Film Noir

"For me the great noir films are films about fall guys a person who find themselves caught in a net. The more he struggles the deeper and deeper he becomes entwined in nightmare." - Errol Morris

This quote perfectly applies to Double Idemnity because of how Walter Neff who becomes consumed by the idea of running away with Mr. Dietrichson's wife Phyllis. Through double idemnity, if Mr. Dietrichson were to die from an unlikely accident, double idemnity clause in the policy would come into affect and Phyllis Dietrichson would receive twice the amount from Pacific All Risk. Walter meticulously hatches a plan to have Mr. Dietrichson killed in a freak accident and all is well until questions are asked and an investigation is under way. Walter continues to dig himself into a deeper hole and finds out Phyllis has been seeing another man behind his back, Lola's(Mr. Dietrichson's daughter) boyfriend Nero.

I can agree that Phyllis Dietrichson falls under the category as a femme fatale. The way she presents herself, how she speaks to Walter Neff, maybe even the smell of her perfume was too intoxicating. She has that irresistible desire and she used that to her advantage, convincing Walter Neff to meticulously plan the death of Mr. Dietrichson.

"She uses her sexuality to get what she's after, and what she's after isn't the man in the picture, he's another tool. What she's after is something for herself." (Filmmaker not listed? Although this quote does ring true)





What film noir does is adds significant drama to what is already a dim setting. With the dark setting and dim lighting, it sets the tone for the film making it that much more dramatic. Pictured in this film still is a woman looking out through her window blinds, and on the opposite side of the window blinds is an unidentified man wearing a hat. The darkness of the setting makes the scene that much more serious, as if the lady looking through the blinds is in a dire strait.

I grew up watching movies in color, so when I go back and look at black & white films, it doesn't hold my attention compared to a movie that has color. Color not only provides eye-candy, but can change the expression of the film. If you compare the 2 pictures above, one is a typical black-white film while the other is neo-noir. Although the black-white picture sends a chill down my spine, the picture below that expresses itself better. The grittiness of the picture can be felt, that red light far away reminds me of emergency lights. The rain adds a melancholy tone, while the graffiti on the walls add to the effect that this might not be a safe area.