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Double Indemnity

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Double Indemnity

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Summary

Classic film noir, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G Robinson. Insurance salesman Walter Neff meets Phyllis Dietrichson, the wife of one of his clients, and is instantly drawn to her. It isn't long before she's pulled Neff into a shocking plot to murder her husband, claim his life cover and live happily ever after - but Neff's boss soon smells a rat.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Tony Sloman

This classic thriller from director Billy Wilder is one of the best-loved examples of film noir ever made. Based on a novella by James M Cain (author of The Postman Always Rings Twice), and with a crackling screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler, it follows definitive femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck as she seduces insurance salesman Fred MacMurray into doing away with her husband to claim his life insurance. But dogged claims investigator Edward G Robinson smells a rat. Wilder keeps the sexual tension tight and displays a mastery of visualisation on key plot points. Some may find Stanwyck less sexy than her character should be, but that's a minor quibble when the dialogue's as good as this: "I loved you and I hated him, but I didn't do anything about it 'til you came along." Wilder was nominated for an Oscar, as was John F Seitz's cinematography and Miklos Rozsa's atmospheric score. In the best actress category, Stanwyck lost out to Ingrid Bergman for Gaslight.

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8.3/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameWalter NeffFred MacMurrayPhyllis DietrichsonBarbara StanwyckBarton KeyesEdward G RobinsonMr JacksonPorter HallLola DietrichsonJean HeatherMr DietrichsonTom PowersNino ZachetteByron BarrMr NortonRichard GainesSam GorlopisFortunio BonanovaJoe PeteJohn PhilliberSecretaryBess Flowers

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Crew

rolenameDirectorBilly Wilder

Details

Theatrical distributor

BFI

Released on

2005-11-11

Languages

English

Guidance

Some violence.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Black and white

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