Blog 5

Through reading “I love you too”; sexual Warfare and Homoeroticism in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity written by Brian Gallagher, I was able to gain some very helpful insight to film noir and other things between the novel and film that I have yet to notice. One scene within the movie that I never took in to consideration was the first scene when Walter showed up to the Dietrichson’s house in regards of insurance; the day was bright and sunny, bringing in a mood of happiness and peace. By the end of the film, in the last scene that the house appears in the sky is dark and the mood is mischiefs.  Also, the Dietrichson’s house is referred to as “The house of death”, helping that statement out is the description of the interior like, the blood red drapes, which is referring to the blood of a human and the people that have died within the family and the people that will. Also, I never really noticed how much greed had to do with the murder. Yes, there was a lot of sexual attraction between characters within the film and novel, but the underlying basis of the murder was money. After Phyllis has showed up to Walters apartment for the first time, and they have sexual intercourse they seemed to be shown on opposite sides of the couch at a distance from one another. “What reunites the pair, spatially and psychologically, is that other primal passion—greed” (Gallagher), sex is what initially brought them together but without the murder sex was just something to do to fulfill the sexual rahh they both had between them.

Overall, Walter was bound in the middle between lust and greed and brotherhood, and ultamently in the end he chose brotherhood. Just for the fact that Walter decided to go back to the office and confess after his shoot out with Phyllis, showed a lot of admiration he carried for Keyes. “Walter ruins his slim chance of escaping over the border to Mexico by spending several hours dictating this confession to Keys” (Gallagher).  Also in Gallagher’s article, the points out a few aspects that the viewer may not have noticed, like how Keys typically appeared on the right side of the screen as well as Phyllis, while Walter would stay to the left, this way both the two characters are fighting for Walter’s attention in a love triangle and Walter is the top point.  Gallagher also mentions Keyes was not much taller than Phyllis. Like Phyllis, from the first scene of Walter and Keyes together the two show attraction by Walter saying “I love you too”, and lighting his cigar. Furthermore, by reading this article I do notice that Keyes played a father role to Walter by looking out for him in certain circumstances like, when Norton stated to accuse Walter and also wanting Walter to quite the insurance business and become his assistant. Similarly, when in Walters office, Keyes just picks up his phone just like a father would and after the phone call Keys gave advice on woman and how you shouldn’t just trust anybody.

I believe that within the film, the story between Walter and Keyes was made into a bro-mance due to the fact that there were two male screen writers, and with writing a film a relationship was formed and the two men decide to bring forth their bound between Walter and Keys. Will still see this relationship this day in age between two friends, and how friendships should be stronger than any lust you may have over someone else, because after all it is guy code.    

Blog #4

During the title sequence, a man on crutches hobbles towards the camera. Explain the significance of the image. Who in the story does this man represent? Why would this be an appropriate image to show at the beginning of the film? How does this sequence anticipate later developments in the film?

In the first frame of the film a man appears to be walking on crutches, and he is shown as a silhouette figure. The man in the crutches represents the late Mr. Nirdlinger, yet that’s not all it represents. In the film and novel Nirdlinger in put on crutches because he breaks his leg due to a work incident. After he was put on crutches is when the murder takes play. To get away with the murder Walter had to impersonate Nirdlinger by getting on a train and falling off the end of it, thus dying and breaking his neck. Walter and Phyllis thought it would be smart for people to witness Nirdlinger getting on the train so that when people start questioning the murder, people will believe he was there on the train. Although, the scene shows the man on crutches doesn’t just represent Nirdlingers death, but it shows another man death as well.  The night of the murder Nirdlinger was wearing a navy blue suit, a hat, a pair of glasses, and crutches with a broken leg. On the same night Walter wore all the same clothes and even wrapped his leg up to impersonate Nirdlingers broken leg, that make a distinct characteristic. The role of Nirdlinger ends short due to him getting murdered, so his role in the film is him dying so to speak. By Walter putting on his clothes he is all and all taking Nirdlingers fate and doom. This shows that in the end Walter will die or have the fate of dead man. Even though the viewer won’t know that by just watching the beginning of the movies, they would have had to read the novel or by some other way. Through watching the movie the significance of the man walking on crutches is revealed and the viewer can relate what happens to Nirdlinger and Walter. Walter didn’t know what would happen when he impersonated Nirdlinger but essentially he put himself in the role of Nirdlinger and in terms caused his own death or pain.

A significant change between the novel and the film is the raised prominence of the character of Keyes in the film version. Critics have suggested that the novel is a story of two lovers whereas the film depicts a love triangle and that often Walter is being pulled back and forth between Phyllis and Keys. What evidence from the film supports these assertions?

When reading the novel the relationship between Walter and Keyes isn’t as prevalent as it is in the movie. In the novel Keyes is just Walters’s boss and the detective figure. Keyes doesn’t really pop around in Walters life and, he only went to Walter when he needed something. Walter in the novel showed love and affection towards Phyllis, until he tries to kill her. But, in the movie Keyes and Walter play a more intimate role towards each other. With Walter saying, “I love you too” a few times to Keyes and doing favors for him, like lighting his cigar when Keyes can never find a match. Keyes also goes to Walters’s apartment unannounced. Keyes seems to be more privileged then Phyllis was. Also in the film Walter appears at Phyllis house and shares a few words, after she shoots him in the arm, he then shoots her and kills her.  Although, when it came down to Keyes, Walter had respect for him, that even with a gunshot wound he went over to his office and confessed to the whole murder. The respect he had for Keyes was eminent. In the last scene of the movie Walter is trying to get away but by the time he reached the door he didn’t have enough strength to carry himself. Walter is on the floor and tries to light his cigarette, when he doesn’t have the strength to do it; Keyes gets down next to him to light his cigarette. This scene shows the true brotherhood these two men shared.

In the book Double Indenmity written by James M. Cain, the detective role isn’t quite prominent or does it stick like a sore thumb, at least to me it doesn’t. In the novel you have a few characters that assume the position as the detective, three to be exact. They all go in search for the truth and they all find the answer they were looking for or at least the truth. Both Keyes and Huff play male roles in the book and they both got answers, even if they liked the outcome or not. Another character that I look to as being a detective is Lola, Phyllis step daughter. She is the best investigator out of all of them; she actually goes out on the field to find the truth she was looking for.
The first man that undertakes the detective position is Keyes; he is a big time insurance agent that runs the show over at his business. After the murder of Mr. Nirdlinger, Keyes tries to put every fact and figure in his head together about what really happened. Keyes knows there is more truth behind the man being found in the train tracks. In the book Keyes starts to get close to cracking the case when he and Huff are talking in his office about the murder. “What do you mean, Keyes?” “He was never on the train”… “Somebody took his crutches and went on the train for him?” (66). through this whole scene Keyes is piecing the whole murder together and he is getting very close to the truth and Huff knows that. Norton and Huff also have people out watching Phyllis. Keyes was always there trying to find out more and more of the story, even though in the end the murder was revealed to him. ‘Keyes?”… “I’m listening boy.” “I killed Nirdlinger” (101). Keyes tried to get down to the bottom of the case and all and all he did, he received the answers he was looking for.
In Huffs case he was a detective too. After Lola told him more information about Phyllis, he started to investigate who this woman really was. He knew that Phyllis was sneaking out with Lola’s ex-lover. He also took notice that Phyllis didn’t seem the slightest upset when her Husband was murdered; she showed no emotion at all. In the end he found out she was a snake and she had been playing him this whole time. Ultimately, he tried to put an end to her before she did him.
Lastly Lola, She really didn’t start playing a big role in the novel until the second half of the book, but after her father died she had a lot to say. She admitted to following Phyllis everywhere and she would even talk to the same people that Phyllis talked too. Lola went to the extent of listening in a conversation between her ex-lover Sachetti, and knowing that Phyllis went looking for dresses to wear to the funeral a week before he actually died. Lola is ready to expose all Phyllis secrets when she says, “ I’ll tell them to ask her why she was down in a boulevard store, a week before my father dies, pricing black dresses” (84).  Lola truly had the inside scoop on Phyllis and everything she did, and in the end she knew that Phyllis killed her father and it was confirmed when Huff gave his confession.
In this novel it was tough for me to figure out whom the detective figure really was and if that figure always has to be a guy. Keyes searched for answers and found them within Huff. Huff searched for answers and found them by getting shot by Phyllis. In conclusion, Lola looked for the answers too. So all and all I don’t know who the main detective was, but I’m sure it has to be one of the three.

Blog #2

In the novel Double Indemnity written by James Cain, the reader is able to recognize many elements that relate back to film noir. From the sneaky murder situation of a good stand up insurance seller, to a deranged housewife that wants a lot then just staying at home. The novel takes a few unexpected twists, but overall the signs always point back to the femme fatal character of Phyllis Nirdlinger, she is what Keyes would call, an “Irrawaddy Cobra”. Phyllis will stop at nothing until she achieves all her desires.

In Raymond Bonde and Etienne Chavments article, “Towards a Definition of film Noir”, they state “ Finally, there is ambiguity surrounding the woman: the femme fatale who is fatal to herself. Frustrated and deviant, half predator, half prey, detached yet ensnared, she falls victim to her own traps… This new type of woman, manipulative and hard bitten as her environment, ready to trade shots with anyone… We are a long way from the chaste heroines of the traditional western or historical drama.” The quote relates to Phyllis in every way possible, she will murder or find someone to do it for her by using her sex appeal, until she gets what she wants or moves on to the next killing. She is very persuasive and conniving, she has no heart or sympathy for anyone other than herself. Back in the 1950’s woman were looked at to be humble and domestic creatures, so for a role of a woman to be mischievous and a down right murderer was a powerful role to possess.

To be trapped in a woman’s spell can be both negative and positive. In the case of Walter Huff, he got caught in the wrong web of deceit. Also in Raymond Bonde and Etienne Chavments article, “Towards a Definition of film Noir”, they say “As for the ambiguous protagonist, he is often more mature, almost old and not too handsome… He is also an inglorious victim who may suffer, before the happy ending, appalling abuse… At times, he is a passive hero who allows himself to be dragged across the line into the gray area between legal and criminal behavior.”  Mr. Huff falls victim to this quote in the fact that he went against his own insurance company for a woman that cast as spell on him and for the money.  The way he went about the murder had an experienced ring to it, almost as if he has done it before.  After the murder he realizes that he hates Phyllis for what she had made him do, and all and all resenting himself.

Furthermore, from the website Filmsite, titled “Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: Themes and styles” says, “The females in film noir are either of two types- dutiful, reliable, trustworthy and loving woman; or femme fatales- mysterious, duplications, double-crossing, gorgeous, unloving, predatory, tough-sweet, unreliable, irresponsible, manipulative and desperate woman.  The obvious femme fatal character was Phyllis Nirdlinger, she put out a good front to Mr.Huff so that he would kill her husband and with no remorse he was gone. The female that was reliable and loving was that of Miss Lola Nirdlinging, Phyllis’s stepdaughter, she was innocent and youthful and stuck between the middle of all the deceptions.