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Adapted from a James M. Cain novella, Double Indemnity is recognised as one of the signal achievements of film noir, a type of film that forms a dark countercurrent to Hollywood’s tendency toward positive characters and happy endings.
It is essential to understand the characteristics of film noir’s aesthetic to appreciate Double Indemnity ‘s richness. The term has first been used in 1946 by French critics to describe the rise of crime dramas in Hollywood that explored sexual motivations and growing cynicism.
The puzzle of Billy Wilder‘s “Double Indemnity,” the enigma that keeps it new, is what these two people really think of one another. They strut through the routine of a noir murder plot, with the tough talk and the cold sex play.
By using James M. Cain’s 1943 novella of the same name as the foundation of their story, Wilder and extraordinary novelist-turned-screenwriter Raymond Chandler wrote a mesmerizing script that introduced one of the most memorable cinematic trios to the audience.
Double Indemnity study guide contains a biography of director Billy Wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes.
Summaries. A Los Angeles insurance representative is seduced by an alluring housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.
Dive deep into James M. Cain's Double Indemnity with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion
Double Indemnity is a 1944 American film noir directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. Wilder and Raymond Chandler adapted the screenplay from James M. Cain's novel of the same name, which ran as an eight-part serial in Liberty magazine in 1936.
Double Indemnity, American film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. It followed the time-honoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) The film was adapted by director Billy.
A man weakened by lust is willing to murder for a woman he doesn’t realize is smarter and more dangerous than he is. In this case, the players are the insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray, proving he’s at his best playing a cad) and the married Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck).