Movie double indemnity billy wilder, 1944 with four oscar nominations behind him wilder was on a tear but double indemnity remained a hard sell. Cain, double indemnity, 1945, cover by paul stahr double indemnity. Mar 03, 2020 double indemnitys 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. Directed by billy wilder and adapted from a james m.
Taking a necessary break from watching a movie i know practically by heart, billy wilder s double indemnity. Billy wilders camera wielded here, as in wilders the lost weekend and sunset boulevard by john f. Yet upon rereading james cains novella, upon which billy wilders seminal noir double indemnity is based, and after revisiting the film for the sixth time, i couldnt help but notice again the substantial differences from the novella that make wilders. This facsimile edition contains wilder and chandlers originaland quite differentending. This film was nominated for seven academy awards, but it did not win any prize. Cains 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eightpart serial in liberty magazine, beginning in february 1936. Seitz may have been the first to produce the distinctive look of film noir. Richard schickels book is an introduction to billy wilder s classic 1944 film, based on james cains novella, double indemnity.
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 billy wilder. Double indemnity, book versus movie posted on november 6th, 2016 by adamtroy castro. Analysis paper on movie double indemnity 1944 essay. Director billy wilder sunset boulevard and writer raymond chandler the big sleep adapted james m. Adamtroy castro blog archive double indemnity, book versus. We, like oedipus and his modern cousin, walter neff, are also flawed. The film was adapted by director billy wilder and writer raymond chandler from the 1935 novella by james. Still, as far as the book goes, hes a relatively minot character. And before i get back to it, this observation, complete with spoiler warning for what i hope.
Richard schickels book is an introduction to billy wilders classic 1944 film, based on james cains novella, double indemnity. 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 of them himself. Its a race against time to get away with the perfect crime in this suspenseful masterpiece that was nominated for seven academy awards, including best picture. Cain novel by director wilder and novelist raymond chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by fred macmurray, who is lured into a murderforinsurance plot by barbara. Few places is this hyperbole more evident than in billy wilders double indemnity. Cain s 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eightpart serial in liberty magazine, beginning in february 1936. Double indemnity is a 1944 american film noir directed by billy wilder, cowritten by wilder and raymond chandler, and produced by buddy desylva and joseph sistrom. Mar 27, 20 the classic film noir directed by billy wilder and starring barbara stanwyck, fred macmurray and edward g. After double indemnity, brackett would continue to collaborate with wilder, and the two produced classics like the lost weekend 1945, a foreign affair 1948, and sunset boulevard 1950. A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a. Laura mulvey molly haskell double indemnity billy wilder film noir psychoanalysis femme fatale freud film studies in her article visual pleasure and the narrative cinema, laura mulvey describes a way of analyzing and understanding cinema from a feminist and psychoanalytic perspective. A calculating wife encourages her wealthy husband to sign a double indemnity policy proposed by smitten insurance agent walter neff.
Analysis of the film double indemnity 2728 words bartleby. Billy wilders double indemnity 1944 wasnt the first film noir, but it was the beginning of a new phase in miklos rozsas already stellar career. Double indemnity by billy wilder billy wilder, fred. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of double indemnity by director billy wilder.
Double indemnity 1944 frequently asked questions imdb. Billy wilder only made one proper film noir, but it was a doozy. Throughout the development of film noir as a distinctive genre, the femme fatale came to take on characteristics that are nearly cartoonish in their exaggeration, a kind of black widow of the male imagination. Cain novel by director wilder and novelist raymond chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by fred macmurray, who is lured into a murderforinsurance plot by barbara stanwyck, in an.
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. The movie double indemnity directed by billy wilder is considered to be the classic masterpiece of the u. Brackett dropped out, feeling that the material was beneath him and wilder cast around for a cowriter. On every level writing, direction, acting double indemnity 1944 is a triumph and stands as one of the greatest achievements in billy wilders career. Cain novel by wilder and raymond chandler, double indemnity represents the highwater mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a greedy, weak man is seduced and trapped by a cold, evil woman amidst the dark shadows and expressionist lighting of modern cities. The classic film noir directed by billy wilder and starring barbara stanwyck, fred macmurray and edward g.
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. Double indemnity is based on a novella of the same name by american crime novelist james m cain 18921977. 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. 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. Double indemnitys 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. Double indemnity study guide contains a biography of director billy wilder, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Bfi what marks double indemnity out from other great film noirs is that sense, among all the crazy, twisted, duplicitous shenanigans, of real, human heartbreak. The first impression i had when reading the book was just how closely billy wilder and raymond chandler had adapted it into screenplay that was, until walter and phyllis kill her husband. Aug 11, 2006 yet upon rereading james cains novella, upon which billy wilder s seminal noir double indemnity is based, and after revisiting the film for the sixth time, i couldnt help but notice again the substantial differences from the novella that make wilder s movie better and richer, more complex and resonant. Double indemnity by billy wilder, raymond chandler. T his year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of legendary american crime scribe raymond chandler, whose. An analysis of billy wilders double indemnity inquiries. Double indemnity is one of the most unrelentingly cynical films the genre produced, with a pair of careerchanging performances from barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray and a script by wilder and raymond chandler every bit as blackhearted as james m.
Double indemnity, book versus movie posted on november 6th, 2016 by adamtroy castro taking a necessary break from watching a movie i know practically by heart, billy wilder s double indemnity. The novella was adapted for the movie by another american crime writer raymond thornton chandler 18881959 along with director billy wilder 19062002. Double indemnity is a 1943 crime novel, written by american journalistturnednovelist james m. The film was developed at a time when film noir movies were gaining immense popularity, making it one of the best film noir to date.
Double indemnity, american film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. Jul 29, 2010 billy wilder s double indemnity 1944 wasnt the first film noir, but it was the beginning of a new phase in miklos rozsas already stellar career. Cains novel by raymond chandler and directed by billy wilder, double indemnity is a film noir representing one of the highest levels of urban crime dramas. Cains classic crime novel, fred macmurray stars as insurance salesman walter neff, barbara stanwyck is the sultry housewife phyllis who convinces him to bump off her husband for the insurance money, and edward g. Double indemnity, book versus movie posted on november 6th, 2016 by adamtroy castro taking a necessary break from watching a movie i know practically by heart, billy wilders double indemnity. Barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray star in this gripping film noir from academy awardwinning director billy wilder. Double indemnity is the second book i read of james m. Double indemnity was directed by billy wilder raymond chandler collaborated on the screenplay and starred fred macmurray, barbara stanwyck, and edward g. Double indemnity by billy wilder, 9780520218482, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. 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.
Cains classic 1936 tale of lust and murder and insurance. The film version of double indemnity is one of my alltime favourite hollywood classics, so i wanted to read the original novel. An indepth look at a film noir classic barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray in double indemnity, billy wilder 1944 it has all the characteristics of the classic forties film as i respond to it. Film analysis of double indemnity film studies essay. Screenwriters wilder and raymond chandler did a terrific job on james m cains hardboiled novel with a. Many of the scenes take place at night or in shadows, or in darkened rooms with light coming. Jeffrey meyers more than 50 years after its release, the classic double indemnity is one of the best films of all time. Schickel explains the wilder films significant place in cinematic history, as model of a new cinematic form film noir, as it came to be called and signalling the emergence of billy wilder as a director. The movie double indemnity attracts attention of the present day spectators. It followed the timehonoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. Fred macmurray and barbara stanwyck star in the gripping film noir classic, directed by academy award winner billy wilder. In the adaptation, wilder and chandler changed the names of the main characters. Phyllis dietrichson barbara stanwyck seduces insurance.
Its in black and white, it has fast badinage, its very witty, a story from the classic age. This movie discusses not only interpersonal relations between men and women, but also it reveals corruption and immorality found in the society of those times. Buy double indemnity by billy wilder, raymond chandler, jeffrey meyers introduction by online at alibris. Billy wilder s acidic double indemnity 1944, which shocked hollywood in the year of its release and was just about banned by the authorities, may be considered as the archetype for film noir, even though some critics trace the origins back to such rough but significantly less pessimistic films as this gun for hire, high sierra, the maltese. Double indemnity is a film noir directed by billy wilder in 1944, and it was based on the novel of the same name double indemnity which was published in 1943. Double indemnity director billy wilder sunset boulevard and writer raymond chandler the big sleep adapted james m. Cain novel by director wilder and novelist raymond chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by fred macmurray, who is lured into a murderforinsurance plot by barbara stanwyck, in an archetypal femme fatale role. Double indemnity essays are academic essays for citation. Walter huff became walter neff, and phyllis nirdlinger became phyllis dietrichson. Adamtroy castro blog archive double indemnity, book. I was initially worried going into double indemnity as found a few scenarios sounded almost identical to what i read the postman always rings twice where the wife of a rich business man teams up with her lover to plot her husbands murder. Barton keyes is the dogged, determined investigator for general fidelity of california who puts it all together in double indemnity, james m.
Cains double indemnity and the film adaptation by billy wilder and raymond chandler for the may noir book of the month club. Sep 22, 2015 the film version of double indemnity is one of my alltime favourite hollywood classics, so i wanted to read the original novel. On every level writing, direction, acting double indemnity 1944 is a triumph and stands as one of the greatest achievements in billy wilder s career. An insurance representative lets himself be talked by a seductive housewife into a murderinsurance fraud scheme that arouses the suspicion of an insurance investigator. Billy wilders acidic double indemnity 1944, which shocked hollywood in the year of its release and was just about banned by the authorities, may be considered as the archetype for film noir, even though some critics trace the origins back to such rough but significantly less pessimistic films as this gun for hire, high sierra, the maltese.
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