Double Indemnity (DVD)

...rich husband by taking a double indemnity life insurance policy out on him, Neff becomes a victim himself, Phyllis' victim. He becomes obsessed by her, for him SHE appears the victim, and although he is somehow aware she has a dangerous, almost hypnotic hold over him, he continues with the dreadful scheme.

The couple arrange for Dietrichson's death , Neff carries out the murder and to collect the doubled $100,000 policy payout they ...
...of shocking his fans, yet Double Indemnity is probably his most memorable performance in any film.

Barbara Stanwyck plays Phyllis to perfection, she's the original Circe, a hypnotic, evil femme fatale without a conscience, but she's elegant, clever and seductive too. And finding himself as Keyes, in a supporting role for once, Edward G Robinson shows us a lonely man, dedicated to his work, whose closest friend is an employee. His nature ... more

Walter Neff has a confession to make, and maybe not much time to confess: he's been shot. Gasping for breath, he tells his story to the dictaphone in his office and we see it in flashback with his deep, but wheezing voice in our ears. Neff is an insurance salesman, he's brash, full of that breezy, articulate, but bumptious articulacy that many sales reps have. He'd always felt that he could talk his way through any situation: he could sell sand to the Arabs, or snow to the Eskimos, and women fall for his rather obvious lines almost every time. Neff, though, is a man blind to his own faults and limitations, and is led unconsciously by his own superficial desires; to him life is a thing where an angle, good lines, sweet talk and an inordinate amount of boasting will get him almost anything he wants. And a lot of his thinking is done through his boxers rather than his brain.

When he goes to the Dietrichson house to renew some policies Neff begins a flirtation with Mrs Dietrichson, Phyllis, who is alone in the house. Phyllis is a mistress of flirtation who carries a guilty past, but she is ruthless too, and she sees the arrogant but ultimately foolish Neff coming. As fast as he plots with Phyllis to make a murder victim of her rich husband by taking a double indemnity life insurance policy out on him, Neff becomes a victim himself, Phyllis' victim. He becomes obsessed by her, for him SHE appears the victim, and although he is somehow aware she has a dangerous, almost hypnotic hold over him, he continues with the dreadful scheme.

The couple arrange for Dietrichson's death , Neff carries out the murder and to collect the doubled $100,000 policy payout they make it appear as though the death was an accident. Neff acts the part of Dietrichson on a train and fakes a fall, the body is left by the tracks. But within days cracks appear in the scheme as Keyes, the company's Claims Manager and Neff's best friend, begins to investigate and find flaws in Phyllis' claim. Keyes however, suspects suicide and not fraud, and he certainly doesn't consider that Neff is at all involved. Neff, the man who talks himself out of most situations finds that all his efforts here succeed only in talking himself further in, and in way too far. He is lost. And when Dietrichson's daughter tells him she suspects her stepmother Phyllis of having murdered her mother Neff's grasp on sense and sanity leaves him altogether. Inevitably, his desperate attempts to extricate himself results in things spiralling ever further from his control.

Oh, I do love this film. It was made in 1944, directed by that all-time super person Billy Wilder, scripted by the man himself together with Raymond Chandler from a novel by James M Cain. I think you'll agree that's a good start. Walter Neff is played by Fred MacMurray, inspired casting I think, for his roles in all those light Hollywood sugary comedies had established him as a kind of fresh-faced, open character just perfect for the part of Neff, a selfish, foolish, self-obsessed man, who is nevertheless way short of the capacity Phyllis Dietrichson holds for deception, intrigue and evil. MacMurray took some persuading to take the role, afraid it would compromise his future earning potential as Hollywood saccharine good guy, and afraid of shocking his fans, yet Double Indemnity is probably his most memorable performance in any film.

Barbara Stanwyck plays Phyllis to perfection, she's the original Circe, a hypnotic, evil femme fatale without a conscience, but she's elegant, clever and seductive too. And finding himself as Keyes, in a supporting role for once, Edward G Robinson shows us a lonely man, dedicated to his work, whose closest friend is an employee. His nature is obsessive, just as the whole of the film shows us obsession, and as he quotes actuary tables and statistics and previous cases, we see also his lonely affection for Neff. This relationship has great emotional strength and is a very sad counterpiece playing under and along the very different relationship Neff has with Phyllis.

Wilder's script has all that tightness you'd expect from film noir, it's punchy and words aren't wasted, but it's rich in the metaphor of the crime slang which Phyllis uses in flirtation, Neff uses in bluff, and Keyes uses in blunt but unaware revelation of his obsessive lonely character. The jokes are nasty, but funny. The dark, poorly lit streets, the dark, poorly lit moral values and the deep, dark, almost echoing narration by Neff have become a template for subsequent film noir pieces almost too countless to mention. Double Indemnity was a landmark film fifty years ago, and I think it's still a landmark film now. I love that way Wilder has of making you question your assumptions through role reversals and sleight of hand disguises and I love the way his films are seamlessly elegant and restrained to look at, but contain enormous tension and emotional impact when you actually watch. This one's a nasty, bitter look at greed and lust, but it's also one which finds a good relationship (that between Neff and Keyes) and is not afraid to show it. I love Wilder for that too.

I watched Double Indemnity again because it was late and I was awake with an ill child and a finished book. I found it gathering dust in a pile of taped-from-TV videos and I'm jolly glad I did. With barely a special effect or a flashy cut in sight I suddenly remembered why all this talk of DVD extras sometimes gets on my nerves. The film's the thing you see. And Double Indemnity is a great film that really does speak for itself, you won't need a "Making of..." feature, or a series of interviews with stuntmen and special effects technicians to improve the experience for you. It's classy and elegant enough for you to enjoy it just as it is, and for it to make you think all by itself. Unfortunately, Double Indemnity doesn't seem to be available in either VHS or DVD format in the UK (or it isn't on Blackstar and Amazon anyway), but if you've a Region 1 (or is it 2? I always forget that) DVD player you can find yourself a copy via almost anywhere. Otherwise, you'll just have to check the TV film listings and have a video at the ready. Don't forget. It's super.

(Gosh, film reviews are scary).

 

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