman always rings twice 1946 and mildred pierce 1945 as well. Double indemnity definition of double indemnity by merriam. Walter huff, an insurance agent, falls for the married phyllis nirdlinger, who consults him about accident. There are also some parodies of double indemnity, including big trouble 1985, a fantastic carol burnett spoof see below, and of course steve martins dead men dont. He steps onto a bus with no destination in mind and rides it all the way to poca city. Note on double indemnity clauses in life insurance con tracts, william. In an excerpt, wilder weaves his witty, anecdotal way through a life that began with the death of most of his family at auschwitz. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of. Double indemnity study guide contains a biography of director billy wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Mildred pierce is my favorite cain novel, but postman, his first, is probably his best. I vaguely recall watching the movie of the same name. Tonys comment is breathtaking in its implications about marlowe and most especially double indemnity and its excised ending.
Many paramount titles in the universal library lack a proper selection of original source materials, and i am told that in this case a great deal of effort was expended to obtain a high quality presentation. The story of double indemnity is based on a 1943 james m. Its in black and white, it has fast badinage, its very witty, a story from the classic age. If you like your dialogue hardboiled, your lighting shadowy, and your femmes fatales preposterously evil, then look no further. Cain novel by director wilder and novelist raymond chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by fred macmurray, who is lured into a murderforinsurance plot by barbara. She is a beautiful and alluring woman, barely older than lola, her husbands daughter from a previous marriage. Directors influence on double indemnity gradesaver. Double indemnity is the second book i read of james m. Double indemnity is a 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturnednovelist james m. Jan 23, 2012 though critics now count earlier films such as the thin man 1934 in the genre, it is 1944s double indemnity that is widely considered the quintessential film noir.
Bored with her husband, who worshiped a picture of his dead fiancee on the wall, in 1925 ruth began an affair with judd gray, a corset salesman. Cain novel, itself based on the 1927 murder of albert snyder by his wife ruth in queens, ny. Cains novel by raymond chandler and directed by billy wilder, double indemnity is a film noir representing one of the highest levels of urban crime dramas. The film was developed at a time when film noir movies were gaining immense popularity, making it one of the best film noir to date. The main characters of double indemnity, walter huff and phyllis nordlinger, are much more evil than frank chambers and cora papadakis, the murdering adulterers of the postman always rings twice. Two of the biggest noir elements in double indemnity are the femme fatale and antihero. This study guide consists of approximately 51 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of double indemnity.
This includes murder by a person other than, and not in collusion with, the beneficiary of the. Other articles where double indemnity is discussed. By favoring ongoing manipulation over goal attainment and satisfaction, walter neff engages in a virtuoso coverup that represents a paradigmatic noir deception, inviting viewers tofantasize that there may always be more than meets the eye. Double indemnity, published in 1934, is cains second novel and is set in the young, booming city of hollywood. The contents of that farce, if by some horrible misfortune youve never seen double indemnity, nor know aught of its plot, is an insurance fraud scheme. Cain novel by director wilder and novelist raymond chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by fred macmurray, who is lured into a murderforinsurance plot by barbara stanwyck, in an. An analysis of billy wilders double indemnity inquiries. Double indemnity 70th anniversary limited edition bluray. Mature landscaping and the presence of other houses have softened its exterior, eliminating the sunbaked starkness that made it a believable setting for adultery and the hatching of a murder plot. The combination of chiaroscuro and analepsis gives double indemnity a dark, unsentimental vision of america and in this way billy wilders film is a classic film noir. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a greedy, weak man is seduced and trapped by a cold, evil woman amidst the dark shadows and expressionist lighting of modern cities. Cinema style filebarbara stanwyck straight down the line in.
Some of the changes made to the double indemnity screenplay were definite improvements on the book, probably due to the fact that raymond chandler was a cowriter on the movie. Though critics now count earlier films such as the thin man 1934 in the genre, it is 1944s double indemnity that is widely considered the quintessential film noir. Cain was awarded the grand master award by the mystery writers of america. The year is 1949, and archer has departed carderock prison following an early release for good behavior. In any case, the double indemnity house looks much better today than it did in double indemnity. Double indemnity has all the hallmarks of film noir its a moody, pessimistic crime story with strong overtones of spiritual bankruptcy and moral cynicism. Cain based his novel on a notorious 1927 murder trial he covered as a journalist and which was sensationalized in. Double indemnity is one of the films parodied in the 1993 film fatal instinct. On every level writing, direction, acting double indemnity 1944 is a triumph and stands as one of the greatest achievements in billy wilders career. Double indemnity in life insurance policies casualty actuarial.
Double indemnity is a 1944 american film noir directed by billy wilder, cowritten by wilder and raymond chandler, and produced by buddy desylva and joseph sistrom. Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of. Read famous quotes from double indemnity, 1944, directed by billy wilder, with fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck, edward g. It was first published in serial form in liberty magazine in 1936 and then was one of three long short tales in the collection three of a kind. Cain puts his foot on the gas right out of the hole and never lets up. Double indemnity inspired several remakes, including tv movies in 1954 and 1973, and 1981s body heat a loose remake and prototypical neonoirerotic thriller.
Double indemnity the finale summary and analysis gradesaver. Like for instance if a guy got killed on a train, theyd pay a hundred thousand instead of fifty. Although cain has been accused of merely writing a rehash of postman, i found double indemnity to be a much darker tale. More than 50 years after its release, the classic double indemnity is one of the best films of all time. The result is a compulsively readable book, which at. There will be spoilers in this post, so if you havent read the book yet or. It is quite short especially if you ignore the padding in the foreword which serves no real purpose.
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