Film Noir

“It’s the great sense of knowing what you are doing is doomed…and you can’t be stopped from doing it.” –American Cinema, “Film Noir”

 

The 1944 movie Double Indemnity is the perfect archetype of film noir. It has all the aesthetic elements to it- the dark setting of Los Angeles during the 1930s, the backdrop of the “perfect” murder, the lust for money, and sexual overtones. Although it is easy to see that the main character of the movie, Walter Nebbs, acts deliberately in the murder of his lover’s husband you cannot help but feel that he is unintentionally being sucked into his doom. His initial reluctance to carry out Mrs. Dietrichson’s wishes for her husband’s death suggests that he is well intentioned; however, his human side takes over, and, motivated by lust and money, Mr. Nebbs commits the crime. With colorful colleagues such as Mr. Keyes, Walter Nebbs knows that he is doomed from the start, yet his motivation is too great and too seductive. From the moment his episode starts everything begins to go downhill. Even when it seemed that Mr. Nebbs had found his escape, he is betrayed and shot in classic crime thriller style. Staying true to the dark core themes of film noir, the end of Double Indemnity leaves viewers with a sense of thrill and the ultimate demise that the characters must face.

“The classic femme fatale, is, to me, a woman that’s usually getting a man into bed and then into trouble.” –Marie Windsor

One particular element of film noir that is extensively used in Double Indemnity is the femme fatale. Phyllis Dietrichson, the lead female character and Mr. Nebbs’ love interest, is a perfect example of this. She is appealing, seductive, and ultimately deceptive. At the beginning of the film, Mr. Webbs is smitten by her. Although she seems to be a typical family woman, it is revealed that she has dark intentions. She deceives Mr. Nebbs into believing throughout the plot that they are working together to pull off the crime. But later it is revealed that she was controlling him the whole time, and ironically she had another lover that she really wanted to escape with. Phyllis’s femme fatale character adds to the film elements of seduction, deception, and betrayal that exemplify the very attributes that make film noir so attractive.

Every aesthetic aspect of Double Indemnity contributes to the “film noir feel” of the movie. First of all, like many other film noir movies, Double Indemnity uses black and white footage. The low-key lighting and relative absence of sunny, outdoor scenes contributes to the dark and mysterious feel of the film. The film takes place in an urban setting, which helps contribute to the cold and unattached feel of the characters and interactions with one another. The insurance company setting works especially well because it helps audiences visualize characters such as Keyes and Mr. Norton as cold and villainous.

  

One scene from the movie that I believe really exemplifies the film noir genre is the scene in which Mr. Nebbs and Phyllis have their final face-off. The scene takes place late at night, with the only light present filtered through the blinds in the window. This lighting alone creates an eerie feeling in the room as the two characters confront each other. The room has a private and intimate feel to it, which, along with the low lighting, helps contribute to the idea that Walter Nebbs is “trapped” in the room. All of the aesthetic aspects of classic film noir movies like Double Indemnity contribute to the overall feel of a dark, cynical crime drama. Although some more modern colored “neo-noir” films do a fairly good job of copying the style of the classic films, there is no substitute for the eeriness and mysteriousness that black and white films provide.