Double Indemnity Film Noir Analysis

Double indemnity was made just after the war, during a period of time where men felt insecure, as women had become more powerful and independent. This is represented in the film by a negative portrayal of Phyllis. A common type of woman featuring in noir films is the femme fatale, which challenges the most traditional role of the woman and the nuclear family. She refuses to play the role of devoted wife and loving mother that society prescribes for women. She finds marriage to be confining, loveless, sexless, and dull, and is manipulative to gain independence. She uses her sexual allure to trap and exploit men.

In double indemnity the role of the femme fatale is played by Phyllis. She talks about her husband to Walter "I feel as if he was watching me. Not that he cares, not anymore. But he keeps me on a leash so tight I can't breathe." The femme fatale character represents the lack of fulfilment and of status women can feel in a conventional marriage.

Phyllis and her husband also do not have a child of there own, just a child from his previous marriage showing his lack of interest in his wife. Also when Walter enters the house for the first time he notices the pictures. There were no
pictures of Phyllis just of the father and daughter.

Although Walter was the one who actually committed the murder the audience feel sympathy towards him as he was being manipulated by Phyllis and he seems weak and helpless. He can't seem to control his emotions but is controlled by his environment. Dramatic irony in the film allows the audience to give more attention to the rest of the storyline as they are not wondering who the murder is as Walter has already confessed.

The motives are typical of film noir. Walter killed the husband for love, money and because he had fallen into Phyllis's trap. It showed his insecurity that he was willing to commit the murder when he had only met Phyllis a few times. Phyllis's reasons were money and desire of independence. When Walter begins to suspect Phyllis's motives the whole thing falls apart.

Paranoia is also prevalent throughout the film for example when Walter walks away from the house after murdering Phyllis's husband he says, "I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.'' Showing the paranoia he is feeling and giving the sense of fatalism.

The lighting is significant in Double Indemnity.
The family home looks cold and uninviting and gives you a sense of the three people being forced to live together as strangers. When Walter first meets Phyllis the light comes from the sides so appears as though she's trapping him and has already got a plan. This connotes the idea of fatalism. A staircase acts as a barrier between them giving the idea that there's something stopping them being together. As Phyllis comments on her unhappy life to Walter, the light casts shadows of crossed bars from the blinds on to her signifying her imprisonment. Double Indemnity uses chiaroscuro lighting to create elongated shadows and silhouettes. It also uses key lights in unconventional positions such as below, above or behind the
actor.
Framing in the film is also used as to signify a particular message, for example in one scene Walter is framed within the composition of a window connoting that he himself is being framed.

As typical to film noir double indemnity features dramatic and over the top music to build tension. Tension is common throughout the film despite the fact that the audience is, from the start, already aware of the murder that has taken place. As the tension between Walter and Phyllis dies down the tension between Walter and Keyes increases, a long side the underlying sense of a power struggle.

The relationship between the Keyes and Walter is key to creating and maintaining the tension and suspense throughout the film. Walters's main worry was Keyes figuring out that he was the murderer. The most obvious device that the film uses between Neff and Keyes is the lighting of cigarettes. In key points throughout the film where Keyes appears to be close to working things out he always has trouble lighting up his cigarette, Walter does it for him. In the final scene, however, when Neff no longer has things under control, Keyes lights up Walters cigarette for him.