PODCAST EP.6: 'Double Indemnity' (1944) - Film Noir
Added 2018-09-24 07:02:00 +0000 UTCDouble Indemnity is a 1944 film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eight-part serial in Liberty magazine, beginning in February 1936.
Each episode my friend Tyler and I will analyze the editing of one iconic movie scene like this and you can follow along. So turn on the podcast, bring up the youtube clip by clicking the link below (when we tell you) and let's get into it:
The film stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife who wishes her husband were dead. The term "double indemnity" refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in rare cases when death is caused accidentally, such as while riding a railway.
Praised by many critics when first released, Double Indemnity was nominated for seven Academy Awards but did not win any. Widely regarded as a classic, it is often cited as a paradigmatic film noir and as having set the standard for the films that followed in that genre.
Deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress in 1992, Double Indemnity was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 1998, it was ranked #38 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films of all time, and in 2007 it placed 29th on their 10th Anniversary list.
Additional Show Notes:
- British Film Institute: Infographic: What makes a film noir?
- Tyler's Upcoming Editing Course at UCLA Extension: The Art and Craft of Film Editing
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We also recap last week's "Epic Editing Challenge" a contest where participant got their hands on footage from a "real" film and submitted their take on a scene.
