2.
Film noir literally means “black film.” As you are watching the film, keep track of all the elements in the picture that seem dark or depressing. Think about the characters, the setting, and the storyline.
Throughout
Double Indemnity there are many instances of the darker side of human life, as well as dark and twisted scenes that are designed to be as foreboding as possible. The plot of
Double Indemnity uses these dark scenes along with some comic relief and flashes of sexuality. The use of dark lighting in the movie is used to underscore and highlight important scenes and to add to the plot. For instance while on the back of the train, Walter Neff, is very poorly lit in order to add the fact that the other passengers would not be able to see his face and would not be able to identify him. During other parts of the use of Venetian Blind lighting is used to light rooms but also limit how much light is seen, this is useful for making scenes more dramatic and for adding a sense of secrecy to the business in the room. Many times Walter is inside of a room with Phyllis and Venetian Blinds can be seen on walls or on their faces, this is used in order to make the meeting look secretive and dangerous, or to partially obscure their facial expressions and add mystery to every situation. The purpose for using these specific lighting techniques is to intrigue the audience and to focus attention onto specific areas of importance. In all scenes that include a car, or a car ride, the lighting is set so that anything on the outside of the car is pitch black while everything inside the car is dimly lit, this lighting effect forces the audiences attention to the inside of the car, because it can be seen most easily. This allows for serious conversations to occur without many camera tricks or editing queues.
There are three characters that darkness can be seen in: Walter Neff, Phyllis Dietrichson, and Mr. Dietrichson. These people all show this darkness in different forms, how they act, how they interact with people, and their motives. Walter Neff as the main character is also the narrator of the movie, explaining to his boss how he managed to fool him and get away with murder and with money. Walter shows his darkness and his desires through his interactions with Phyllis and his willingness to plan and execute the murder of her husband. Walter shows his true nature when he decides to go against his moral compass and assists in cheating his own company as well as committing murder. Walter's darkness shows how physical attraction and love can cause anyone to do anything. A physical representation of his evil is his attire. Walter is always wearing a dark blue or black suit, showing his darkness in a physical way. Phyllis Dietrichson is just as dark as Walter, if not more. This is darkness is manifested as her plan to buy accident insurance for her husband, murder him, and then collect on dirty money and move on with her life. Phyllis does not physically show darkness in the same way that Walter does, where as he is always calm but wears his darkness, she wears light bright colors and acts in a horrific way. Whenever she speaks of her husband she becomes aggressive and angry, to the point where in one scene she begins to cry to Walter about how horrible her husband is to her. Her motives are what makes her truly evil. Mr. Dietrichson is perceived as a dark man because of how he treats people and how he interacts with them. In the few scenes that he is present in he constantly speaks down to Phyllis and Walter along with him being curt and rude to everyone that he has an interaction with. His darkness comes from the bitterness inside of him and this bitterness is what causes his death.
The story line of
Double Indemnity is uses many gruesome scenes to show murder, scandal, and plotting. All of the dark scenes involve both Walter and Phyllis being present and doing something that they are not supposed to do. In one scene they are discussing her plans to murder her husband as if it were a normal subject, in another scene they are MURDERING Mr. Dietrichson and preparing to plant his body in order to make it seem like a suicide. Between these dark scenes there are many times when Walter sits down and asks himself if he is doing the right thing, if he is doing something that he is proud of. There is lots of sexual tension between Walter and Phyllis, within three days of knowing each other they are willing to say "I love you" and other things of that nature, which portrays an unhealthy relationship. The darker murder scenes as well as all of the scenes surrounding the murder are all set in different location but with similar themes. The theme is obviously death but also how to defame Mr. Dietrichson enough so that nobody thinks twice about him committing suicide. Another prevalent theme is that Walter is in charge. Despite him being the more nervous of the two he is obviously in charge of their operation and is making the calls. Walter's nerves are the most likely thing to get them caught as it is obvious that he is more stressed about this case than he should be. The story is purposefully set to have each morbid scene set apart from one another by a lighter scene, whether it be comic relief or just a scene used to help push the story along. Overall this film noir shows its "black film" side very well because of all the aspects that make it dark and evil.
-Nick
