Double Indemnity: The Perfect Way Out Of The Nightmare

Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity, are just two out of the many incredible films directed by renowned director Billy Wilder. The two films which were released six years apart, (Double Indemnity- 1944, and Sunset Boulevard- 1950) are uniquely similar, in that both films share many of the same aspects, idea’s, and similar in narration, as one another. Both of these extravagantly, directed films are indeed classics. The films, both tell an intriguing story of spiritual loneliness of a female character, and how they use their power, money, and provocativeness, to “lure” the male character. We see the life of a once innocent (male) character, who is being hurtled towards his own self destruction, the character is “supposedly” unaware, of his own self harm through his seemingly ‘good/beneficial’ decisions that he makes.

In 1929, the American stock market crashed. The economy was crushed, leaving millions of Americans hopeless, scared, and vulnerable. The Great Depression had a huge impact on the culture at the time. The fears they faced were usually portrayed through literature, art and movies during that time period. In the 1932 film White Zombie, Halperin uses the metaphor of a monster to show how our biggest fears come from the actions others are capable of.

The Great Depression affected millions of Americans. In 1933 almost half of the 25,000 United States banks had failed, and by 1932 “unemployment had risen to between 12 and 15 million workers, or 25-30 percent of the work force.” (“About the Great Depression” 1) Because of the amount of human suffering, the Great Depression significantly impacted the literature of the time. Writers were engrossed with the way people seemed to stay hopeful and strong while they were faced with innumerable challenges. It “encouraged a revival of regionalism in literature. Some writers saw the values of ordinary people in the United States as a source of strength in hard times.” (857) Moreover, The person most credited with helping America get out of the Great Depression is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States. He served as the president for four terms, from 1933 to 1945. (“Franklin D. Roosevelt” 1) Roosevelt was most famously know for the New Deal, a program that helped lift America out of the depression.

Darabont and Sinise highlight the theme of escape through the use of the cinematic technique setting. In both films, the directors utilize the backdrop of the 1930s and the great depression, this also encompasses the gendered rules of the time, focus on religion and the dark, dirty setting. Of Mice and Men, shows the repercussions of the Great Depression on farmers and those who were already disadvantaged. The Great depression was an immense tragedy that impacted millions of

The 1944 Crime and Drama film, Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder, showed the love story between an insurance representative and one of his client's wife who plotted to commit insurance fraud on his company, Pacific All Risk Insurance CO., in order to be together. The insurance representative, Walter Neff, met Phyllis Dietrichson during one of his visit to Mr. Dietrichson's home. Phyllis inevitably becomes interested in acquiring accidental insurances for her husband which includes double indemnity. Walter begins to suspect her intentions but shortly later, they began to have an affair and Phyllis proposes to kill her husband in order to receive the money. Walter agrees to this proposal and plans the perfect death so his company would

The Great Depression had resulted in a lot of people suffering. The horrifying event lasted from 1929 to 1939. It was the worst economic downturn in history. The Great Depression happened in October 1929 when the stock market crashed. It had wiped out millions of investors and sent Wall Street into panic. In the movie “Cinderella Man,” it tells the story of James Braddock, a boxer, and his struggles throughout the depression. It shows him steady on his feet in the 1920’s, suffering from the outcome of the depression, and then how he got back on his feet. “Cinderella Man” portrays the struggles of the Great Depression through James Braddock’s harsh complications.

Along with the historical events of 1930’s, citizens’ beliefs have also shifted. “ The Great Depression brought a rapid rise in the crime rate as many unemployed workers resorted to petty theft to put food on the table.” People were desperate to survive, therefore committing crimes in order to provide for their families was the only option available. Another way out which Americans have found was alcohol. Those who were vulnerable to hardship resorted to drinking as a way of escaping the brutal reality around them. Suicide rates rose due to the depression taking over the nation; suicide seemed to be the only option left for those who weren’t able to deal with the pressure. Prostitution, as well, became more popular among women desperate to pay their bills, resulting in a shift in the way women were viewed at the time. In Chandler’s novel women were also portrayed as sexual creatures, taking advantage of it to get what they wanted.

James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity is a typically literary work of roman noir genre, adapted for a film later. The story itself is about a premeditated murder planned by the married femme fatale Phyllis Nirdlinger and her secret lover Walter Huff, specifically consistent with roman noir genre. Phyllis Nirdlinger is a typical femme fatale in this novel. She seduces the insurance agent Huff regardless of her own husband. For example, “She pulled me to her and kissed back” (Cain ch2), “I liked you all the time” (Cain ch2) and many other flirty words in the novel. What’s worse, in order to capture the money from her husband, she manages to kill him with Huff. Sex and money, as the main themes of roman noir genre, are the two main motifs of this novel as well. The story happens in Glendale of California (Cain ch1), which is explained in the very beginning of the novel. This kind of setting implies its specific roman noir genre convention. “A dark railroad track in the middle of the night... a dirty road...vacant lots” (Cain ch7). The description of the surrounding environment of the railroad track has the clarified mark of roman noir genre. The ending of Double Indemnity is a huge misery. Huff could not get rid of the nightmare after cruelly killing Mr. Nirdlinger, psychologically ill. In the same time, he has large divergence with his lover Mrs. Nirdlinger. Their intimate relationship breaks up. Finally Huff commits a suicide with his lover after his crime being discovered. The

The Great Depression broke down security and belief in American society during the early 20th century and brought out hidden prejudices. The once optimistic mood during the Roaring 20’s turned to pain. The dire economic situation caused Americans to return to past social stigmas where certain groups of people were seen as inferior; as a result, the American Dream, where everyone could seek their ideal of success, was reduced to merely a dream. John Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like in his later work, The Grapes of Wrath, he was inspired by his environment to expose the lives of people during the Great Depression using Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men through the characters that the American Dream was naturally discriminatory towards certain groups of people because of common perceptions held during that period.

Double Indemnity (1994) is a movie director by Billy Wilder with his screenwriting partner Raymond Chandler, which is based on James M. Cain’s famous novel. The main storylines in the book and the movie are roughly the same; it talks about how an experienced insurance seller Walter helps a housewife Phyllis to murder her husband to get the double indemnity. There are still many notable changes in the transition from book to film, like characters’ action, plot, style, and relationship between anti-hero and femme fatale in the novel are all more complex than the movie. For example, in Cain’s novel, Phyllis is a complete ruthless murderer because she is responsible for almost ten people deaths. However, in the film, it does not mention Phyllis’ past murders.

Since the beginning of recorded history we have been held to witness the influence of women and their sexuality on mankind. As sexual creatures, humans desire each other; generally men are more inclined to be seen as the ones who “need” the physical sexual act. This “need” that men have gives women an important power and opportunity over men. By controlling sex women can basically rule the world. This idea tends to scare men because men like to be the ones in control, but at the same time this thought of powerful dominating women is a sexual turn on. These natural curiosities we all have with our bodies, and fantasies we create, led to the eventual naming of this phenomenon as the Femme Fatale, coined by the French. Prior

Femme fatale. Every culture has a mystical femme fatale that is known for being beautiful, enticing and deadly. A female being that has the ability to entice a man with the intent to destroy his very being. The Mermaids, Nymphs, Undines and Sirens, these beautiful and deadly creatures are known all over the world. The alluring charms of these creatures are legendary and have been known globally for centuries. The femme fatale is known for being able to charm and lure wayward men for safety into an out of element location. These men have been away from the company of women or just wanting the female company. The idea of a beautiful and seductive female looking for carnal pleasure is usually desired when a person is in need of physical and

The Great Depression of the nineteen thirties marks a time of great social and economic upheaval for the United States as global trade dropped by sixty percent and a quarter of American workers were left unemployed. In reaction to the Depression, there was a societal shift in focus from the decadence and excess of the nineteen twenties to the reality of pervasive everyday hardship that people were experiencing. In particular, one of the greatest changes came in literature. Authors began writing with increasingly down to earth mindsets and realistic point of views. Predictably, books became centered on topics such as the cruelty that existed in the world, personal ambitions, and the life lessons that ensued. An award-winning and notable author of this time, John Steinbeck, grappled with many of these Depression Era themes. One of his most famous and highly praised works, Of Mice and Men, is an extremely powerful, yet compellingly short novel. Stressing many broad themes about life, Steinbeck’s novel touches on social acceptance, economic exploitation, and most importantly the impossibility of the “American dream” or ideal lifestyle as it incorporates many unwritten truths that expose barriers to success.

Today, modern movies often portray women as strong, courageous feminists or even the heroine that will eventually help save her people. However, Pretty Woman focuses on how women are viewed as objects in a world dominated by powerful men. The protagonist is viewed as an outcast in society, because she is not rich and poised and because she is a prostitute, until she becomes the epitome of society’s ideal woman - rich, beautiful, and well maintenance, through the help of a well respected businessman, in which she is then embraced by those in the high class society. However, the protagonist refuses to let society’s standards change her dreams and the way she views herself. By depicting that the “ideal woman” is someone who has to rely on men for help and has to have elegance and affluence in order to be well respected or successful in society, Pretty Woman emphasizes that women are only viewed as objects in a dominant male society. Even though the “ideal woman” is someone who

We see a woman ready to go into the battle of the sexes whom the Baron (her opponent) already regards as a threat. Specifically, her beauty is a threat in that it empowers Belinda and means he may have to compete with other men for her affection. The idea of a woman holding power of any sort over a man attacks the male ego or at least threatens the Baron's ego. He is