Double Indemnity Film Analysis

Within the industry of film there are countless genres. Each genre has specific characteristics that make it unique from the rest. For example, action is filled with fight scenes and explosions, comedy make us laugh so hard we cry, and suspense leaves us on the edge of our seat in anticipation. There is one genre of film that not many people are aware of but one that is intricate to American society; Film Noir. Noir is a unique blend of dark iconography, tough guy characters, and criminal investigations. It’s also unique in the sense that the setting for Noir films can literally be anywhere, as long as it has the previous mentioned elements. In order for Noir to be discussed as a genre, one needs to look at films that describe it. The 1944 film Double Indemnity is one example of what Noir looks like. It has 3 essential characteristics of noir film: dark iconography, “femme fatale” stereotypes, and criminal actions.
We see that all of the noir films of the forties were filmed in black and white. This makes the use of lighting that much more important. We see in Double Indemnity that lighting crews focused on the use of shadows in various angles to display the intensity and suspense of scenes. “Settings were often interiors with low-key (or single-source) lighting, venetian-blinded windows and rooms, and dark, claustrophobic, gloomy appearances.” (filmsite) The importance of lighting is shown in the scene of Double Indemnity when Walter (Fred MacMurray) tells Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) that he is done with her and will not be taken down for her crimes. It is very low lit and we only see Phyllis in the shadow, smoking a cigarette. The 2011 film, Drive, also has very important lighting. Throughout the film the lighting cast shadows in the dark, and has a feeling of suspense to it that can’t be