Double indemnity has one of the most familiar noir themes. Double indemnity was directed by billy wilder who used his movie making instincts to create a classic film noir all others would be measured by. The film was adapted by director billy wilder and writer raymond chandler from the 1935 novella by james. As richard schickel states in his double indemnity. Directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. Double indemnity 1944 the penultimate film noir other than perhaps the maltese falcon 1941. Double indemnity 19 movie clip i killed him 1944 hd. Double indemnity year 1944 genre crime drama thriller mystery filmnoir type movies idmb rating 8. Billy wilder only made one proper film noir, but it was a doozy. Double indemnity 1944 movies english 2016 fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck. Billy wilders double indemnity is a classic film noir and a classic crime drama about bad people doing bad things and doing them badly. Facts by film double indemnity by topic by person by film. Originally published march 2012 this is my second viewing of double indemnity, and my first time where i actually had to study it critically as part of my women in film class. Billy wilder directed the film which starred fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck, and edward g.
This is the legendary tag line for billy wilders most incisive film noir, double indemnity, even though in 1944, when it was first released in new york on september 11, critics called it a melodrama, a elongated dose of premeditated suspense, with a pragmatism evocative of earlier period french films poetic realism of the 1930s, with. The first time i saw the movie was for an earlier film class and while i enjoyed it, i didnt consider it anything. There is a greedy woman trapped in a bad marriage, who sees the opportunity when she encounters an insurance agent who is instantly smitten with her and who has only sex in his mind. And what does a movie need in order to belong to this notoriously slippery category. Cains novel three of a kind, on which the film was based. Watch double indemnity 1944 movie online bluray or bluray rips are encoded directly from the bluray disc to 1080p or 720p depending on disc source, and use the x264 codec. It followed the timehonoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. Double indemnity 1944 is the perfect film noir, filled with deception, crime, forbidden love, and suspense. Double indemnity and the hollywood production code wide angle b ecause of its distinct narrative and stylistic technique, billy wilders 1944 double indemnity is widely considered to be the preeminent example of the film noir. Billy wilder and raymond chandlers 1944 film noir classic, double indemnity, however, achieves all of these elements with stunning mastery. 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.
Double indemnity, american film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. In this classic film noir, insurance salesman walter neff fred macmurray gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck, who is intent on. An insurance salesman stumbles through a dimly lit insurance office in the early morning. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime. Cain s 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eightpart serial in liberty magazine, beginning in february 1936. Download or stream double indemnity 1944 with fred macmurray, billy wilder, joseph sistrom for free on hoopla. Double indemnity 1944 movie cilp my little man tells me. Double indemnity 1944 movies english 2016 fred macmurray.
Double indemnity is one of the most unrelentingly cynical films the genre produced, with a pair of careerchanging performances from barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray and a script by wilder and raymond chandler every bit as blackhearted as james m. The manipulator, phyllis dietrichson, doesnt need much to see how walter desires her. Double indemnity has all the hallmarks of film noir its a moody, pessimistic crime story with strong overtones of spiritual bankruptcy and moral cynicism. Double indemnity works because its a story we can relate to. The hero is not a criminal, but a weak man who is tempted and succumbs. In this classic film noir, insurance salesman walter neff fred macmurray gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck, who is intent on killing her husband tom powers and. Cains liberty story, double indemnity, apparently based on a sensational murder of the 1920s, has become an absorbing melodrama in its paramount adaptation. Bfi what marks double indemnity out from other great film noirs is that sense, among all the crazy, twisted, duplicitous shenanigans, of real, human heartbreak. Dietrichson is found dead on a train track, the police accept the determination of accidental death. The story opens with walter macmurray,an insurance man and apparently injured returns to his office and dictates his confession.
From films like the maltese falcon with humphrey bogart to out of the past with robert mitchum. The best of film noir sizzles with crackling, sardonic dialogue, veiled lust, terrific blackandwhite photography, and overtones of. From the moment they met it was murder unsuspecting mr. A calculating wife encourages her wealthy husband to sign a double indemnity policy proposed by smitten insurance agent walter neff. Double indemnity is a tale of insurance fraud, murder and betrayal starring fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck, edward g. Its a rich narrative environment that has been explored in. From the narration by bleeding insurance man and confessed killer walter fred macmurray, flashing back to his first meeting with phyllis barbara stanwyck, the maid betty farrington brushed aside, double entendre underway, early in billy wilders double indemnity, 1944. Film analysis of double indemnity film studies essay. Double indemnity ranks with the classics of mainstream hollywood moviemaking. Double indemnity 1944 1944, classic crime drama noir released in english language in theatre near you in. Wilders first few films as a director in hollywood showed no signs of the shadowy world of film noir he would help create.
This blu ray is a respectable print for an old film. Double indemnity lux radio theater broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on october 30, 1950 with barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray reprising their film roles. In the classic black and white aesthetic, it goes further and turns up the darkness. Double indemnity and the hollywood production code b. Regarder film double indemnity en streaming, telecharger film double indemnity gratuitement, voir film double indemnity en ligne.
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Nominated for seven academy awards but winner of none, double indemnity instead went on to inspire countless imitators as film noir became the genre to capture the imagination of postwar america. Double indemnity 1944 movie cilp not fully covered. A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. Paramount pictures released double indemnity to theaters on july 3, 1944. Against a backdrop of distinctly californian settings, the partners in crime plan the perfect murder to collect the insurance, which pays double if the death is accidental. Why is a film produced in 1944 the subgenres epitome when before that many supposedly noir films had been produced. Dietrichson becomes increasingly accident prone after his icily calculating wife encourages him to sign a double indemnity policy proposed by a smoothtalking insurance agent. In terms of crime fiction lore, the films pedigree could hardly be more substantial, with raymond chandler adapting a book from james m. It is a movie, not merely good for its individual elements, but for the whole they create. Double indemnity 1944 letterboxd your life in film.
Walter neff in double indemnity most critics declare film noir as a hollywood subgenre that had its golden age during the period ranging from the end of the 1930s to the 1950s. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a. Barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray in double indemnity 1944 double indemnity fred. This film has the perfect cast, with characters who are very believable in their respective roles. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of an accident insurance policy and walter devises a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a double indemnity clause.
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