2.1 Billy Wilder: Why This Film?

2.1 Billy Wilder: Why This Film? 

 

Billy Wilder, Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Raymond Chandler on set of Double Indemnity

Adapted from the novel by James M. Cain by Raymond Chandler, Double Indemnity was of the films that bought film noir to the ‘masses.’ It was a rare, early 'A' list film, because of its actors  – when many contemporary and later noirs were considered B list.

Nominated for best film Oscar and 6 other awards Double Indemnity didn’t win, as was considered too risqué.

BILLY WILDER

Billy Wilder Emigrated to the U.S. to escape persecution during WW II (for fear he would be persecuted because of his Jewish heritage) with $11 in his pocket. Austrian born, he worked on German and French scripts in the 1930s and gained experience as a Writer/Producer/Director in Hollywood. His characters are always flawed but have strong character and conviction(s). Unique for the time he worked across all genres of film seamlessly. Like many of his contemporaries, he continually denied consciously working in a “noir style” in later interviews.

WHY DOUBLE INDEMNITY?

Double Indemnity is considered an essential/early film noir example because:

1.It has great actors (Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson and Fred MacMurray were
   A-list actors who drew in audiences)
2.Phyllis Dietrichson is a classic femme fatale
3.Walter Neff is a completely flawed male hero (anti-hero?)
4.It has typical noir themes of greed and lust leading to adultery and murder
5.It has a typical noir narrative structure – 1st person narrative (voiceover) and flashback
6.It’s a biased narrative because it’s first person
7.It has typical Noir visual style
8.Incredible use of double entendre – the film almost didn’t get released because it was
   considered too risqué under the Hays Code (Links to an external site.)
9.It has its roots in hard boiled fiction (plot, character, themes)
10.It can be connected to the society of the time
11.Wartime malaise, feelings of hopelessness and desperation
12.It was among a handful of films that shipped to Paris to screen after the end of
WW II, illustrating the qualities noted above reinforced developing French thinking that came to identify "film noir," as named by Nino Frank


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6.7 Module 6 Summary

Image
 Module 6 Summary Wally is "too smart for his own good" in  Mildred Pierce RECAP In this module you have explored the crossover of melodrama and noir in the unique project of Mildred Pierce . Joan Crawford cut her melodramatic and noir chops on this film which led to others Flamingo Road , Sudden Fear , Possessed , The Damned Don't Cry and Queen Bee . Mildred Pierce (1945) Documentary segment video Link Here To Demonstrate your learning, you completed the following activities and assessments:  1. Read: "Film Noir: The Society Violence and the Bitch Goddess" by Stephen Farber and all module content.  2. Watch Mildred Pierce 3. Contribute to Mildred Pierce Discussion.  RESOURCES "How Joan Crawford Became Mildred Pierce" ( Links to an external site .) "Eve Arden and the 'Ida Factor' in Mildred Pierce" ( Links to an external site .) "Joan Crawford and her Enduing Style Influence" ( Links to an external site .) "The Futu...
Read more

16.4 SCREENING: BOUND

Image
SCREENING: BOUND En route to a seduction, Corky comes over to "fix the pipes" 1996’s tight-budgeted Bound is the directorial debut of The Wachowskis, in hindsight deeply overshadowed by the success of The Matrix trilogy and the other-worldly Cloud Atlas . But look a little closer and you’ll find that it shouldn’t be overshadowed at all, even if only for its redefining of gender politics and enticing reimagining of the neo-noir genre. At its centre is the relationship between just-out-of-jail Corky (Gina Gershon), and Violet (Jennifer Tilly), a character who primarily appears to be the walking embodiment of the femme fatale archetype. Violet’s relationship with the sleazily violent mafia member gives them the in they need to get the chance to rob a group of men of $2 million, with Corky’s previous for stealing coming together to hatch the perfect plan. The plot itself is fairly simple, but there’s enough elements that could go wrong for it to remain gripping. What a linear p...
Read more

16.1 Key Term Review

Key Term Review Before getting into the details of our final screening and essay questions, a quick review of some key terms. GENRE (timeless) In French, “type” or “kind.” Genres typically tell stories that share settings, conflicts, character types, and iconographies. Iconography includes all the visual motifs that appear in genres (so, cowboy hats and boots, spurs, “tough guys,” etc. in westerns). Westerns, gangster films, and musicals are a few examples. Embedded within genres are historical mythologies particular to a nation or culture — and thus ideologies (value systems that we learn to take for granted). FILM NOIR (1940s – 1950s is the classic period; noir and neo-noir have existed since, though) Assuming film noir is a kind of genre, we note that noir often: takes place at night in urban spaces (and usually in the western part of the U.S.); is shadowy and involves crime; is cynical and fatalistic (heroes are flawed and doomed and often suffer or die by end); is sexual; featur...
Read more