Double indemnity screenplay by billy wilder and raymond chandler based on the novel double indemnity in three of a kind by james m. The function of the male gaze in vertigo and double. Double indemnity isnt about bad peopleits about redemption. This shrewd, smoothly tawdry thriller, directed by billy wilder, is one of the high points of nineteenforties films. Double indemnityphyllis and walters splendid first meeting. Dietrichson is found dead on a train track, the police accept the determination of accidental death. An analysis of billy wilders double indemnity inquiries. In double indemnity, phyllis isnt happy because of the way mr.
Walter met phyllis innocently enough he was dropping off auto insurance renewal papers for her husband but quickly fell under her seductive charms. The author later stated that if he had come up with the changes to the plot that the screenwriters made for the film, he would have used them in his book. The movie has some of the famed tropes of the genre but also bucks others. She is upstairs wearing a towel, and the camera is looking up at her to show that she is more superior than the others and her importance in the film. In double indemnity, the supposedglendalearea hillside abode pictured above is where phyllis lives with her abusive oilman husband, mr. Double indemnity 89 movie clip goodbye, baby 1944 hd. Double indemnity is a 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturned novelist james. Double indemnity quotes 43 total quotes barton keyes multiple characters phyllis dietrichson walter neff. Barton suspected that dietrichson was murdered by his wife, phyllis dietrichson, who was claiming the double indemnity on her husbands accident insurance policy. Phyllis feels like a prisoner, locked in, trapped, and unloved. May 20, 2016 double indemnity 1944 walter neff meets phyllis dietrichson. Jun 18, 2015 barbara stanwyck was cast as phyllis dietrichson, though walter neff was harder to find. 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 second film in the series, double indemnity by billy wilder 1944, was screened. Analysis of the film double indemnity 2728 words bartleby. Barbara stanwyck as phyllis dietrichson and fred macmurray as walter neff in double indemnity image is in public domain noir at its darkest and finest some view double indemnity 1944, the dark, suspenseful adaptation of the james m. We described a femme fatale as being beautiful, one who leads the main character into danger, and feigns naivete or weakness to hide manipulative goals. The plot of the film revolves around phyllis attempt to arrange her husbands murder and collect his insurance money, which pays double in the event of accidental death i. The movie omits phyllis s compulsively murderous streak and pathological devotion to death. A dark, seductive tale of lust and murder in double indemnity. Phyllis and walter begin to meet surreptitiously every morning in a local market. Stanwyck was nominated for the academy award for best actress for her performance in the film version. Phyllis dietrichson phyllis nirdlinger, in the book is a fictional character in the book and two film adaptations of james m. In the 1944 production, she was portrayed by the late barbara stanwyck.
Phyllis and walter make arrangements for it to appear as if mr. 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. Phyllis dietrichson is the main antagonist in the two film adaptations of james m. Alan ladd declined the part, so wilder went to george raft, who is most famous for his gangster roles and for passing on an extraordinary number of iconic movies. Dietrichson, he walks into her living room and narrates about the venetian blinds blocking the sunlight, which are casting a striped shadow in the set see figure 1. Together they plot to get rid of her dull husband and collect on the doub. Outdoors its nearly always night, while the interiors, at the dietrichson. The movie omits phylliss compulsively murderous streak and pathological devotion to death. In the 1973 madefortv remake, she was portrayed by samantha eggar, who also portrayed samantha sherwood in curtains. An alluring and intoxicating character, she is the figure in the film that wields the most power, the best and the worst thing to happen to the protagonist. The couple are immediately drawn to each other and have an affair. The film was adapted by director billy wilder and writer raymond chandler from the 1935 novella by james.
Double indemnity essays are academic essays for citation. October 12, 2014 alexander owers double indemnity, gcse media studies, phyllis dietrichson, walter neff 1 comment. To renew mr dietrichson s automobile insurance mr dietrichson had held an insurance policy with neffs company, the pacific allrisk insurance company, for three years, for his two cars. It is while walking up to the home at the very beginning of the film that walter neff utters what is arguably its most famous line. Cain, which in turn was based on a reallife 1920s murder trial. Double indemnity, american film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. Barton keyes is the dogged, determined investigator for general fidelity of california who puts it all together in double indemnity, james m. Double indemnity is a great example of the incident control as method of creating a realistic setting. Moreover, the same can be said about the scenes which represent the most strained situations, the murder of mr. Double indemnity study guide contains a biography of director billy wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
In the 1944 production, she was played by barbara stanwyck. Double indemnity is a term used in life insurance policies, a clause requiring the company to pay double in cases of accidental death. At the moment he signs on the bottom line, grumbling about files, duplicates, triplicates, walters and phyllis s eyes meet she is positioned between them in the cameras framing. Double indemnity director billy wilder sunset boulevard and writer raymond chandler the big sleep adapted james m. Adapted from james m cains 1943 novel of the same name, and with a screenplay by. 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 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturnednovelist james m. Why is phyllis in double indemnity hailed as one of. Everett collection rex features the film was shot by john seitz like a textbook noir. Double indemnity s authors werent attempting to make a statement about society or the political realities of the timeon the contrary, cain and chandler and wilder were taking timeless sophoclean tragedy and skillfully and successfully updating it for the modern audience. How he hooked up with the icily beautiful phyllis dietrichson stanwyck and conned her rich, unloving husband into signing a life insurance policy.
Cains classic 1936 tale of lust and murder and insurance. She doesnt try to hide her seductive nature, even with walter neff, a stranger, in the house. Cain characters walter neff phyllis dietrichson barton keyes lola dietrichson mr. Phyllis dietrichson is not the ultimate femme fatale. Phyllis dietrichson had all of these characters and then some. Dietrichson just unwitting signed carries a double indemnity clause which pays off double the face value in the event of death from a rare accident such as falling off a train. When he first visits phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck in her spanish. 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. Cain story, as one of the best, if not perfect, noir film.
Ik wou dat ik ze zelf al had bedacht toen ik mijn boek schreef, zei hij. Even though walter dismisses phyllis attempt to purchase life. Fred macmurray and barbara stanwyck in double indemnity dir. Phyllis dietrichson is a fictional character in the book and two film adaptations of james m. In the opening, at the very start o the film, there is a close up shot of the main character, called phyllis. Jul 14, 2015 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. Representations of masculinity in double indemnity and. Directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. 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. Oct 09, 2008 double indemnity is filled with wonderful examples of this style of hardboiled dialogue and many of the early scenes between walter neff fred macmurray and phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck are filled with suggestive, evocative and witty lines that the pair trade as if sparring with one another. Analyzing patriarchal gender relations within double. He describes phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck as a prototype of pandora, the urfilm noir femme fatale. Some view double indemnity 1944, the dark, suspenseful adaptation of the james m.
For example, after walter neff first meets the mrs. The life of laura ingalls wilder tribute little house on the prairie tv show theme song duration. Walter neff fred macmurray, naive insurance man, falls for the seductive charms of his beautiful client phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck. She is a beautiful and alluring woman, barely older than lola, her husbands daughter from a previous marriage. May 11, 2012 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. Dietrichson is found dead on a traintrack, the police accept the determination of accidental death. Double indemnity, published in 1934, is cains second novel and is set in the young, booming city of hollywood. Its script creates two unforgettable criminal characters. The book begins with him on a ship, also suffering from a gunshot wound, shortly before his suicide pact with phyllis. She incites him to dream up a plot to murder her husband in order to collect a double indemnity insurance policy. When wilder told raft the plot of double indemnity, raft asked him wheres the lapel. Reflections on double indemnity book, movie phyllis dietrichson is not the ultimate femme fatale. Moreover, in the movie double indemnity the use of lighting influences the meaning of shot.
Double indemnity is a 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturnednovelist james. Barbara stanwyck was cast as phyllis dietrichson, though walter neff was harder to find. Walter huff, an insurance agent, falls for the married phyllis nirdlinger, who consults him about accident insurance for her unsuspecting husband. Walter neff is a smooth talking insurance salesman who meets the very attractive phyllis dietrichson when he calls to renew her husbands automobile policy.
Barbara stanwyck as phyllis dietrichson and fred macmurray as walter neff in double indemnity image is in public domain noir at its darkest and finest. Double indemnity femme fatale films from literature. Framed as an episodic flashback narrated by insurance agent walter neff fred macmurray, the story begins with an encounter between neff and housewife phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck during a sales call. In 1938, walter neff, an experienced salesman of the pacific all risk insurance co. Cains hardboiled novel into this wildly thrilling story of insurance man walter neff fred macmurray, who schemes the perfect murder with the beautiful dame phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck. She has written a book, elizabeth i in film and television 2011. Dietrichson aka tom powers, and his daughter, lola dietrichson aka jean heather. Dietrichson, and her desire for freedom and power, are what lead her to kill him. The femme fatale positions herself as the victim, and phyllis does this by claiming her alternative is to take her own life as a way out, which causes walter to position himself as. As mentioned above, the femme fatale archetype is the subconscious byproduct of masculinity, seen in double indemnity through the character of phyllis dietrichson.
Double indemnity 1944 walter neff meets phyllis dietrichson. Dietrichson, the last conversation in the house of phyllis, and others. Analysis paper on movie double indemnity 1944 essay. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a. One of noirs most infamous femme fatales is phyllis dietrichson in double indemnity 1944, portrayed by barbara stanwyck. The character of phyllis dietrichson challenges patriarchal gender stereotypes and is defined in relation to men place 47. Double indemnity the greatest film noir of all time. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of double indemnity by director billy wilder. But lets honor one of the earliest and best femme fatales in american cinema history. It followed the timehonoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. According to imdb, cain liked the plot solutions that billy wilder and raymond chandler came up with for the movie and would have used them in the book if he had thought. Double indemnity 1944 summary, analysis jotted lines. Cinema scholars often refer to barbara stanwycks character of phyllis dietrichson in double indemnity 1944 as one of the top examples of the femme fatale, as her conniving spirit and good looks worked all the men in her story to her whims. It is while walking up to the home at the very beginning of the film that walter neff utters what is arguably its most.
In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to her with nothing on but a bathrobe. Huff became walter neff, and phyllis nirdlinger became phyllis dietrichson. Appearing in 1944, double indemnity was a key film in the definition of the. Billy wilder 1944 is a film about an insurance sales man walter neff fred macmurray that falls for a highly sexual, scandalous woman, phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck who attempts to kill her husband. Sep 17, 20 since we talked mostly about femme fatales in class, i focused mainly on the one introduced in last weeks film, double indemnity. They scheme together to murder phyllis husband for life insurance money with a double indemnity clause.
Femme fatale phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck and slick insurance salesman walter neff fred macmurray in 1944s double indemnity. Why is phyllis in double indemnity hailed as one of cinema. May 30, 2011 directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m. They had that look in them they had before my mother died. Appearing in 1944, double indemnity was a key film in the definition of the genre that came to be known as film noir. Billy wilders classic double indemnity of 1944, based on a novel by james m. We, like oedipus and his modern cousin, walter neff, are also flawed.