Double Indemnity Analysis

Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, released in 1944 was one of the early examples of film noir as we know it today, with notable examples of femme fatales, chiaroscuro lighting and narrative style, influencing the genre greatly. 

The Premise of the film is the femme fatale, Phyllis'  manipulation of the protagonist, Walter Neff, a insurance salesman, she convinces him to assist her in the murder of her husband for the insurance money, but the pair grow too greedy and plot to kill him on a train, as they could claim more money, leaving the 'accident' open to scrutiny from the police and insurance firm. Walter Neff later realises Phyllis cannot to be trusted and upon discovering her affair with another man, Nino, he correctly assumes that Phyllis will eventually have Nino kill him too. When he goes to her house to confront her, she is waiting with a gun, while she wounds Neff, she is unable to 'shoot twice' and claims this is because of her love for him, despite this he shoots and kills her. Walter says he will free to Mexico, rather than face the death penalty in his confession tape, but Keyes, his boss and the one character who suspected Neff, overhears him and calls the police. Due to his injury Neff is unable to flee and is ultimately caught. 

Protagonist/Hero/Anti Hero

Walter Neff fulfils many of the character traits of the traditional Film Noir protagonist, cynical, morally dubious etc. While it is often implied in Film Noir's that the protagonists are good, moral people until corrupted by another character (usually the femme fatale) however this is not the case in Double Indemnity, where Neff while being motivated by his wish for wealth and his lust for Phyllis, it could even be argued that Neff's motives and intentions were as twisted and dark as hers, as both were prepared to do the unspeakable, just to obtain money. While he initially rejects Phyllis's idea, it takes surprisingly little convincing for him to agree, demonstrating his weakness of lust influencing his actions over his morals. 

While he confesses his crimes at the end of the film, suggesting some morality and regret, this is counter by his refusal to pay for his crimes, confessing on tape and planning to flee the country, showing a cowardly aspect to a usually chivalrous and brave character type, and suggesting that while he regrets his actions, he is not so filled will guilt that he feels he should be punished for his crimes. 

The Femme Fatale

Phyllis Dietrichson is the embodiment of a femme fatale, she is the direct opposite of the sweet housewife admired by films of the era, she is defiant, manipulative and disobedient of not just her husband but also of Neff, uncontrolled by men. The Femme Fatale was created to embody the feminist movement, representing the threat to society, independent, working women were considered to be. Phyllis shows this perfectly as he need to be in control causes her to manipulate and murder the men around her, just to seek independence. To modern audiences this makes the character slightly more compelling, as her wish for finical independence is relatable due to her lack of freedom caused by her sex, only wishing to be free from her husband's control. 

She is presented as cruel, unfeeling and manipulative, betraying the usually stereotypes of over-emotional women, shown in this era. She shows no reaction when her husband is murdered in front of  her, has no qualms about seducing and manipulating Nino, who her step-daughter openly loves and is involved with and plans to murder the man she supposedly loved. 

She is openly seductive towards Neff appearing for the first time in a towel, shown fully in shot, drawing the 'male gaze', making her an object of lust both for Neff and the audience. She has no fear or shame in using men's attraction to her to complete her goals and while she plays the role of the repressed housewife to Walter Neff, she murdered Mr Dietrichson's previous wife and took her place, implying a more manipulative truth. 

She ultimately reveals her love for Neff, when she couldn't shoot him for the second time and while the authenticity of the statement is heavily in question, it is that weakness that ultimately kills her, as Neff's mistrust or even hatred causes him to kill her.  

Other Women 

A clear contrast to the femme fatale, the role of the other women in femme fatale is too demonstrate how women 'should act', quiet, timid and obedient. Lola meets many of these characteristics however is also slightly disobedient of her father, defying and lying to him about her boyfriend Nino. However she is shown to be sweet, well intentioned and at times emotional a severe contrast to the cruel, unemotional femme fatale.

Lola is shown to a victim throughout the film, left by her boyfriend Nino, who is also seduced by Phyllis. She becomes an orphan in the film when Phyllis and Neff murder her father, she also reveals to Neff that her mother died when in the care of Phyllis, suggesting foul play. It is her emotional response to her father's death that triggers Neff's guilt and regret, influencing the downfall of the femme fatale.

Setting

Double Indemnity features crowded urban settings for the majority of the film, creating an uneasy feeling associated with the more crime oriented areas of town, the film is set in the darker, poorer areas of Los Angeles but also features Los Angeles more wealthy areas, for the home of the Dietrichsons, creating a strong divide in society between the rich and the poor, supporting Neff's motive of wealth in Mr Dietrichson's murder. The crowded spaces seen in these settings contrast with the themes of isolation and alienation we see Neff feeling, as he becomes more closed off from his friends and colleagues. 

There is one example of a more rural setting, in the murder of Mr Dietrichson, Phyllis and Neff walk alone a deserted, dark train track, making their actions seem even more twisted and secret, the change from the stable location, is slightly disorienting for audiences, making the murder seem more disturbing. 

Camera 
Disorientation is a very important theme in the film noir genre and the camera angles in Double Indemnity reflect this, dutch and oblique angles are used to create confusion, making darker scenes seem more morbid. 

Walter Neff is presented as mysterious or even untrustworthy, through the camera angles used, he is rarely shown in a full shot, hiding areas of his face and concealing his body language making him seem less reliable to audiences. When he is first shown the audience see his back before his face, making him seem questionable and untrustworthy to audiences. In many of the most important scenes, his face and sometimes Phyllis' are partially concealed, giving them more power in the scene, however in the scene where Neff ultimately kills her, her faces is brightly lit and clearly shown, while his is slightly concealed. In addition when Neff is arrested, his face is clearly shown, while Keyes is crouching in the darkness, to the right of the shot, giving him more power. 

Lighting

Chiaroscuro lighting is frequently used in the film, influencing who holds the power in each scene and adding more symbolism and implications to certain scenes, for example in multiple scenes light been shown through blinds creates feelings of claustraphobia and imprisonment, creating the illusion that the character is in a cage or a prison cell, perhaps inferring the future fait of Neff.

Low Key lighting creates sharp contrasts, adding further tensions to scenes. When the femme fatale is first introduced her shadow contrasts with the white marble, making her seem more menacing and powerful.

In some scenes one character is in the light and the other the dark, this is switched several times, almost implying a battle between the characters foreboding future events of the film and adding tension to interactions.

Some characters are presented in softer lighting, these are usually the more innocent, moral characters like Keyes or Lola, who are shown to be sweet, contrasting the relaxed tension free atmosphere with them with the high contrast confrontations with Phyllis, suggest he's associating with the wrong people.

Sound

Jazz is commonly used in film noir, likely because of the era the films were made in, but unlike other film noir's music is often used to defuse tension in the film, for example, the music playing through Neff's entrance to the Dietrichson house, abruptly stops when the femme fatale enters the room. Some of the most significant moments in the film, are almost silent with the exception of ambient noise and occasional string instruments to create further tension. 

Narrative

Flashbacks are used to tell the story, as the story starts with his confession and then flashes back to the beginning of the story once he starts speaking, this fills the void of the story and allows the audience to have their own opinions on the characters. By seeing the flashbacks through Neff's perspective, this makes the film subjective, making the representation of his thoughts and feelings accurate and leaving ambiguity about other characters like Phyllis' motives. 

This is enhance further through the omniscient voice of Walter Neff in voiceovers, adding clarity where elements are in question, and revealing his thoughts and motives, showing the audience when he finally feels regret. The voiceover forebodes events of the film, revealing his crimes before the audience gets to know his character or how he was manipulated by the femme fatale. 

Significance of Smoking


Smoking is used significantly in the film noir genre, mostly due to the popularity of smoking at the time. Walter Neff is seen to be smoking when he is upset or tense, for example at the end when his is in pain, waiting to be arrested, he smokes a cigarette, implying the need for comfort, and in some cases, like the ending, shows his resognation to the situation.

The femme fatale is shown to smoke, implying freedom and making her seem more in Neff's league, this contrasts with the presentation of Lola, who isn't shown to smoke, making her seem more innocent and fragile.