Film Breakdowns - Double Indemnity (1944)

Film Breakdowns - Double Indemnity (1944)

To become the best, we have to learn from the best. 

Double Indemnity was the first film noir I ever saw and it is one of the best I've seen. The story of a man falling in love with a woman, who gets him to kill off her husband for the life insurance and their struggle to stay out of jail.

Once again, I will present some of my favourite frames from the movie and write about why I like them, what it tells us and how it aids in visual storytelling. 

Let's get started!

 Visible light from light traveling through a fog or mist or dust shows a kind of serenity and purity. Perhaps this is to give a false sense of innocence about the environment or to portray the trap which leads to darkness or simply to contrast with the cage symbolism of the blinds.

The reflected mirror shot shows the main characters delusion about being in control as he overpowers her in the scene and stands behind her as if in control. In reality it’s the other way around. Maybe it was done like this to show the difference between reality and perception.

As he leaves through the door, he casts a shadow on the wall as if to leave a piece of himself in the house. This could also show him sinking in darkness and becoming a shadow of his former self or to show the darkness and evil that lives in that house, all while she watches on.

This show is lovely as the shot is exposed for the window in the background. The window could represent his last window to escape before he goes through with the murder. The tiny light on the car is his last spot of light leaving as he steps into complete darkness and crosses the point of no return.

The single of the woman is all that is needed when the murder is being committed as it’s not about the murder as much as it is about her getting what she wants. It is not the murder that is important but her reaction to it. Showing us her thoughts and emotions, revelling in the death of her husband.

This shot is interesting as they are barely lit by a slice of light. The light on her is brighter and more wide spread as if her personality is swallowing him and he is becoming less him and more what she wants. Also it shows that at that moment, to him at least, that’s all that matters around him.

 The door in this shot separates the frame into 2 separate stories. The approach to the door in the scene is extremely slow, as if foreboding the coming encounter.  seem sudden and intrusive even if it is actually slow. This is also fitting as she is literally hiding behind him.

The blinds are casting a cage like shadow on the wall but not on him. He is next to his shadow yet we see him too. This shot feels like it is saying that he has broken free of her hold on him and the cage that he feels confined to. While she is bigger in the frame, she is not the main focus any more showing he’s overpowered her.

Once again, I highly recommend you watch the full film as it is an absolute treasure of a film! It shows us the depths of darkness men will go when tempted by wealth and a woman. It shows the powers of persuasion and the evil that lives within us all. The protagonist in the film and the villain who turns out to be the femme fatal, are two sides of the same coin.

She represents what the love of money and a disregard for life will do to a person, turning them into a manipulative, evil and wicked person with no conciousness, only out for number one. He is the opposite but after killing her husband, he moves towards her and we see the destruction of a human spirit in lament of their sins. It's a great film with a powerful message. It helps us understand the human condition and brings about awareness and truth as all great films do.