Blog #4

After both watching and reading the novel Double Indemnity I have to say that I feel that the movie version of the ending was much more appropriate for film noir. I say this because it was the typical guy fell for the femme fatale and by the end he had been shot and then dies. In the book there was this sense that the charaters were riding off into the sunset together. ( so to speak ) The movie just had more of what we are used to in terms of film noir. I belkieve that the book was in more detail. However I think that because of the times the movie version was limited in what they were and were not allowed to show on the big screen.

The appropriateness of the actor portrayals was an easy one for me. Fred MacMurray was definatley not the guy to have portrayed Walter Neff. He just seemed too nice of a guy to be that cunning of a character. At first I thought that my judgement was clouded because I remember him as the fun loving single dad that he played for years on the tv show My Three Sons. So I did take a step[ back and realized that he was just too nice of a guy. I feel that MacMurry's character was the same as in the book. But his demeanor as a person was just not in tune with book. I truly believe that this was a major miss on the casting department.
Now Barbars Stanwyck was right on the money as the femme fatale Phyllis. She has played many characters in both movies and in a tv series. However I think she was very believable in this role. I know that she played a horrible mean person in her role as in the Thornbirds. She just seemed to play these roles with such ease that she is very believable as the femme fatal that we all love to hate in these movies. This was definately right on the money as afar as getting the actress and the character right.

Blog #3

First I just have to say that I was not expecting the turn of events in this story. I had to re-read the last half of the book. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the movie to really see the differences between the two. I am very torn as to who the detective roles are. I was absolutely convinced that it was Keyes hands down. Then upon reading the story i found that Sachetti was actually doing his own detective work as well. Sachetti was trying to clear his fathers name so he did a lot of investigative work himself. Now he may not have been quite as eloquent as Keyes he still managed to fare very well for himself. With having to choose who the actual hard-boiled detective is I have to really say that it is Keyes. He was the one who was very adament that Nirdlinger was murdered and taht it was most definately not suicide. Keyes had the inside track on the investigation from the beginning. Not just from his gut instincts, but also from being in the business and the information that he was privy to from the police. Since Keyes suspected foul play ( and was convinced of it ) he needed to find the ccomplice. Keyes knew that Phyllis could not have done this all on her own. At his point he did not suspect Huff of any involvement. That is until he was shot. That changed everything. Keyes had told Huff everything that he knew in the hospital. His only question at the time was how Huff fit into the mystery. It was then that Huff cracked and confessed everything to Keyes because of his love of Lola. He wanted to protect her.  (And might I just add holy crap I never saw that coming ) Keyes did show that he was a friend to Huff and arranged for him to get away without being prosecuted. He did have some help from the police and another collegue though. I think that showed that he really cared for Huff and did not want to see any reall harm come to him. Keyes shows so many qualities to prove that he is in deed the hard-boiled detective like how he questions Huff without really questioning him zt times. He would also give information very candidly and with such ease as if he knew in the back of his mind that there could be a chance of Huff knowing more than he thought he knew. I kind of think that Keyes also did what some cops back then might have done. Because he was pretty much a good guy until that femme fatle got him snarled into her web. May I just add that what I feel is the icing on the cake is when Huff is on the deck in his chair and finds that Phyllis is right there next to him. What poetic justice. I kind of feel like that was the law/detective part of Keyes.

Blog #2

Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton state in their article "Towards a Definition of Film Noir" that "film noir is crime from within: from the point of view of the criminal." This comment relates to Double Indemnity because it is being told by Mr. Huff the insurance salesman and the criminal. As the story begins, you think that Mr. Huff is a just a slick talking insurance saleman. But then in walks the Femme Fatale... Phillis Nirdlinger. As Mr. Huff is talking about insurance Phillis begins her act. She starts to toy with Mr. Huff and as their flirting escalates to a kiss she knows she has him. Huff puts on the tough guy act and she ends up at his house. After they banter back and forth he confronts her with the scheme that she has conjured up. She tries to deny it and then leaves. The next day Phillis comes back to Huffs house and he proceeds to tell her the best way to g et rid of Mr. Nirdlinger. They decide on the railway because if an accident happens on the rails then it becomes a double indemnity pay out. Then Huff had to figure out how he was going to get Nirdlinger on a rail. The details that he had to not only think of but to also carry them out to perfection is mind blowing to me. That is wat too much work for $50,000. In the article "Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir" it provides the description of many of the scenes that we have become accustomed to in film noir. For instance when it is raining out you just know that something is going to be wrong. Who shows up at Huffs house in the pouring down rain? The femme fatale herself. Phillis Nirdlinger soaking wet with the all knowing presumption of what she is there for. And Huff gives into her seduction and they begin to plot and scheme about how they are going to knock off her husband and collect on the insurance money. There is also the part in the book where they go to the rail yard and it is late in the evening. This too is an element of noir. The darkness and shadows of the night just bring out the wickedness of the characters of Phillis and Huff. When the deed is done I find it funny that Phillis now starts to g et very irritated with Huff and wants to throw him out of the car. But she has to take him to his car instead as to keep their alibis in line. That is classic femme fatale for you. She gets what she wants and then throws the guy to curb.This is a very intriguing story so far. I cant wait to watch the film to see what the differences will be between them.