Director: Billy Wilder
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Top Billed Actors: Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 7 more:
Best Motion Picture - Paramount
Best Director - Billy Wilder
Best Actress - Barbara Stanwyck
Best Screenplay - Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Miklós Rózsa
Best Sound Recording - Loren L. Ryder
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - John F. Seitz
Plot: A conniving housewife gets her hooks on an insurance salesman to concoct a murder plan against a husband with a double indemnity clause on his policy much to the suspicions and regret of Keyes and his little man.
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Top Billed Actors: Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 7 more:
Best Motion Picture - Paramount
Best Director - Billy Wilder
Best Actress - Barbara Stanwyck
Best Screenplay - Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Miklós Rózsa
Best Sound Recording - Loren L. Ryder
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - John F. Seitz
Plot: A conniving housewife gets her hooks on an insurance salesman to concoct a murder plan against a husband with a double indemnity clause on his policy much to the suspicions and regret of Keyes and his little man.
Looking back at the five Best Picture nominees for the 17th Awards, Double Indemnity (1944) is the most revered. Ironically, it's the only one of the five to not win an Academy Award. Historical reports chalk this up to Paramount putting their efforts behind the more feel-good film Going My Way (1944), which was a more sure bet during World War II. Billy Wilder showed his disdain by tripping Leo McCarey as he made his way to the podium to accept his Best Director Oscar. The story of Wilder adapting the James M. Cain novel is fascinating as it effectively gave birth to the film noir genre, or at least the more somber and darker tone of it. Because the story is so bleak, many people were turned off by the project. Wilder's frequent screenwriting collaborator Charles Brackett bowed out, which gave way for newcomer Raymond Chandler. It was Chandler who, against Wilder's wishes, wrote new dialogue rather than using the prose in Cain's work. Many changes to the novel were made in terms of the story as well and Cain is said to have been so approving that he would have used the alterations if only he thought of them. However, Chandler was an alcoholic and didn't get along with Wilder. In fact, he was the inspiration for Wilder's next film, The Lost Weekend (1945) which would go on to win Best Picture the following year. Also due to the emphasis on the criminal element, many actors turned down the role of Walter Neff. Fred McMurray is cast against type as the heel but because he did well here, he would go on to play another heel in a future Wilder film in The Apartment (1960). Wilder & Co's efforts in adapting this hitherto un-filmable story has been commended immensely over the years. It is included in both of the AFI 100 lists, charting at 29 in the 2007 update, it is part of the 101 Greatest Screenplays of All Time as determined by the WGA, and it was entered into the National Film Registry in 1992 (only the fourth batch of films to do so).
Barbara Stanwyck's performance may be the foremost reason why this film has lived on in reverence. I mentioned that she was the favorite going into the 17th Awards but Ingrid Bergman came up with a minor upset with her win from Gaslight (1944). It's a close call but although I think Bergman's performance may be one of the better wins, Stanwyck's is an all-timer. She plays McMurray's Walter like an instrument every step of the way, from her sultry introduction in only a towel to playing hard to get to pretending to love him to her eventual demise. She plays every scene so earnestly that it's always difficult to tell how genuine her feelings are or if she is simply steering the ship and using Walter as the rudders. And even though the audience is aware of the scheme in action, her interview with the insurance company president is entirely convincing. Whereas Bergman's work showcases a gradual descent, Stanwyck showcases a bit more range throughout the film to suit a given scene's context. What a great year for actresses. Another defining aspect of the film noir movement is the shadowy black-and-white photography. There are incredible shots form the opening concealed figure hobbling towards the camera with crutches to the use of the venetian blinds shadows that look like prison bars to the use of low-light scenes at dusk or the emptiness of the large insurance offices. I can't wait to see Laura (1944) which is the film that beat this in the Cinematography category. Last but not least, another noir trademark that is paramount to the structure of this narrative is setting the majority of it as a flashback accompanied by narration. There isn't much mystery due to the Walter spilling his guts (literally and figuratively) all over a recording machine but the insurance proceedings and the scenarios that take place with us knowing the facts is what makes it engaging. The part of my brain that tries to piece together a mystery had the night off; it was all about how the Edward G. Robinson character can piece things together and what the two leads were going to do after the fact.
I haven't found too many negative criticisms for this film but I do find one aspect a little comical. Stanwyck's blonde wig is incredibly phony looking and when moviegoers called this out, Wilder retorted with an explanation that this was intentional due to her artificiality as a character as well as her sleaziness. I'm not sure if I buy that but it actually works for me, especially when she mentions her cheap perfume to round out her unsavory persona. Although I like Stanwyck and Robinson immensely in this, I am a bit more mixed on McMurray's performance. His constant use of the word "baby" and his persistent attitude at being cool is the only faltering detail of the picture. However, his ability to light a match by clicking his fingers is really cool.
Overall, Billy Wilder's third feature film as director helped define the film noir genre with its characteristic low-light and shadowy cinematography and engaging voice-over narration. He gets the best performance out of Barbara Stanwyck's illustrious career as well as battling the censors with darker material in the adaptation. If a bad wig is the biggest point of criticism, then you know just how revered this picture has become.
My Score: 9/10
Barbara Stanwyck's performance may be the foremost reason why this film has lived on in reverence. I mentioned that she was the favorite going into the 17th Awards but Ingrid Bergman came up with a minor upset with her win from Gaslight (1944). It's a close call but although I think Bergman's performance may be one of the better wins, Stanwyck's is an all-timer. She plays McMurray's Walter like an instrument every step of the way, from her sultry introduction in only a towel to playing hard to get to pretending to love him to her eventual demise. She plays every scene so earnestly that it's always difficult to tell how genuine her feelings are or if she is simply steering the ship and using Walter as the rudders. And even though the audience is aware of the scheme in action, her interview with the insurance company president is entirely convincing. Whereas Bergman's work showcases a gradual descent, Stanwyck showcases a bit more range throughout the film to suit a given scene's context. What a great year for actresses. Another defining aspect of the film noir movement is the shadowy black-and-white photography. There are incredible shots form the opening concealed figure hobbling towards the camera with crutches to the use of the venetian blinds shadows that look like prison bars to the use of low-light scenes at dusk or the emptiness of the large insurance offices. I can't wait to see Laura (1944) which is the film that beat this in the Cinematography category. Last but not least, another noir trademark that is paramount to the structure of this narrative is setting the majority of it as a flashback accompanied by narration. There isn't much mystery due to the Walter spilling his guts (literally and figuratively) all over a recording machine but the insurance proceedings and the scenarios that take place with us knowing the facts is what makes it engaging. The part of my brain that tries to piece together a mystery had the night off; it was all about how the Edward G. Robinson character can piece things together and what the two leads were going to do after the fact.
I haven't found too many negative criticisms for this film but I do find one aspect a little comical. Stanwyck's blonde wig is incredibly phony looking and when moviegoers called this out, Wilder retorted with an explanation that this was intentional due to her artificiality as a character as well as her sleaziness. I'm not sure if I buy that but it actually works for me, especially when she mentions her cheap perfume to round out her unsavory persona. Although I like Stanwyck and Robinson immensely in this, I am a bit more mixed on McMurray's performance. His constant use of the word "baby" and his persistent attitude at being cool is the only faltering detail of the picture. However, his ability to light a match by clicking his fingers is really cool.
Overall, Billy Wilder's third feature film as director helped define the film noir genre with its characteristic low-light and shadowy cinematography and engaging voice-over narration. He gets the best performance out of Barbara Stanwyck's illustrious career as well as battling the censors with darker material in the adaptation. If a bad wig is the biggest point of criticism, then you know just how revered this picture has become.
My Score: 9/10