Double Indemnity
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| Double Indemnity | |
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| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Written by | Billy Wilder Raymond Chandler Based on Double Indemnity in Three of a Kind by James M. Cain |
| Starring | Fred MacMurray Barbara Stanwyck Edward G. Robinson |
| Produced by | Buddy G. DeSylva (Uncredited) Joseph Sistrom (Uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date | September 6, 1944 |
| Runtime | 107 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $927,262 USD (est.) |
| IMDb page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/) | |
Double Indemnity is a 1944 film noir It stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. The movie was adapted by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler from the novel Double Indemnity in Three of a Kind by James M. Cain that first appeared in 1935 in abridged, 8-part serial form in Liberty Magazine. It was directed by Wilder. The story was based on a 1927 crime perpetrated by a married Queens woman and her lover. Ruth (Brown) Snyder persuaded her boyfriend to kill her husband, after having her spouse take out a big insurance policy - with a double-indemnity clause. The murderers were quickly idenified and arrested. 1
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Plot
The film tells the story of an insurance investigator (MacMurray) who finds himself entwined in a plot to kill a woman's husband. A tenacious investigator (Robinson) thinks it's foul play and may suspect his co-worker and the recently widowed femme fatale. The title of the film is a reference to a frequently-found provision in many life insurance policies in which an amount twice the amount which would normally be paid to the beneficiary becomes payable in the event of the accidental death of the insured. An alternate ending was shot for the film (to appease censors) featuring killer MacMurray going to the electric chair. This footage is lost but stills of the scene still exist.
Awards
It was nominated for Academy Awards for
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (Barbara Stanwyck)
- Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
- Best Director (Billy Wilder)
- Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
- Best Picture
- Best Writing, Screenplay.
This film noir received no Academy Awards.
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Quote
It was a hot afternoon, and I can still remember the smell of honeysuckle all along that street. How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle? Maybe you would have known Keyes the minute she mentioned accident insurance, but I didn't. I felt like a million. - Walter (MacMurray)
External links
- Double Indemnity (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/) at the Internet Movie Database
- Double Indemnity (http://www.movietome.com/movietome/servlet/MovieMain/movieid-104220/) at Movie Tome
Note 1: Ruth Snyder's story [1] (http://www.poeforward.com/mrperfumery/deadgirls/historical/executed/snyder/snyder.htm)nl:Double Indemnity
Categories: 1944 films | Films noir | AFI 100 Movies | AFI 100 Thrills | AFI 100 Passions | Paramount films | Best Picture Oscar Nominee | Best Actress Oscar Nominee (film) | United States National Film Registry
