Blog 3: A brisk and unsatisfying end.

The conclusion to James M. Cain's, "Double Indemnity," was appropriate to the novel; it was as abrupt and strange like braking a man's' neck with a crutch. The final scene depicted a dying Walter Huff and a white-faced, scarlet-clad, Phyllis Nirdlinger surreally preparing to commit suicide. The swift ending followed the detailed personal account of the events leading up to, and following Walter's introduction to the beautiful yet psychotic wife of a client. Following a brisk tryst the two plotted and killed his client for a large insurance settlement and then turned upon one another. This double-cross led to the bullet in his chest and a full confession to his boss and mentor. The entire tale was dark and tumultuous like the seas the two chose to end it in.

I was not completely satisfied with Cain's ending, it seemed hurried and a little odd. After the realistic details and descriptions within Walter's account, it seemed farfetched that an insurance company would deal with Phyllis in such a manner. It would have been more plausible if Mr. Keyes had pursued his hunch of foul play into court with as much vigor as he had while investigating the death. Keyes was a sticker for the truth and justice. It would have been more satisfying to read about him crucifying, and making an example out of the pair, or having them get away with it.
I believe that Walter's treatment was fair. He had been an honest, upright citizen, who followed the law, though he dreamed of breaking it and rebelling against the system. The manner and haste to which he was seduced by Phyllis and acquiescence to her dark plans were surprising, and there was enough evidence that she was adept at deceit and skilled in her manipulation of men. It could be argued that Walter, a bored insurance salesman was struck, and convinced into doing her bidding. In return for his full, sworn statement his employers allowed him an opportunity to leave the country, rather than having him as a dark stain on their record.

Phyllis got off too easy, she should have been put to justice for her heinous crimes. She was the murder of innocent women and children, a skilled harbinger of death, and a masterful liar. She was allowed to bring about her own demise, in the manner that she chose. She showed no remorse for her actions, and decided to take her own life after she had exhausted all of her other options, and was not conflicted or scared of her decision. To her, it was simply the closing of a vicious loop, she had brought about the death of others and now was going to die herself. She should have been punished for her crimes, and eventually put to death in a manner not of her choosing.

At this point in the film version of the novel, we have not seen the end. It does not appear that the screenwriters have changed very much about it though. Compared to the similar point in the novel, they only combined a few different elements and changed Walter's method of confession.

Blog 2: Elements of Film Noir within Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain is a classic work of fiction that fits perfectly within the various definitions of the noir style. The novel follows Walter Huff, a lonely and successful insurance salesman as he is sucked into a twisted murder plot by a beautiful woman. Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton state, within "Towards a definition of Film Noir," that, "film noir is [crime] from within; from the point of view of the criminal." Cain's novel is Walter Huff's personal account of the events surrounding the murder of his client H.S. Nirdlinger. Mr. Huff meticulously describes his decent into the criminal world from the moment he laid his eyes on the beautiful wife of his client, through his thorough planning of the murder, and the steps that would be necesssary to ensure that the crime would go unsolved, and finally how it all went wrong. He recounts, in vivid detail, every aspect of his sordid affair and his reaction to being manipulated into doing the heinous crime.

The website, Filmsite, states that, "The females in Film noir are either of two types - dutiful, reliable, trustworthy and loving women; or femme fatales - mysterious, duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous... and desperate women." The women within Cain's novel fall exactly in line with this description. Lola Nirdlinger, the daughter of the victim, is a sweet and charming young woman, who was devoted to her mother and father, and who wanted nothing but to find out the truth about what happened to them. Phyllis Nirdlinger is the femme fatal, a beautiful and depraved woman who was willing to go to any length to get what she wanted. She easily manipulated Walter Huff into killing her husband after only a single visit. Her actions proved her to be truely evil, with the insane ability to justify the most disturbing of deeds to serve her needs.

Filmsite, also states that film noir "narratives are frequently complex and convoluted, typically told with flashbacks." Walter Huffs' narrative is indeed complex, from the way he describes every aspect of a successful murder, to the intricacies of the insurance system, and finally the way he planned down to the second every action that took place the night of the murder. Every twist and turn of the story is told as a flashback after the whole sorted affair had come unglued.

Blog 1: Film Noir

     French Film critics coined the term noir to describe a new genre in American film after the end of WWII. Unlike the feel good and patriotic pictures of the wartime and prewar eras, these new films were dark and dangerous, filled with a violence and corruption that was a complete reversal of the earlier American film trends.

     The silver screen noir genre was influenced directly by the paperbound works of Chandler, Cain and Hammett, whose protagonists were more human, flawed, and earthbound than do-gooders. These dark and brooding men would stop at nothing to discover the truth, be it for their own satisfaction or by some skewed sense of purpose.

     The expressionist visual elements that brought these dark hero's to life were often based upon wet, nighttime urban settings to create an ambiance of smoke hewn cynicism and fatalistic desires. The rain soaked alleyways juxtaposed with unique camera angles often served to accentuate the moody, gloomy nature of the protagonists.

     A distinctive element within the noir style is the femme fatal, a beautiful and deceitful woman who pushes the protagonist into physical or morally compromising situations that disrupt his plans or goals. Unlike the picturesque perfect housewives of the prewar era, these women were independent and cruel mistresses who only acted for their own benefit.

     All of these elements were combined into films which dealt directly with the issues of the day. Corruption, Violence, Danger... these were real, ongoing, concerns that faced postwar Americans, and the films were a means to bring to light and cope with a turbulent time.