Double Indemnity And Pulp Fiction Analysis

In this article, I am going to compare and contrast the narrative structures, generic codes and conventions of film noir with more recent neo-noirs; the films I’m going to use to do this are Double Indemnity and Pulp Fiction. I’m also going to investigate the relationship between original film noirs and the Hollywood studio system and contemporary production contexts in the North American Film Industry.

The first film I’m going to be looking at is Double Indemnity, a classic noir film which follows Walter Neff, an insurance salesman who meets Phyllis Dietrichson and is roped into a murderous scheme to kill her husband and live off the accidental death claim. Insurance investigator Barton Keyes looks into the case, uncovering the truth. The
This is key in film noir and neo-noir as the gloomy darkly lit scenes are typical of the genre. Pulp Fiction is a little different as in shots where things are going right for the characters the scene is brightly lit, reflecting their mood. Double Indemnity doesn’t do this as it’s always in high contrast or darkly lit, this may be because it is a black and white film and Pulp Fiction isn’t. Both films also use a range of high and low camera angles to make people look like they’re in a position of power over people in general or another person out of shot. Double Indemnity does this when Phyllis is coming down the stairs when she and Walter first meet, this establishes that she is the femme fatale and is already in a position of power over Walter. Pulp Fiction also does this when Jules and Vincent are getting their guns out of the car and interrogating the guys in the hotel room. This is a common code in film noir as they’re often about morals and good vs evil, so these camera angles establish who’s in a position of power without saying it outright. To conclude, classic noir and neo-noir follow the same codes and conventions as in a way, they’re the common conventions that make up a noir