Double Indemnity & Film Noir by Jenna Johnson
I agree that film noir could be considered a genre in itself. When referring to things such as dark cinematography, foreboding situations, violence, sexual innuendo, and other things, “Double Indemnity� seemed to be a straightforward example of so-called film noir in every respect. All of these things contributing to the idea of film noir form a distinct style that surrounds the particular content of social discourse included in such films. The plot in itself would perhaps be filed under a mystery in literary terms, but the way in which the characters were presented, the scenes shot and lit, and the dialogue heard (and inferred) made it much more than that. In reference to other films, one large part different about this movie was the overall atmosphere as far as lighting is concerned. Much of it took place during the night, as dark ideas of murder require darkness for secrecy. This metaphorical effect is one thing that seems to be specific of film noir.
More so, the femme fatale as an aspect of film noir was the predominant force of this film, as the character Phyllis starts the initial conflict/plot of wanting to murder her husband. She acts by the book, luring Walter in under the guise of love and lust only to betray him in the end. She is selfless, seductive, conspiring, and convincing, giving the general feeling that women will act deceptive when they are after what they want-- not a very positive stereotype in this case, yet very much so a classic femme fatale of film noir.