Double Indemnity (Novel) Themes
- Sexual Obsession. The theme of sexual obsession pervades all of Cain’s crime fiction. ...
- Greed. The narrator basically implicate the world as a cesspool of greed with the caveat that greed comes in many different forms with subsequent levels of what might be “sinfulness.”
- The Criminal Element. ...
What does Double Indemnity mean?
What does double indemnity mean? Double indemnity is defined as a clause in the life insurance policy that asserts that in standard life insurance, the insurance company will pay twice the amount of money stated if the death of the insured or assured results from an accident.
Where to watch Double Indemnity?
Streaming on Roku. Double Indemnity, a crime drama movie starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson is available to stream now. Watch it on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu Movie & TV Store, VUDU or Redbox. on your Roku device.
What is Double Indemnity?
What is Double Indemnity? Some life insurance policies provide additional benefits when the policyholder suffers an accidental death. When these benefits are double the standard compensation, this is known as a “double indemnity” claim. While these policies seem straightforward, insurers often deny these claims.
What does double indemnity protection provide?
Double indemnity is a desirable supplement to the primary life insurance. It is intended to provide double payment to the beneficiary at the time of greatest need when the insured meets an untimely and premature death as the result of accidental injury. A discussion of the legal phase of double indemnity might not appear in ...
What is the tone of Double Indemnity?
The dark tone of Double Indemnity, both visually and thematically, the anti-hero who is led astray by greed and lust, and the seductive yet deadly femme fatale are all essential film noir ingredients.
Do you think Double Indemnity is a love story?
But there's another story in "Double Indemnity," and it really is a love story. Insurance salesman Walter Neff and his boss Barton Keyes, played by Edward G. Robinson, have a friendship and affection that gives this story its moral dimension.
Why is Double Indemnity important?
Yet Double Indemnity adds in an extra layer of complexity – lighting also reveals the hidden evils within the characters. Thus, it is used as a narrative feature which puts aspects of the story and of the characters into visual form.
What is the setting of Double Indemnity?
In 1938, insurance salesman Walter Neff returns to his office in downtown Los Angeles with a gunshot wound on his shoulder. He records a confession on a dictaphone for his friend and colleague, claims adjuster Barton Keyes.
What is the plot of Double Indemnity?
In this classic film noir, insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), who is intent on killing her husband (Tom Powers) and living off the fraudulent accidental death claim. Prompted by the late Mr. Dietrichson's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), insurance investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) looks into the case, and gradually begins to uncover the sinister truth.Double Indemnity / Film synopsis
Why is it called Double Indemnity?
(“Double indemnity” refers to the insurance policy clause that calls for the beneficiary to be paid twice the face value of the policy in case of the policyholder's accidental death.)
How is rational choice theory represented in Double Indemnity?
The film double indemnity is a perfect illustration of the rational choice theory because it depicts scenarios where different characters choose to engage in criminal acts willingly after evaluating different factors. Walter Neff is the main character, and he works as an insurance salesman.
How is Walter Neff portrayed in Double Indemnity?
Cain's novella Double Indemnity and its 1944 and 1973 film adaptations. He's an affable insurance salesman who develops a fondness for Phyllis Dietrichson and assists her in plotting a scene to murder her husband for his savings, while at the same time, plotting to rebel against the system in order to beat it.
What does noir mean in film?
: a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music also : a film of this type.
Who is the protagonist in Double Indemnity?
protagonist Waiter NeffIn the first major scene of Billy Wilder's 1944 film Double Indemnity, protagonist Waiter Neff (Fred MacMurray) explicitly introduces the film's murderous conspiracy in terms of a failed desire. "Yes, I killed him," Walter says coldly into the Dictaphone.
Who is Nino in Double Indemnity?
Byron BarrByron Barr: Nino Zachetti Jump to: Photos (2)
Who is the narrator in Double Indemnity?
HuffIn “Double Indemnity” you would have Huff, as an extradiegetic and homodiegetic narrator, while all the dialogues in the story and maybe even the last pages, when Huff narrates in the present tense would be intradiegetic narration.
Sexual Obsession
The theme of sexual obsession pervades all of Cain’s crime fiction. His noir-ish world is one in which strong sexual passions stir beneath the surface of interactions between men and woman; those who act blindly and impulsively upon them generally do not turn out well.
Greed
The narrator basically implicate the world as a cesspool of greed with the caveat that greed comes in many different forms with subsequent levels of what might be “sinfulness.” Walter Huff, the insurance agent who narrates, makes it clear that Phyllis operates on a much higher level of sinfulness than he does even though they both kill for money.
The Criminal Element
The two characters who commit the heartless crime at the center of Double Indemnity are anything but typical profiles in thuggery. Phyllis and Walter are primitive thieves, plain and simple.
Themes in Double Indemnity
One of the recurring themes in Double Indemnity is objectification of women. This theme is highlighted by Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), an alluring beautiful blonde woman that is the object of male fantasies in the movie. She is aware of the power she wields over men and uses it to get whatever she wants.
Objectification of Women
One of the recurring themes in Double Indemnity is objectification of women. This theme is highlighted by Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), an alluring beautiful blonde woman that is the object of male fantasies in the movie. She is aware of the power she wields over men and uses it to get whatever she wants.
What is double indemnity?
The term " double indemnity " refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in rare cases when the death is accidental. Praised by many critics when first released, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards but did not win any.
What is the movie that inspired Double Indemnity?
An Indian film, Jism (2003), was inspired by the film. Double Indemnity is one of the films parodied in the 1993 film Fatal Instinct; the hero's wife conspires to have him shot on a moving train and fall into a lake so that she can collect on his insurance, which has a "triple indemnity" rider.
How much did Double Indemnity cost?
Budget. $980,000. Box office. $5 million. Double Indemnity is a 1944 American psychological thriller film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom.
When was Double Indemnity published?
Double Indemnity began making the rounds in Hollywood shortly after it was published in Liberty magazine in 1936 . Cain had made a name for himself the year before with The Postman Always Rings Twice, a story of murder and passion between a migrant worker and the unhappy wife of a café owner.
When was Double Indemnity selected for preservation?
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.
When was Postman and Double Indemnity remade?
Both Postman and Double Indemnity were remade: Double Indemnity as a television movie in 1973 starring Richard Crenna (who also starred in Body Heat ), Lee J. Cobb, and Samantha Eggar; and is included on a bonus disc in the American DVD release of the original film.
