Double Indemnity (1944)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

James M. Cain (novel)
Billy Wilder (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 September 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

It's Love And Murder At First Sight !

Plot:

An insurance rep lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator's suspicions.

Plot Keywords:

Insurance | Murder | Insurance Investigator | Train | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 1 win

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16

9:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Fred MacMurray	...	Walter Neff
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Phyllis Dietrichson
Edward G. Robinson	...	Barton Keyes
Porter Hall	...	Mr. Jackson
Jean Heather	...	Lola Dietrichson
Tom Powers	...	Mr. Dietrichson
Byron Barr	...	Nino Zachetti
Richard Gaines	...	Edward S. Norton, Jr.
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Sam Garlopis
John Philliber	...	Joe Peters
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Anderson	...	Warden at Execution (scenes deleted)
Al Bridge	...	Execution Chamber Guard (scenes deleted)
Edward Hearn	...	Warden's Secretary (scenes deleted)
Boyd Irwin	...	First Doctor at Execution (scenes deleted)
George Melford	...	Second Doctor at Execution (scenes deleted)
William O'Leary	...	Chaplain at Execution (scenes deleted)
Lee Shumway	...	Door Guard at Execution (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

107 min | Argentina:110 min | Canada:90 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Germany:16 | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | USA:Approved | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

1825 N. Kingsley Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In the scene where Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, Keyes exits into the hallway and Phyllis hides behind the door. The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes even back then, but it does give Phyllis something to hide behind and increases the tension.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Neff meets with the President of his company, he returns to his apartment and places a folder on the chair to the right of the door. When Keyes comes to the door, after Neff's brief phone conversation, the folder is nowhere to be seen.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Building attendant: Well, hello there, Mr. Neff.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Dial 'N' for Nerder (#19.14)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tangerine

Classic film-noir

This tense murder mystery set the standard for tough, calculating, shady women who exploit men without shame or remorse. All that is needed is a man willing and gullible enough to desire a woman to do almost anything to have her. Barbara Stanwyck is just right as Phyllis Dietrichson whose masterful manipulation of Walter Neff is the central theme of this film. When Neff and Dietrichson find that they have a clear path to a rosy future together, everything seems to go wrong, and they begin to doubt and suspect each other. Barton Keyes' character is the conscience who unwittingly unnerves Neff with his suspicions and ideas about false claims for insurance money and how his gut feelings never fail him. Porter Hall has a nice turn as the man from Oregon who materializes from the shadows on the train's observation car to add another twist to this classic thriller.