Double Indemnity
1944
Director: Billy Wllder
Screenplay by Billy Wllder and Raymond Chandler
from the book by James M. Cain (author of the Postman Only Rings Twice)
The Question of genre
Usually requires both thematic story material, specific photographic aspects. Westerns generally deal with the taming of the frontier (and may be in the East like Drums Along the Mohawk) or even in outer space (Outland). Photographically show open spaces, developing areas (usually with only minor criminal justice systems).
There may be specific images associated with them (gun fights, stampedes etc).
People go to a film with certain expectations based on that genre. How well the film fulfills these will determine in part how well the film succeeds.
Genres have in effect “conventions”. But these can not remain static. In Shane, the audience hopes that law and order will come and the town – safe for families, and having schools and churches will come. In High Noon, one has some doubts about the nature of the town and whether it really was such a good idea after all. By The Wild Bunch most the audience hopes the town gets destroyed.
So films in genres have to fulfill expectations, but also surprise the audience without disappointing them.
HISTORY
Most things grow out of other things, While film noir is distinctive, it has roots in the past, Part of the roots are in German expressionism chiaroscuro lighting (which in painting goes back to Rembrandt) and in stories to the hard boiled detective fiction of the 30’s.
The term itself comes from French where it means “dark film” or “black film”. The French in pre war France liked the American upbeat movies, but during WWII did not get to see them. When the war ended and American films started to appear they were dark and fatalistic – not the Busby Berkeley films they were used to.
Hard-boiled detective stories from the US were known and were also called noir (before the films appeared. Some of these were published pre war). Double Indemnity appeared in writing in 1935.
Film noir is an American invention, although clearly many of the major directors were from Europe having fled the Nazi takeovers. Many of the cinematographers however were American. While Billy Wilder, the director/co author of Double Indemnity is from Austria-Hungary, John Seitz, the cinematographer for this film was from Chicago
Siodmek and Zimmermann are also European.
The 30’s films are films about gangsters. Noir is not a gangster genre, but deals with every day people who make a wrong turn and get into trouble. It is now an everyday Joe goes bad – usually lured by a femme fatale
NOIR WRITERS
Many noir writers had their works translated into film. Some of the more famous are :
When does Film Noir start?
Very debated. Some people go from Maltese Falcon (1941) some even earlier. Some “nourish” elements appear even in films like Sunrise femme fatale, city woman; descent guy led astray, attempted crime (but unlike noir, aborted – compare Double Indemnity where scheming woman traps man into murdering her husband with scheming woman traps man into murdering wife). Even some stylistic elements can be found in Murnau’s lighting. Some people divide things into pre-noir, classic noir and neo noir. The divisions are open to debate depending on what the person feel is echt noir! Some feel Double Indemnity is the first “true” noir, while others would argue the point.and point to Maltese Falcon as the first. The narrowest definition goes from Double Indemnity to Sunset Blvd.. whereas others would take as an end point to Touch of Evil (1958) Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), or even Psycho (1960)
By and large neo noir involves the arrival of color into the films although that alone is not enough although most classic noir are black and white; there are exceptions such as Hirsch points out - Leave Her to Heaven, Niagara, Slightly Scarlet, Violent Saturday, etc..
Neo noir is a kind of outgrowth of classic noir, but a new cycle begins, after the “decline” in noir in the 50’s. Neo noir is sometimes held to start with Body Heat (1981), almost a rip off of Double Indemnity, Cruising (1980) seems to have evolved the story to the point where the femme fatale becomes male. See Hirsch’s Film Noir, the Dark Side of the Screen and Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir
Noir seems in fact, like most things to evolve both into and out of a classic phase and setting any one film as the beginning of the end is dangerous – much like Foucault deciding a date for the beginning of “homosexuality” or Bishop Ussher setting the absolute date for God starting creation.
None the less some early films which might be seen as noir are often thought of as pre-noir.
Some Pre-noir
Some Classic Noir What is it that noir films have in common?
The films tend to deal with the seamy side of life – things that go on behind the closed doors of everyday people. The man is often a kind of “wise giy” who may not be as wise as he seems. He thinks he is one step ahead of everyone, but is usually one step behind. Hardboiled detective/crime novel
Among the typical motifs of noir are ideas (and images) of
Photographically the films generally include:
Noir, like all genres evolve. Definitions become difficult because the evolution may take a route that causes the film to leave the genre as it is defined, in the same way that evolution produces an amphibian which becomes a reptile and changes category, although at that moment it might not be obvious. People did decide one morning they were going to stop speaking Old English and start speaking Middle English!
If the femme fatale needs to be young Sunset Blvd. goes out, if not, it stays in.
Watching Double Indemnity, you need to watch for the typical noir elements and see how they are handled. In general watch opening and closing scenes and set pieces (climaxes, moment which fulfill audiences’ expectation for the genre – i.e. the payoff scenes) for most dramatic cinematography
Double Indemnity
Directed by and screen play co-authored by Billy Wilder, who had a fascination with colloquial English. Raymond Chandler, also a noir writer did not like Cain’s writing and much of his own style is apparent in the film if you know his writing
Music: Miklos Rosza somewhat like Frank’s Symphony in D)
Murray light leading man straight all American guy – playing against type
Stanwyck – tough lady
Robinson’s first character non starring role
Fatalistic 1st person Film starts at end narration in Dictaphone. Voice over often found in noir. From the beginning we know the end
Opening scene – establishes much: Car going through stop signs as people do in film, recklessness, endangering innocent people
The appearance of the Femme fatale:- sexy, not too much class,
Entrance 1 – in towel.
Descent down stairs: anklet chain
Wig
Most people remember the ankle chain and the wig!
The idea sems to be to make her look as sleazy outside as inside
There are enough location shots to give you a real sense of place.(grocery store is real, house where Deitrichs live is real, inside stairway is real. Dialog even specifies which corner of the intersection people will meet. Keeps film grounded in reality.
Rain, wet streets
Dust in the air – light is “visible” (compare Norma Desmond standing up in front of projector with smoke making light visible)
Sexy introduction – tough lady in films (vs softness)
Legs ankle bracelet shot
Mirrors, double images = duplicity
Dialog: Snappy, wise-guy
Cain suggests reading written dialog when creating it, but saying it when writing script.
Clasic example in the film: “There is a speed limit………That tears it”.
Establishes character – wise guys know it all, flippant
Images of Entrapment
Some Examples of Composition
Note the reversals between Neff and man from Mr. Jackson from Medford,
Oregon when they are on the train and then in office. Who is in front on the train? Neff. Jackson is in front in the office as attention is focused on whether Neff can pull it off on the train, or whether Jackson will identify him.
What about relationships? Is it love or lust between Neff and Phyllis? What is the relationship bewteen Neff and Keyes?