Sunday, July 8, 2012

172. Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity
1944
Directed by Billy Wilder

How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?


There are some films that epitomize their genre like no other.  Titanic is romance.  Star Wars is science fiction.  Double Indemnity is film noir.  The perfect evidence for this is the quote I have above.  Even if you haven't seen this movie, I am sure you can picture some fast talking, serious man saying this in a shadowy room.  I love this film, mostly because it is the perfect food for a dreary Monday.


For those of you who don't know, this movie is about an insurance investigator who gets involved with a slipper dame.  She plans on murdering her husband for money and wants the all-American Fred MacMurrey to get involved.  Naturally, things go sour.  Ooo, talking like this makes me feel like Newman at 0:54.
Anyway, this is an astounding film in all aspects, whether it be acting, plot, or script.  Check it out with some hot chocolate and a cloudy day. RATING: ***** Interesting Facts:  Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did not get along during filming.  Chandler claimed Wilder flaunting his womanizing to make him feel bad. #29 in AFI's top 100 movies.  Remake with Robert Redford never got off the ground.  Thank the lord.  No one realized how stupid Barbara Stanwyck's wig looked until after filming a large portion of the scenes.
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8 comments:

  1. DianaJuly 23, 2012 at 5:57 AM

    I love this movie. I have seen it quite a few times and it is always enjoyable. Fred MacMurray is amazing and I am always impressed with him. I grew up with watching My Three Sons in which he was the father, but when I see this film I realize how good of an actor he really was. (Not that he wasn't in My Three Sons, but you know...) That was an interesting tidbit about the wig.

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  2. RachelSeptember 22, 2014 at 7:54 AM

    I LOVE THIS MOVIE. You are so right about it being the epitome of film noir. I saw this on Netflix and it was exactly what I wanted. Brb, I have to re-watch this.

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  3. AmandaSeptember 26, 2014 at 6:37 PM

    I don't think anyone could see this film and not like it!

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  4. UnknownSeptember 27, 2014 at 12:53 AM

    I really couldn't let this one slip by without a comment... And delight that no-one is disagreeing about it.
    Very much one of my personal favourite films.. I love the atmosphere and the characterisation .. and the plot.

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  5. TSorensenMay 5, 2016 at 10:26 PM

    Awesome. And it does epitomize the genre. My favorite character is Edward G Robinson's. This is such a different character for him and he totally pulls it off. Had no idea they were doing a remake. Thank God that went off the table!

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  6. AmandaMay 7, 2016 at 7:35 AM

    Haha this movie is legit impossible not to love

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  7. DessieJuly 18, 2017 at 1:44 AM

    Titanic is romance?

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    Replies
    1. AmandaJuly 24, 2017 at 8:33 AM

      I guess disaster romance (which to me is just romance; ba dum tchss)

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