Double Indemnity Film Noir Essay

A big film noir that hit the big screen during the film noir period was, Double Indemnity (1944) directed by Billy Wilder. Film noir was a style of filmmaking that became prevalent in the United States after World War II. This film style, “used harsh shadows, flashbacks, and voiceovers, and would usually show a fatalistic view of society.()” The film Double Indemnity was a success with the use of the stylistic techniques of film noir by using: harsh shadows, flashbacks, voiceovers, and showing the inevitable. The movie began with a dark shadowed male who is on crutches walking towards the screen. This showed the use of harsh shadows. The main character Walter Neff then begins explaining the events that led up to said now. He uses the effect of a flashback to vividly describe and show what happened between the events of the past leading up to the present. He uses this effect to explain his tale

Throughout the entire movie the lighting of the movie was a very dim low light affect. This gave the movie a dark cynical feel to it. The movie began with a dark shadow then ended in complete darkness. This particularly could entail that what’s done in the dark must come to light. The setting of the movie took place in Los Angeles. The scenes would typically shot in the dark, which is stereotypically the time that crime takes place. Billy Wilder’s use of costuming for each of the characters correlated very efficiently and helped the overall storyline. Phyllis was always portrayed on having seductive clothing such as the beginning of the movie where she was standing at the top of the stairs. This part she had only a towel on. This showed the first phase of seducing Walter. Mr. Dietrichson’s wardrobe was completely opposite from wealth, but he looked as if he was sleazy and a slob. Walter Neff was always portrayed in a suit, which shows that he was always business