Film: Double Indemnity [1944]
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Byron Barr, Porter Hall, Jean Heather
How to Watch: $4 Rental on Apple TV or Amazon
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Genre: Film Noir, Crime, Drama
Awards: Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Stanwyck), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Score
Note: This review is part of our legacy series. Double Indemnity celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.
Double Indemnity is a classic film noir, directed by the late, great Billy Wilder. Set in 1938, it tells the story of Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), an experienced salesman of the Pacific All Risk Insurance Co. in Los Angeles. When he meets Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), the wife of one of his clients, he gets embroiled in a scheme of insurance fraud and murder. Their plan seems to be going well until the insurance analyst, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), starts to poke around. His job is to identify fraudulent insurance claims, and the one involving Mrs. Dietrichson starts to seem suspicious. The term “double indemnity” refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in cases when the death is in a statistically rare manner. Double Indemnity was based on James M. Cain’s 1943 novel of the same name.
Double Indemnityis the quintessential film noir. It set the standard for one of cinema’s most expressive genres, and it influenced filmmakers for generations. Using a narrative structure that begins with the ending, it's a story about the depths to which people will go to get what they want. It’s a tale of greed, lust, and betrayal. Written by Billy Wilder and notable novelist Raymond Chandler, this film is a dark and inventive story of murder for profit. It was shot on beautiful black-and-white film by cinematographer John F. Seitz.
Double Indemnitywas based on a 1927 murder perpetrated by a married woman in Queens, N.Y. Novelist James M. Cain attended her trial while working as a journalist in New York City. Cain’s novel was adapted into a script by Wilder and Raymond Chandler. While the plot mainly comes from Cain’s original story, much of the dialogue was changed by Wilder and Chandler, and made more memorable for its snappy nature. This film ended up being the only movie script Chandler ever worked on. Chandler and Wilder didn't get along, supposedly because Wilder was getting frustrated with Chandler’s constant drinking. It makes sense then that Wilder’s follow-up to this movie was about a struggling alcoholic (The Lost Weekend).
Fred MacMurray is memorable in the lead role of this film. His weathered voice-over is the template by which other film noirs are judged, and it sounds reminiscent of the endless parodies of the genre. He has some of the movie’s best lines, including “Yes, I killed him… I killed him for money, and a woman… and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman.” MacMurray wasn't the first choice for the role. He accepted the part after it had been passed by the likes of James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, and Gregory Peck. MacMurray’s reputation at the time was for playing “nice guys,” and many of the film’s producers didn’t feel he was up to the challenge of playing the morally-dubious Walter Neff. It was Billy Wilder’s vision and insistence that got MacMurray the part. His portrayal of Neff is representative of the general fear some men have of female desire.
Barbara Stanwyck gives a career-best performance here as Phyllis Dietrichson. Her performance offers a glimpse into the internal life of a woman who feels trapped by her circumstances, and one who's pushed toward violence and the brink of sanity. She risks it all to have the freedom men take for granted. Here she plays against the stereotype of the “femme fatale” of film noirs; instead offering a sympathetic character whose downfall is more tragic than deserved. Edward G. Robinson is a scene stealer in this movie, playing claims adjuster Barton Keyes. His dialogue is smart and quick, and he enhances every section of the film that includes him. He proves once again he's one of the great character actors from the early days of cinema.
Film Noir is a genre known for including exaggerated dialogue, shadow-laden lighting, and ethically-ambiguous femme fatales. Double Indemnityhas a plethora of each; taking the genre to new heights. It uses the heightened realism of film noir to place the story adjacent to reality itself. Also sticking with the genre of film noir, this movie includes a plot about a crime told from the point of view of the criminal; allowing the audience to explore the psychology behind the act of committing the crime. This film was released as World War II was coming to an end, and it hints at the post-war paranoias that would linger long after the last bomb was dropped. During production of this movie, strict wartime food rationing was still in place, and police officers were even stationed inside the store where Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck were filming a scene. They were there to make sure the actors didn’t steal any of the food from the store.
Billy Wilder is one of the great film directors from the early days of Hollywood. His impressive filmography includes other classics such as The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Blvd. (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), Witness For the Prosecution (1957), Some Like it Hot (1959), and The Apartment (1960). Wilder’s personal story is just as impressive and inspiring. He was a refugee to the United States; an Austrian Jew who had escaped Germany as the Nazi Party was rising to power. They ended up killing every member of his extended family that stayed behind. Wilder became one of the notable filmmakers in film history, and is considered one of the great chroniclers of the complexity of American life. His movies all have an intelligence intertwined with a dark sensibility.
Double Indemnityis the archetype and template for the entire Film Noir genre, and it holds its place firmly as one of the best movies ever made. Like a fine wine, it gets better with age, and holds up remarkably well by modern filmmaking standards. It's the absolute zenith for a genre of film that stands the test of time. It features three remarkable performances in a shadow-filled landscape of post-war despair and anxiety. It shows the extent to which human beings will violate their own principles, and does so in an inventive and unique manner.
