Double Indemnity (1944) Audio Commentary

Rob Caravaggio Commentaries

The old noir trope of putting a Chandler and a Wilder on a loveseat...

RC-2013-110: The Film Noir Series — Double Indemnity (1944)
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We continue down the noir path with a lively dissection of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. Right from the start I cop to being in love with nearly every aspect of the film, particularly its three leads. Although I lack the suave drollness of Walter Neff, I make up for it by telling a few charming tales about the film's production and the testy relations between Wilder and Chandler. You'll hear me explain why the boss of the insurance company, Mr. Norton, reminds me of Principal Ed Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There is then some wondering out loud as to whether the film actually has something serious to say about the issue of nepotism-versus-meritocracy in WWII-era America. Though I giggle Walter's flurry of sexual innuendos, I don't try to come up with any myself.
Show Notes

• A rundown of Barbara Stanwyck's pre-code naughtiness
• Fred MacMurray's appearance on "What's My Line"
• Wilder speaks about the film and its alternate endings
• More lowdown on the gas chamber ending that was scrapped by Wilder
• An essay about film noir by Stanley Crouch
• The definition of film noir, ctd.

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